News

Lavery is proud to announce that 20 partners are ranked among the leading practitioners in Canada in their respective practice areas in the 2017 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. "These rankings of our partners among the most influential lawyers in their fields confirm our leadership role as the largest independent law firm in Quebec. The fact that they put their clients and partners at the heart of their practice gives them the necessary agility and audacity to excel in our market. Congratulations to all!", stated Anik Trudel, Chief Executive Officer. The following Lavery partners are listed in the 2017 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory : René Branchaud, Mining Louis Charette, Aviation/Litigation—Product Liability Marie Cossette, Ad. E., Litigation—Public Law Pierre Denis, Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing *Michel Desrosiers, Labour Relations (Management) *Norman A. Dionne, Labour Relations (Management) Nicolas Gagnon, Construction Law Michel Gélinas, Workplace Human Rights (Employer) Benjamin David Gross, Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing Josiane L’Heureux, Occupational Health & Safety Guy Lavoie, CIRC, Labour Relations (Management), Workers’ Compensation (Employer) *Jean Legault, Insolvency & Financial Restructuring Guy Lemay, Class Actions François Parent, Pensions & Employee Benefits (Employer) Louis Payette, Ad. E., Banking & Financial Institutions Élisabeth Pinard, Family Law Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., Class Actions/Litigation—Product Liability *Jean-Philippe Turgeon, Franchise Law (Franchisor) André Vautour, Corporate Commercial Law/Technology Transactions Sébastien Vézina, Mining *New posting The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory is the most comprehensive publication to legal talent in the country and it identifies leading practitioners in over 60 separate practice areas and leading law firms in over 40 practice areas. It is a reference guide for Canadian and foreign corporate counsels and law firms in need of specialized legal services in Canada. For more information, please visit Lexpert’s website at: http://lexpert.ca/directory.

Sébastien Vézina, Guillaume Synnott and Guillaume Lavoie, members of the Business Law Group, represented Quebec Silicon Limited Partnership in the signing of an agreement with the Government of Quebec that was announced on January 17, 2017. The agreement provides for shared risk energy pricing for Quebec Silicon in consideration of a commitment to operate its silicon production plant at maximum capacity and an investment of a minimum of $12.6 million over the next four years. This will enable Quebec Silicon to preserve 175 jobs in the Centre-du-Québec region. For more information, click here to read the Government of Quebec news release relating to this announcement.

Mes  René Branchaud and Sébastien Vézina, partners with Lavery, have been recognized as leading lawyers in mining law in the 2016 edition ofLexpert Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining. This prestigious recognition is the product of an extensive peer survey process conducted in Canada and throughout the world. Please click here to access the electronic version of this publication.

For the second consecutive year, Lavery partner Sébastien Vézina was selected to sit as an independent arbitrator for the Québec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), one of three major junior leagues in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The three independent QMJHL arbitrators sit on an alternating basis in charge of hearing appeals against appealable official decisions by the QMJHL, its Commissioner or the Board of Governors. This nomination contributes to the good governance and integrity of the league by having an independent party intervene in decisions subject to appeal. Only individuals recognized for their expertise and reputation in sports business and governance are asked to take on this role.

Mr. Louis Robitaille called upon Sébastien Vézina, a partner at Lavery, to represent him during the negotiation and conclusion of the agreement that lead to his nomination as Head Coach of the Tigres of Victoriaville, a hockey team of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Sébastien Vézina specializes in business law and he advises, among others, decision makers and executives in the sports industry on all questions pertaining to commercial and legal issues in their sphere of activities. Click here to read the full news release. (Available in French only)

