This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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The Best Lawyers in Canada 2024 recognize 68 lawyers of Lavery
Lavery is pleased to announce that 68 of its lawyers have been recognized as leaders in their respective fields of expertise by The Best Lawyers in Canada 2024. The following lawyers also received the Lawyer of the Year award in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada: Josianne Beaudry : Mining Law Jules Brière : Administrative and Public Law Bernard Larocque : Professional Malpractice Law Carl Lessard : Workers' Compensation Law Consult the complete list of Lavery's lawyers and their fields of expertise: Josianne Beaudry : Mergers and Acquisitions Law / Mining Law Laurence Bich-Carrière : Class Action Litigation / Contruction Law / Corporate and Commercial Litigation / Product Liability Law Dominic Boivert : Insurance Law Luc R. Borduas : Corporate Law / Mergers and Acquisitions Law Daniel Bouchard : Environmental Law Elizabeth Bourgeois : Labour and Employment Law (Ones To Watch) René Branchaud : Mining Law / Natural Resources Law / Securities Law Étienne Brassard : Equipment Finance Law / Mergers and Acquisitions Law / Real Estate Law Jules Brière : Aboriginal Law / Indigenous Practice / Administrative and Public Law / Health Care Law Myriam Brixi : Class Action Litigation Benoit Brouillette : Labour and Employment Law Richard Burgos : Mergers and Acquisitions Law / Corporate Law / Commercial Leasing Law / Real Estate Law Marie-Claude Cantin : Insurance Law / Construction Law Brittany Carson : Labour and Employment Law Karl Chabot : Construction Law (Ones To Watch) Chantal Desjardins : Intellectual Property Law Jean-Sébastien Desroches : Corporate Law / Mergers and Acquisitions Law Raymond Doray : Privacy and Data Security Law / Administrative and Public Law / Defamation and Media Law Christian Dumoulin : Mergers and Acquisitions Law Alain Y. Dussault : Intellectual Property Law Isabelle Duval : Family Law Philippe Frère : Administrative and Public Law Simon Gagné : Labour and Employment Law Nicolas Gagnon : Construction Law Richard Gaudreault : Labour and Employment Law Julie Gauvreau : Intellectual Property Law / Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice Audrey Gibeault : Trusts and Estates Caroline Harnois : Family Law / Family Law Mediation / Trusts and Estates Marie-Josée Hétu : Labour and Employment Law Édith Jacques : Energy Law / Corporate Law / Natural Resources Law Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur : Labour and Employment Law Isabelle Jomphe : Advertising and Marketing Law / Intellectual Property Law Guillaume Laberge : Administrative and Public Law Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin : Insurance Law Awatif Lakhdar : Family Law Bernard Larocque : Professional Malpractice Law / Class Action Litigation / Insurance Law / Legal Malpractice Law Éric Lavallée : Technology Law Myriam Lavallée : Labour and Employment Law Guy Lavoie : Labour and Employment Law / Workers' Compensation Law Jean Legault : Banking and Finance Law / Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Law Carl Lessard : Workers' Compensation Law / Labour and Employment Law Josiane L'Heureux : Labour and Employment Law Despina Mandilaras : Construction Law / Corporate and Commercial Litigation (Ones To Watch) Hugh Mansfield : Intellectual Property Law Zeïneb Mellouli : Labour and Employment Law / Workers' Compensation Law Isabelle P. Mercure : Trusts and Estates Patrick A. Molinari : Health Care Law Jessica Parent : Labour and Employment Law (Ones To Watch) Luc Pariseau : Tax Law / Trusts and Estates Ariane Pasquier : Labour and Employment Law Jacques Paul-Hus : Mergers and Acquisitions Law Audrey Pelletier : Tax Law (Ones To Watch) Hubert Pepin : Labour and Employment Law Martin Pichette : Insurance Law / Professional Malpractice Law / Corporate and Commercial Litigation Élisabeth Pinard : Family Law François Renaud : Banking and Finance Law / Structured Finance Law Judith Rochette : Insurance Law / Professional Malpractice Law Ian Rose FCIArb : Director and Officer Liability Practice / Insurance Law / Class Action Litigation Sophie Roy : Insurance Law (Ones To Watch) Chantal Saint-Onge : Corporate and Commercial Litigation (Ones To Watch) Ouassim Tadlaoui : Construction Law / Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Law Bernard Trang : Banking and Finance Law / Project Finance Law (Ones To Watch) Mylène Vallières : Mergers and Acquisitions Law / Securities Law (Ones To Watch) André Vautour : Corporate Governance Practice / Corporate Law / Information Technology Law / Intellectual Property Law / Technology Law / Energy Law Bruno Verdon : Corporate and Commercial Litigation Sébastien Vézina : Mergers and Acquisitions Law / Mining Law Yanick Vlasak : Corporate and Commercial Litigation / Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Law Jonathan Warin : Insolvency and Financial Restructuring Law These recognitions are further demonstration of the expertise and quality of legal services that characterize Lavery’s professionals. About Lavery Lavery is the leading independent law firm in Quebec. Its more than 200 professionals, based in Montréal, Quebec, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières, work every day to offer a full range of legal services to organizations doing business in Quebec. Recognized by the most prestigious legal directories, Lavery professionals are at the heart of what is happening in the business world and are actively involved in their communities. The firm’s expertise is frequently sought after by numerous national and international partners to provide support in cases under Quebec jurisdiction.
