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On June 11, construction began on Espace Montmorency, Laval's largest mixed-use real estate project, worth nearly $500 million. Lavery had the opportunity to play a key role in this major transaction by representing Groupe Sélection in the creation of the consortium for the construction, development and ownership of Espace Montmorency. The organization of such a consortium raised complex issues related to corporate, construction, real estate and labour law all at once. In addition to having been mandated to develop several important project agreements, including the consortium agreement governing the rights and obligations of Espace Montmorency's builders, the lawyers involved in the deal represented Groupe Sélection in the negotiation of the terms of all the agreements ancillary to the project. Espace Montmorency is a sustainable, mixed-use urban development project combining residential, commercial, cultural and community spaces. This human-scale project, located near Place Bell and Laval's main thoroughfares and directly linked to Montréal's subway system, is sure to become a popular destination. Montoni and the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ will now rely on the recognized expertise of our client Groupe Sélection, a Canadian leader in the creation of intergenerational living environments, for the design and construction of the residential portion of the project. The work of Lavery's team, led by Étienne Brassard and composed mainly of Bernard Trang, Carole Gélinas, France Camille De Mers, André Vautour, Nicole Messier, Guy Lavoie, Élodie Brunet, Chantal Tremblay, Dolaine Béland and Joëlle Montpetit, helped launch this flagship project for Laval.

On June 28, a consortium made up of Groupe Sélection, Montoni and the Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ announced that it had officially acquired the Molson brewery land on Notre-Dame St. in Montréal. Lavery Lawyers, which has advised Groupe Sélection for many years, had the opportunity to play a significant role by representing Groupe Sélection’s interests in this $126 million transaction. "We are pleased to honour the trust that Groupe Sélection has placed in our firm’s expertise for more than 15 years, through the completion of the purchase of the Molson property. Through our business relationship, Groupe Sélection has also given us the privilege of contributing to the transformation and development of this part of the city of Montréal, which is so rich in historical and symbolic value," says Étienne Brassard, Business Law Partner at Lavery Lawyers.

Lavery is proud to announce that 25 partners are ranked among the leading practitioners in Canada in their respective practice areas in the 2019 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. The following Lavery partners are listed in the 2019 edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing Pierre Denis Aviation (Regulation & Liability) Louis Charette Banking & Financial Institutions Louis Payette, Ad.E. Computer & IT Law André Vautour Construction law Nicolas Gagnon Corporate Commercial law *Étienne Brassard Corporate Finance & Securities *Josianne Beaudry René Branchaud Employment Law *Marie-Josée Hétu, CIRC *Zeïneb Mellouli Family Law Caroline Harnois Elisabeth Pinard Gerald Stotland Franchise law Jean-Philippe Turgeon Intellectual Property Chantal Desjardins Alain Y. Dussault Alain M. Leclerc Labour Relations Pierre-L. Baribeau Michel Desrosiers *Danielle Gauthier, CHRP Michel Gélinas *Marie-Josée Hétu Guy Lavoie, CIRC Litigation - Product Liability Louis Charette Mining *Josianne Beaudry René Branchaud Sébastien Vézina Occupational Health & Safety Josiane L’Heureux Property Leasing Richard Burgos Workers' Compensation Guy Lavoie, CIRC *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://www.lexpert.ca/directory.

Étienne Brassard, a partner in the Business Law Group, received the Rising Stars Award from Lexpert during a gala held in Toronto on November 8. This award pays tribute to lawyers under 40 who are considered rising stars in Canada’s legal community. The winners are selected based on rigorous and well-defined criteria: professional achievements, leadership, contribution to the profitability of the firm, keen business sense, vision, training and teamwork. Étienne Brassard’s practice is focused on private financing, mergers and acquisitions as well as corporate law. He advises local and international businesses in relation to all forms of private financing, from traditional or convertible debt to equity investments. Mr. Brassard has acquired specific experience in this area and can identify the challenges facing businesses interested in entering the Quebec market, regardless of their preferred route (acquisition, joint venture, creating a subsidiary, distribution agreement, etc.). In his work, he can call on the help of his vast business network (bankers, financial advisors, tax specialists and accountants) that he has built as a result of his previous mandates.

