This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Lavery Number 1 Regional Law Firm in Quebec
For the third consecutive time, Lavery has been ranked Quebec’s top regional law firm by Canadian Lawyer magazine. This recognition, received in 2010, 2012 and now in 2014, is the result of a survey conducted by the magazine among lawyers, managing partners and corporate legal advisors of businesses throughout Canada to determine the standing of Quebec’s major regional law firms.The regional law firm rankings of Canadian Lawyer were released after 45 Heenan Blaikie lawyers joined Lavery. The rankings confirm the strength of the firm’s position in the legal services market and its status as a leader in the business community."Ever since the survey was launched, Lavery has won first place", said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm. "This renewed recognition shows Lavery’s strong appeal in the legal services sector, which was confirmed by the decision of many Heenan Blaikie lawyers to join our firm. By combining experience, expertise and responsiveness, we continue to provide our clients with the full range of legal services at a competitive cost. "For more information about the survey, please visit the Canadian Lawyer.
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Bernard Roy, a lawyer specializing in Tax law, joins Lavery
Lavery is pleased to announce that Mr. Bernard Roy has recently joined the firm’s Quebec City office as a Business Law partner. Mr. Roy focuses his practice on tax law, particularly representing clients before tax courts, negotiating notices of assessment or draft assessments with tax authorities, tax and estate planning, settling estates, testamentary and inter vivos trusts, and income tax advice.In addition to his legal training, Mr. Roy has completed the In-Depth Tax Course given by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), a comprehensive Canadian tax training program, and is a member of the Association de planification fiscale et financière (APFF) and the Canadian Tax Foundation. He chairs the APFF morning seminars committee for the Quebec City region and also participates in organizing tax symposiums for the APFF. Mr. Roy regularly lectures on various tax subjects before members of the APFF."Lavery is very pleased to welcome Bernard Roy in our firm’s Business Law Group. He has a 25 year experience in tax law, which he mainly acquired with the Legislation and Enterprise Registrar Directorate of Revenu Québec and in private practice. He will certainly reinforce the expertise of our tax law team", said Daniel Bouchard, Managing Partner of the firm’s Quebec City office.
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Lavery welcomes three new lawyers
Lavery is pleased to announce that three lawyers have recently joined the firm. The new lawyers will be members of three of Lavery’s practice groups. Ms. Tereza Kristic (2013) will practise in the Business Law Group in our Montreal office. Mr. Benjamin Poirier (2012) joins the Litigation Group in Montreal whereas Mr. Pier-Olivier Fradette (2010) will practise in the Administrative Law Group in Quebec City.The year of call to the Quebec Bar appears in parentheses."The addition of these lawyers shows Lavery’s willingness to attract young talent who will reinforce our practice groups in the firm’s Montreal and Quebec City offices", said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm.
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Marc Beauchemin, Jean Martel, Evelyne Verrier and Leïla Yacoubi of Lavery, coauthors of an article in the Canadian Journal of Insurance Law
Mr. Marc Beauchemin, Mr. Jean Martel, Ad. E., Ms. Evelyne Verrier and Ms. Leïla Yacoubi, lawyers at Lavery, are the coauthors of an article entitled “Regulatory Offences in the Distribution of Insurance Products: A Call for Diligence” that was published in the January 2014 issue of the Canadian Journal of Insurance Law, a publication intended for insurance professionals and legal practitioners.In this article*, the coauthors analyze the main aspects of a decision rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada on November 21, 2013, which has an important impact on the distribution of insurance products in Quebec, including with regards to the extent to which insurers may incur penal liability for regulatory offences committed by financial services firms which they authorize to distribute their products.This article, which has already been published on Lavery’s website, can be read by clicking here.*Reproduced with permission of the publisher LexisNexis Canada Inc. from Canadian Journal of Insurance Law, Vol. 32, No. 1, January 2014.
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Emmanuel Sala and Jean-Philippe Latreille of Lavery, coauthors of an article in the Mining Journal
Mr. Emmanuel Sala and Mr. Jean-Philippe Latreille, a Business Law partner and associate at Lavery, respectively, are the authors of an article entitled “An uncertain outlook – Quebec’s mining taxation regime continues to perplex and deter investors in the province” that was published in the February 2014 issue of the Mining Journal (PDAC supplement), a prestigious British publication covering all aspects of the mining industry, including exploration, financing, development, production and marketing.In their article, Messrs. Sala and Latreille discuss recent changes to the Quebec mining taxation regime, their impact on the ability of mining companies operating in Quebec to attract capital to finance their projects and developments to watch for in the near future.To read this article, click here.
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Lavery supports Pro Bono Québec in its first benefit event designed to promote access to justice
Lavery is pleased to support Pro Bono Québec in its first fundraising event that is designed to improve access to justice and will take place on March 19, 2014 at the Robin des Bois Restaurant at 6:00 p.m.Participants will take part in a silent auction where they will have the opportunity to acquire grands crus.To know more about the fundraising event, to reserve tickets or make a donation, click here (French only).