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Lavery involved in the construction of the new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge
Following a qualification process, the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable du Québec (MTMD) issued a call for tenders in 2022 for the construction of the new Île-aux-Tourtes bridge pursuant to the project delivery method known as design-build-finance (DBF). Since this was a DBF, the financing of this project had to be included in the proposals made by the selected candidates. Lavery represented the successful consortium made up of Dragados Canada Inc., Roxboro Excavation Inc. and Construction Demathieu & Bard Inc. Our role required expertise in the following areas: (a) Governance and corporate law (b) Project financing (banking and securities) (c) Public procurement (d) Construction law (e) Commercial agreements (f) Taxation Lavery represented the consortium from the call for proposals to the financial close, including the drafting phase leading up to the awarding of the contract to the consortium. The financing was the most complex part of this transaction. Under the hybrid approach retained for that project, a major credit facility to be granted by a bank syndicate had to be set up, as well the private placement of two tranches of bonds. This involved adjusting the rights and obligations of creditors on both sides within a sophisticated intercreditor agreement. The financing also required parent company guarantees, including from French and Spanish corporations, which required us to find common ground to accommodate the typical requirements of a North American financing and the specific corporate and commercial features applicable in France and Spain. To meet this challenge, we put together a multidisciplinary team, divided up the work in accordance with our professionals’ diverse expertises, and dedicated a team member exclusively to interactions with the MTMD, its lawyers and the issuers of performance bonds typical for this kind of projects. Sound project management practices were essential to the success of this team effort. It is a privilege for Lavery to have participated in this essential project allowing the people of Quebec to obtain a new bridge linking the regions of Montérégie and Montréal. The Lavery team was led by Josianne Beaudry, Nicolas Gagnon, Édith Jacques, David Tournier and André Vautour, and included Véronik Bonneville-Pesant, Katerina Kostopoulos, Jean-François Maurice, Joseph Gualdieri, Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil, Alexandre Turcotte, Luc Pariseau, Charles Hugo Gagné, Mickaël Pageau, Jean-Vincent Prévost-Bérubé and Yohann Lévy.
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Myriam Brixi recognized among Canada’s Top 100 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation for 2023
Lavery is pleased to announce that Myriam Brixi has been recognized in the 10th edition of Benchmark Litigation’s Top 100 Women in Litigation in Canada for 2023. This prestigious achievement honours Canada’s 100 best female litigators who have achieved professional distinction via their recent involvement in key cases and have forged a solid reputation in the eyes of their peers and clients. As a partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group, Myriam Brixi focuses her practice primarily in the areas of class actions, product liability, consumer law and insurance law. She has participated in complex class actions raising important legal issues, including a wide range of multi-jurisdictional class actions. In addition to this honour, Myriam was recognized as a Litigation Star and was named Quebec Litigator of the Year in the Emerging Talent category earlier in 2023. For more information, please go to: Top 100 Women in Canada in Litigation
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Three new members join Lavery’s ranks
Lavery is pleased to welcome three new members to its Montréal office: Emma-Sophie Hall, François Pariseau and Noémie Rochette. Emma-Sophie Hall Emma-Sophie Hall is back in our Labour and Employment Law group. She assists employers with all aspects of labour and employment law, including labour standards, employment contracts and corporate policies. She is also called on to assist in preparing for the arbitration of grievances and proceedings before the civil courts of Quebec. "I am delighted to be back in such a stimulating work environment with exceptional mentors." Noémie Rochette Noémie joins our Business Law group and our firm's tax law team. She specializes in all aspects of tax law, including tax planning for corporate reorganizations, estate planning and tax litigation. "I am very enthusiastic about joining Lavery, a renowned organization with a corporate culture that values excellence and professional growth. I was won over by a friendly and dedicated team managing large-scale, diversified mandates and guiding junior lawyers in their development. I am looking forward to joining the team and furthering my career." François Pariseau François Pariseau is a member of the Administrative Law group. He focuses his practice primarily on administrative and constitutional law in many specialized areas, such as access to information, protection of privacy, and professional and disciplinary law. In this capacity, he regularly represents and advises public and private entities, including professional orders and public bodies on issues relating to constitutional law, judicial review, injunctions and disputes in administrative law. "I was genuinely impressed by how professional the people involved in the hiring process were when they contacted me. Every step of the way, the professionals I met showed interest in me and were very receptive during our conversations. At Lavery, I discovered a people-oriented team, a unique and powerful brand image and, above all, professionals committed to actively contributing to Quebec society."
