This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Crisis Management Conference co-chaired by Marie Cossette: A successful event
Co-chaired by Marie Cossette, partner at Lavery, the conference "Crisis Management: The legal advisor’s survival guide", sponsored by Lavery and that took place in Montreal on November 27, was very successful. This major event enabled participants (mainly in-house counsels and communications directors) to better understand and align the respective work of lawyers and public relations officers in crisis management situations.This conference included first-rate speakers who succeeded in putting into perspective the event’s three thematic topics: law, communications and media. Ms. Cossette gave the opening speech along with the other co-chair, Ms. Marie Grégoire, as well as a conference on the "lawyer and public relations officer duo". Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., partner at Lavery, discussed with the participants a few conflicts that were efficiently managed from a public relations standpoint.The participants were very pleased by the relevance of the subjects discussed and the quality of the speakers. Conference organizers were able to create a casual and yet studious climate that helped generate meaningful exchanges.For more information about this event (in French), click here.
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PME 2013 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal : A very successful first edition!
The first edition of PME 2013, which was held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal on November 22 and 23, 2012, has drawn several hundred people, mostly small and medium-sized enterprise executives and owners. Cosponsored by Lavery, this major event posted winning figures: about 4,000 participants, 150 experts, 75 conferences and 43 exhibit booths.Lavery is pleased to note that the conferences presented by Ms. Valérie Boucher ("Driving growth through acquisitions: How to successfully buy a business") and Ms. Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur ("Dealing with a problem employee: How to put an end to workplace frustration") were a sellout.
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Lavery welcomes Carole Gélinas, real estate lawyer
Lavery is pleased to announce that Ms. Carole Gélinas has joined its Real Estate Law Group as well as its Financing and Financial Services Group at the firm’s Montreal office.Ms. Gélinas has more than 25 years of experience in the review of title searches and verification of property titles. She provides active support to her colleagues, particularly with respect to mandates for the leasing, acquisition, sale and financing of real estate properties.Ms. Gélinas received her LL.B. from the Université de Montréal in 1986 and a diploma in notarial law from the same institution in 1987. She was a member of the Chambre des notaires from 1987 to 2003, and has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 2003.
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GeoMegA Completed Private Placement
In November 2012, Geomega Resources Inc. completed a brokered private placement totaling 4,620,000 flow-through shares for aggregate gross proceeds of $2,310,000. The private placement was co-led by Industrial Alliance Securities Inc. and Marquest Asset Management Inc. acting as agents. Geomega Resources Inc. owns the Montviel Rare Earths/Niobium project which is located approximately 45 km west of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi and 100 km north of Lebel-sur-Quévillon in the southern territory covered by the Québec’s “Plan Nord”. The net proceeds from the private placement will be used to fund the development of the Montviel property. Geomega Resources Inc. was represented by a team of Lavery, de Billy, L.L.P. comprised of Sébastien Vézina, Maxime Bergeron, Robert La Rosa (securities) and Eric Gélinas (tax).
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2012 CBA-Québec/Lavery Legal Essay Writing Contest Awards
During the Holiday Cocktail of the Québec Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA-Québec), which was held on November 15, 2012, the awards were presented to the winners of the 2012 CBA-Québec Legal Essay Writing Contest. This year, the contest was organized in cooperation with Lavery and the Société québécoise d’information juridique (SOQUIJ). The objective of this contest is to recognize and promote the writing skills of law students. Lavery submitted the following question: "Does the interpretation given by the Court of Appeal of Québec in the case of Groupe Van Houtte inc. -vs.- Les développements industriels et commerciaux de Montréal inc., 2010 QCCA 1970 to the principle of the objective determination of the prestation of the obligation provided in Section 1373 C.c.Q. mean that a clause whereby a party to a contract may unilaterally and in a discretionary manner set or vary an essential element of the contract would be valid under Québec law?" The jury was made up of four Lavery partners: Ms. Odette-Jobin Laberge, Ad. E., Mr. Emil Vidrascu, Mr. Jean-Yves Simard and Mr. André Vautour. CBA-Québec congratulated them for the quality of their work; the members of the jury analyzed a total of 14 texts in a very short time. The first prize, offered by SOQUIJ and including a cash prize of $1,500, was awarded by Mr. Luc Boulanger-Milot to Mr. Mountagha Sow, from the Université de Montréal. The second prize, offered by CBA-Québec and including a cash prize of $1,000, was awarded by Mr. Emil Vidrascu to Ms. Charlotte Fortin, from Université Laval.