On February 21, 2018, Étienne Brassard, Partner with Lavery’s Business Law group, alongside Helen Bougas, Director of the Legal Affairs division of Réseau Sélection, made a presentation on the topic of construction project financing at the Corporation des entrepreneurs généraux du Québec’s 21st Annual Conference.      

Once again this year, Étienne Brassard and Guillaume Synnott, respectively a partner and a lawyer of the Business Law group, delivered two workshops on May 16 and June 19 to students participating in the Parcours Entrepreneurial Remi-Marcoux of the HEC Montréal on governance, financing, corporate law, and other issues for young entrepreneurs. Students were also offered one-on-one consulting time to discuss their specific cases and establish a solid legal base for both their business model and the future of their company.

Étienne Brassard and Benjamin David Gross, partners of the Business Law group, delivered a seminar entitled La vérification diligente en matière de financement during the Canadian Association of ParaLegals (CAP) Annual Convention, held on June 16 at the Plaza Centre-Ville Hotel in Montréal.

Lavery held two conferences, at its Montréal and Québec City offices respectively on June 1 and 8, 2017, on the latest developments, trends, and issues in construction law. Over one hundred participants attended the conferences. Marie-Claude Cantin moderated the Montréal conference, during which construction arbitration (Emil Vidrascu), the principle of fair treatment of bidders (Julie Grondin), and certain types of construction project financing (Étienne Brassard) were discussed. Marie Cossette moderated the Québec City conference, during which the legal distinction between the principal contract and sub-contract (François Bélanger), the decision in Buesco c. Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosement (Simon Rainville), and the essential due diligence principles with respect to licences, regulations, and authorization certificates (Pier-Olivier Fradette) were addressed.

On February 3, Étienne Brassard and Édith Jacques, partners of our Business Law Group, were invited speakers at the Colloque Export Mauricie Rive-Sud held in Trois-Rivières. Myriam Lavallée, a lawyer of our Labor and Employment Law Group, initiated this partnership between Lavery and the Colloque, which gathered over 150 attendees to hear Mr. Brassard's and Ms Jacques’ presentations covering the legal aspects pertaining to export and risk management as well international trade, respectively. Click here to read the article in the Courrier Sud for more information on the Colloque Export Mauricie Rive-Sud.

Étienne Brassard, and Mylène Vallières, both members of Lavery’s Business Law Group spoke about crowdfunding to Université de Montreal’s Faculty of law on January 11th. This  initiative was coordinated by Michaëlle Guilbault, a student with the firm. The event offered Faculty students an opportunity to learn more about the different aspects of this emerging method of financing. Please click here to consult the article in Need to Know to learn more about crowdfunding, in particular the new financing opportunities for start-ups.

On December 8, 2016, during the CETHR’s 35th anniversary event, André Vautour, Édith Jacques, and Étienne Brassard, all partners from the Business law group, discussed the different aspects of the Canada-EU free-trade agreement (CETA). Among other things, they highlighted the agreement’s huge economic potential for Quebec businesses since it provides access to a new market with very few tariff constraints. Mr. Vautour also addressed the topic of Canada’s strategic geographical position: “This agreement, combined with NAFTA, could turn the Canadian territory into a portal for U.S. businesses that want to reach the European market as well as European businesses that want to access the U.S. market. It’s a significant competitive advantage that we must make the most of to fully benefit from CETA.”

--> Mes Étienne Brassard, Guillaume Synnott and Sibylle Ferreira, from Lavery’s Business Law Group, published an article entitled “Early-Growth Financing and Capital Structure – Guiding Your Company to the Next Level” in the 2016-17 CCCA/ACCJE Corporate Counsel Directory and Yearbook.  The article draws a portrait of a business’ stages of growth and the financing challenges that entrepreneurs must overcome in order to proceed to the next level. Please click here to access the electronic version of this article. .