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Lavery/Léger Survey: Businesses Still Seeking Growth Opportunities but Feel Ill-Equipped in the Current Economic Context
A survey conducted by the law firm Lavery in collaboration with Léger reveals that more than half (58%) of Québec businesses have curbed their growth plans as a result of various financial issues and the labour shortage. The survey, intended to assess the priorities and growth perspectives of Québec businesses, nonetheless reveals that nearly half of organizations (44%) are still looking for opportunities to grow in the coming year. While 47% of businesses in the professional, scientific and technical services sector report slower progress in reaching their growth targets, they are still the ones that have fared the best in the face of monetary and labour shortage issues. In the construction sector, two thirds of businesses report a decelerating growth plan. The economic context has been transformed since the pandemic—conditions are constantly changing and capital costs have shot up as a result of rising interest rates. In a tightening market where mistakes are becoming increasingly costly, consulting experts for business guidance prior to making decisions is even more critical then ever to properly develop and structure business plans and ensure strategic growth. Businesses ill-equipped to meet challenges One out of four businesses reports having faced financial issues, namely increased operational costs, the fear of recession, the cost of financing or payment deadlines. Likewise, one out of four businesses reports major difficulties resulting from the labour shortage. However, the survey results show that nearly one third (31%) of respondents feel that they are poorly equipped to deal with the issue that is affecting them the most. The solutions contemplated to ensure growth include hiring employees (49%), making an acquisition (19%) and restructuring (16%). More than half of respondents have considered hiring a legal professional for operations like mergers or acquisitions (67%), takeovers or distribution of shares to key employees (55%) and layoffs (50%). To counter the labour shortage problem, the first thing businesses usually think of doing is stepping up recruitment efforts. However, over the past two years, organizations have increasingly been choosing to offer shares to key employees to attract, mobilize and retain their personnel. Implementing a digital shift to boost productivity is another popular measure. Experts—and in particular legal experts—have in-depth knowledge of market issues, transactions and growth opportunities, and businesses stand to benefit from consulting them more often for guidance in developing growth strategies before making decisions. Methodology The results were obtained through a online survey conducted by Léger from May 3 to 18, 2023, targeting a sample of 200 Quebec-based corporate decision-makers and influencers in one of the following sectors: Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting / Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction / Manufacturing / Finance and insurance / Information industry / Professional services / Corporate and business management / Real estate services / Public administration / Construction. Contact Jean-François Lemieux, jflemieux@lavery.ca, 514 877-3002
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Lavery helps Cultures Gen V become Quebec’s largest greenhouse grower
On July 4, 2023, Cultures Gen V, one of Quebec’s leading greenhouse growers, announced the acquisition of Serres Royales. The acquisition furthers Cultures Gen V’s business strategy, which aims to improve Quebec’s food self-sufficiency by expanding sustainable greenhouse growing and offering consumers a wider variety of superior quality products. This transaction makes Cultures Gen V the largest diversified greenhouse grower in Quebec, adding 9 hectares of tomatoes to its current acreage, for a total of 36 hectares. Lavery was privileged to represent Cultures Gen V in the transaction. Not only did the firm implement the group’s pre-transaction refinancing, it also negotiated and closed the transaction. The Lavery team was led by Étienne Brassard with the assistance of Gabrielle Ahélo and France Camille De Mers and the collaboration of Béatrice Bull, Pamela Cifola, Éric Gélinas, Jessica Parent, Chantal Desjardins, James Duffy, Valérie Belle-Isle, Sonia Guérin, Joseph Lauzon-Potts, Arielle Supino, Bernard Trang, Katerina Kostopoulos, Charlotte Dangoisse, David Tournier, Ana Cristina Nascimento, Joëlle Montpetit and Nadine Giguère.