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Pierre-L. Baribeau receives the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
Lavery is pleased to announce that Pierre-L. Baribeau, partner at our firm, was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal during the 5th edition of the event L’art de donner, which was held on November 21, 2012 to benefit the Quebec Lung Association (QLA).The QLA chose to honour Mr. Baribeau for his unrelenting commitment and dedication to this charity where he acts as President of the Board.The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was created to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne in 1952. This distinction recognizes the significant contributions and accomplishments of Canadian citizens to a particular province or community.Lavery is proud to salute the continuous involvement of Mr. Baribeau in the community. His commitment is expressed in different ways, including his genuine interest with any concerns raised by the community or his active participation in the various activities of many organizations.From left to right: Dr. Serge Carrière, former Dean of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Medicine, administrator and philanthropist; and Mr. Pierre-L. Baribeau, partner at Lavery
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Lavery represents the syndicate of underwriters in the $287.5 million bought deal financing of units of Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust
On August 21, 2012, Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust closed a public offering of 11,640,300 units for gross proceeds of $287.5 million. The units were sold to a syndicate of underwriters led by National Bank Financial Inc. and BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., including Desjardins Securities Inc., CIBC World Markets Inc., Scotia Capital Inc., RBC Dominion Securities Inc., TD Securities Inc., Canaccord Genuity Corp., Dundee Securities Ltd. and Macquarie Capital Markets Canada Ltd. The syndicate of underwriters was represented by a team from Lavery consisting of Marc Rochefort, Michel Servant, Geneviève Fournier and Jean Tessier (corporate and securities), and Philip Nolan (tax). Cominar is the third largest diversified real estate investment trust in Canada and the largest commercial property owner in the Province of Québec.
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Valérie Boucher and Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur from Lavery, Speakers at PME 2013
Ms. Valérie Boucher and Ms. Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur, partner and associate of Lavery, will both give a conference presentation during the first edition of PME 2013, which will be held at the Palais des congrès de Montréal on November 22 and 23, 2012. This major small and medium-sized enterprise event, cosponsored by Lavery, will gather more than 150 experts and give business leaders access to 75 conferences on a wide range of relevant issues.Ms. Boucher will speak on "Driving growth through acquisitions: How to successfully buy a business", while Ms. Jolicoeur will focus on "Dealing with a problem employee: How to put an end to workplace frustration".For more information, please visit the PME 2013 website (in French) : http://pme2013.com/
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Lavery article on the Plan Nord in the 2012-2013 edition of the Corporate Counsel Directory and Yearbook
Lavery has published an article on the Plan Nord in the 2012-2013 edition of the Corporate Counsel Directory and Yearbook, an annual publication produced in partnership with Lexpert. Entitled "The Plan Nord – Issues and Challenges for the ‘‘Project of a Generation’’", the article was coauthored by Yvan Biron, Éric Gélinas and Carolina Manganelli.The text focuses on various issues of interest, such as the involvement of Aboriginal people in the Plan Nord, the environmental challenges related to this major project and Québec’s mining royalty regime. In addition, according to the latest information compiled by the Directory and Yearbook, Lavery is ranked 5th among the 15 largest law firms in Montreal.
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The Marie-Vincent Foundation thanks
Jean Saint-Onge for his 25-year commitmentIn a recent issue of the magazine Les Affaires, the Marie-Vincent Foundation paid tribute to Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., partner at Lavery, for his involvement of more 25 years with this organization, a resource for children aged 12 and younger who have been victims of sexual abuse.The Foundation pointed out that Mr. Saint-Onge had acted as Chairman of the Board of Directors for a total of 16 years. It also stated that his perseverance and determination for all those years had largely contributed to the growth of the Foundation and the creation of the Centre d’expertise Marie-Vincent. Lavery also wishes to salute Jean Saint-Onge for his long-standing community involvement.
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André Vautour appointed Denmark’s Honorary Consul
André Vautour, partner at Lavery, has been appointed Denmark’s Honorary Consul for the province of Quebec on October 31, 2012. Mr. Vautour is replacing his colleague, Michel Blouin, partner at Lavery, who held this diplomatic function for more than 23 years. Mr. Vautour’s main responsibilities will revolve around consular, commercial and cultural matters. They will include issuing provisional passports replacing a lost or stolen one, greeting Danish business people or government representatives in Quebec, establish contacts between Danish and Quebec cultural representatives or represent Denmark during events involving the Montreal consular corps.
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Sébastien Vézina appointed Corporate Secretary of Fancamp Exploration Ltd.
Sébastien Vézina, partner at Lavery, has been appointed Corporate Secretary of Fancamp Exploration Ltd., a Canadian-based mineral exploration company, which manages several natural resources projects at different stages of development in Quebec, particularly in the regions of Fermont (Côte-Nord), the Gaspé Peninsula and Beauce.Fancamp is pleased with the appointment of Sébastien Vézina: " The experience of Mr. Vézina in governance, in financing for public corporations, in negotiating business agreements and development agreements in connection with the Plan Nord will significantly contribute to the evolution of Fancamp for years to come."Click here to read Fancamp’s press release.