Lavery is pleased to announce that 21 partners are ranked among the leading practitioners in Canada in their respective practice areas in the 2016 edition of Thomson Reuters’s The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. “I congratulate our colleagues for this recognition and for their continued commitment to serving the needs of our clients. This recognition highlights the contribution of our exceptional lawyers and consolidate the expertise of our firm” said Don McCarty, Lavery’s Managing Partner.  The following Lavery partners are listed in the 2016 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory : René Branchaud, Corporate Finance & Securities/Mining *Marie-Claude Cantin, Litigation - Commercial Insurance Louis Charette, Aviation/Litigation — Product Liability *Marie Cossette, Ad. E., Litigation — Corporate Commercial Gérard Coulombe, Q.C., Ad.E., C.ADM., Corporate Commercial Law Magali Cournoyer-Proulx, Employment Law (Management) Pierre Denis, Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing Josée Dumoulin, Pensions & Employee Benefits (Management) Nicolas Gagnon, Construction Law Benjamin David Gross, Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing Jean Hébert, Litigation—Commercial Insurance *Josiane L’Heureux, Occupational Health & Safety Guy Lavoie, CIRC, Labour Relations (Management), Workers’ Compensation (Management) Robert W. Mason, Litigation/Commercial Insurance François Parent, Pensions & Employee Benefits (Management) Louis Payette, Ad. E., Banking & Financial Institutions Élisabeth Pinard, Family Law Ian Rose, Litigation-Directors & Officers’ Liability Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., Class Actions/Litigation—Product Liability André Vautour, Computer & IT Law/Corporate Commercial Law/Technology Transactions Sébastien Vézina, Mining *New posting The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory is the most comprehensive publication to legal talent in the country and it identifies leading practitioners in over 60 separate practice areas and leading law firms in over 40 practice areas. It is a reference guide for Canadian and foreign corporate counsels and law firms in need of specialized legal services in Canada. For more information, please visit Lexpert’s website at: http://lexpert.ca/directory.

Coach Guy Boucher called upon Sébastien Vézina, a Lavery partner, to represent him during the negotiation and conclusion of the agreement that lead to his nomination as Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators. Sébastien Vézina specialises in business law and he advises, among others, decision makers and executives in the sports industry on all questions pertaining to commercial and legal issues in their sphere of activities. Click here to watch the full press conference.

The Société du Plan Nord, and two members of the Réseau Capital Baie-James, who are la Société de Développement de la Baie-James (SDBJ) and l’Administration régionale Baie-James (ARBJ), announced on March 3, 2016, an $500,000 investment in Innord Inc.,  a subsidiary of GéoMégA Resources inc. Sébastien Vézina, Guillaume Synnott and Éric Gélinas, three lawyers in the firm’s Business law group acted as legal counsel for the involved parties. The investment will be used to develop an innovative new process that will significantly improve the environmental performance of rare earth elements separation. Read the Société du Plan Nord press release here. Sébastien Vézina Guillaume Synnott Éric Gélinas

On February 17, 2016, Sodémex Développement s.e.c. entered into an agreement with the mining company Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. (“Osisko”) to acquire a 15% interest in a portfolio of mining royalties including rights on Richmont Mines Inc.’s producing Island Gold Mine, Niogold Mining Corporation’s Marban and Noraltic sites and the Integra Gold Inc.’s Lamaque project. The value of the portfolio acquired by Osisko from Teck Resources Limited was more than $20 million.   Sodémex Développement s.e.c. was represented by a Lavery team composed of Sébastien Vézina, Tereza Kristic, Louis-Martin Dubé, Nicole Messier, Carole Gélinas and John McFarlane Sodémex Développement s.e.c. is an investment fund whose only shareholder is the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and whose mandate is to invest in companies in the natural resources sector that are in the development stage.

At a lunch and learn on November 17, 2015, Mtre Sébastien Vézina and Mtre Benjamin David Gross, partners in the business law team of Lavery, shared their experiences as counsel in the field of sports law with the Comité droit des affaires et gestion (CDAG) of the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal. With a room full of close to 70 attendees, the event turned out to be a great success!  Sébastien Vézina and Benjamin David Gross

On November 17, 2015, Mtre Sébastien Vézina and Mtre Benjamin David Gross, partners in the business law team of Lavery, will share their experiences as counsel in the field of sports law at a lunch and learn with the Comité droit des affaires et gestion (CDAG) of the Faculty of Law of the University of Montreal. For more information or to register, click here. 

Michel Blouin, René Branchaud, Yvan Biron, Sébastien Vézina and Benjamin David Gross, partners at Lavery, have been recognized as mining law leaders in Leading Canadian Lawyers in Global Mining, a new Lexpert publication released in September 2015. This prestigious recognition is the result of extensive peer surveys conducted not only in Canada but also worldwide. The expertise of these lawyers in the area of mining law is therefore recognized internationally. To consult this Lexpert publication, click here.