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The former Premier of Quebec, Pierre Marc Johnson, joins Lavery
Lavery is pleased to announce that Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, G.O.Q., FRSC, has joined the firm as counsel.A lawyer and physician, Mr. Johnson is recognized for his expertise in the areas of international trade negotiations, environmental law and health law. Since 2009, he has acted as chief negotiator for the Government of Quebec in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. He also acted as personal representative of former Quebec Premier, Jean Charest, before the Chinese authorities in connection with the mission of the Council of the Federation to the People’s Republic of China in November 2008.Mr. Johnson is a highly sought-after legal advisor to governments, business corporations and many institutions including the United Nations, as well as a speaker and former McGill University law professor. He has also published numerous articles and books that discuss issues such as the environment, international governance and globalization. Mr. Johnson sits on the boards of directors of several corporations and organizations. He has been the recipient of many awards during his distinguished career, including the Grand Croix of the Ordre de la Pléiade and Grand Officer of the Ordre national du Québec."Lavery is honoured to welcome Pierre Marc Johnson, a remarkable lawyer whose impressive achievements speak for themselves. Mr. Johnson’s international expertise is widely acknowledged in Quebec, throughout Canada and around the world. Our firm will greatly benefit from his experience with international transactions", said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm.
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Michel Servant of Lavery invited to chair the Prix Relève d’Excellence 2014 Committee of Réseau HEC Montréal
Mr. Michel Servant, a Business Law partner at Lavery, will be the Chairman of the Prix Relève d’Excellence 2014 Committee of Réseau HEC Montréal. This competition recognizes the professional success of HEC graduates, aged 35 and under, in four different categories: Large Enterprises, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), Entrepreneurs and Young Professionals. The award winners are selected by a jury of experienced business people.This event will take place as a Gala Evening on Thursday, May 15, 2014, at the Montréal Science Centre. 2014 will mark the 29th anniversary of the Prix Relève d’Excellence and Mr. Charles Guay, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada will act as Honorary Chairman. Standard Life provides long-term savings, investment and insurance solutions to more than 1.4 million Canadians.HEC Montréal is a university business school whose reputation as a leader in teaching and research is recognized in Quebec, Canada, and around the world.
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Lavery strengthens its position in the legal services market
The firm welcomes 31 lawyers from the Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières offices of Heenan BlaikieLavery is pleased to announce that the Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières teams of Heenan Blaikie will join the firm on March 1, 2014: 31 lawyers, two notaries and about 30 employees. This announcement comes after 13 lawyers and 12 staff members from the Montreal office of Heenan Blaikie joined Lavery. The firm thus welcomes a total of 85 people.This is aligned with the firm’s strategic plan that provides for the reinforcement of Lavery’s position as a leader in the business community in Quebec and elsewhere.These seasoned lawyers, who bring to Lavery decades of legal experience, will help the firm deepen its bench strength and enhance its service offering to clients in key areas of practice, particularly business law, labour and employment law, and litigation. Being present in the Eastern Townships and the Mauricie will also give Lavery the opportunity to maximize services provided to its clients located in these two regions."Early on we found common ground with our colleagues at Lavery: shared values and corporate culture, a similar pool of expertise and a determination to provide unparalleled service to our clients", said Sylvain Provencher, head of the Sherbrooke office.The head of the Trois-Rivières office, Jean Boulet, pointed out: "We decided to join Lavery because this well-established firm will increase its regional market reach in Quebec and enable our office to widen the range of services already provided to regional clients.""With the integration of the Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières offices of Heenan Blaikie to the Lavery network, our firm successfully stepped up its presence in accordance with its strategic goals. At Lavery, we consider it a privilege to welcome lawyers whose recognized experience and enviable reputation are definite assets to the firm as well as a dedicated staff renowned for its competence and professionalism. Today more than ever, Lavery has become the go-to law firm for companies doing business in Quebec", said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm.
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Katia Opalka of Lavery, speaker at a Canadian Bar Association webinar
Katia Opalka, an environmental and aboriginal law partner at Lavery, delivered a presentation on the Quebec legislative framework for water during a recent webinar entitled “Regional Approaches to Water Across Canada” organized by the National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association.
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The Quebec Bar 2014 National Symposium on Class Actions – Jean Saint-Onge interviewed by the Journal Barreau
Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., a Litigation partner at Lavery, was interviewed by the Journal Barreau in connection with the 11th edition of the National Symposium on Class Actions that will be held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal on March 20-21, 2014.According to Mr. Saint-Onge, the symposium has become a must-attend event that yearly draws dozens of speakers from Quebec, Canada and the United States who are discussing the most recent case law and trends with regards to class actions. Mr. Saint-Onge believes that class actions have become increasingly popular partly because they allow greater access to justice at a more affordable cost.To read this interview (in French, page 31), click here.
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Lavery represents Industrial Alliance in the redemption of its series C preferred shares in the aggregate amount of $100 million
On December 31, 2013, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. redeemed all of its Non-Cumulative 5 Year Rate Reset Class A Preferred Shares Series C (the “Series C Preferred Shares”) then outstanding for an aggregate amount of $100 million. The Series C Preferred Shares were redeemed in accordance with the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions attached to the Series C Preferred Shares and were delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange on December 31, 2013. Industrial Alliance was represented by a team from Lavery consisting of Marc Rochefort, Michel Servant and Maxime Bergeron (corporate and securities). Founded in 1892, Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. is a life and health insurance company with operations in all regions of Canada as well as in the United States.