News

On June 16, 2022, Lexpert recognized the expertise of two of our partners in its 2022 Lexpert Special Edition: Technology. Chantal Desjardins and André Vautour now rank among Canada’s leaders in the area of technology law. Chantal Desjardins is a partner, lawyer and trade-mark agent in Lavery’s intellectual property group. She contributes actively to the development of her clients’ rights in this field, which includes the protection of trade-marks, industrial designs, copyright, trade secrets, domain names and other related forms of intellectual property, in order to promote her clients’ business goals. André Vautour practices in the fields of corporate and commercial law and is particularly interested in corporate governance, strategic alliances, joint ventures, investment funds and mergers and acquisitions of private corporations. He practises also in the field of technology law (drafting technology development and transfer agreements, licensing agreements, distribution agreements, outsourcing agreements, and e-commerce agreements).

On May 10, 2022, Domain Therapeutics, a Franco-Canadian biopharmaceutical corporation specializing in research and development of innovative immuno-oncology treatments, announced the close of a US $42 million Series A financing round. This investment is a major step in the Franco-Canadian firm’s growth that aims to provide cancer patients with treatment solutions to overcome GPCR-mediated immunosuppression mechanisms. Mr. Alain Dumont, a partner at Lavery, had the privilege of supporting the corporation through this important transaction. Throughout his long-standing relationship with Domain Therapeutics, Mr. Dumont has lent his expertise to protect the company’s technologies and innovations by answering questions from investors, in particular. Lavery is immensely proud of Mr. Dumont’s work in securing this funding. — Domain Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, based in France and Canada, is dedicated to discovering and developing novel medicine candidates targeting G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a key drug target class. The company focuses on producing high value-added immuno-oncology drug candidates.

Lavery is pleased to welcome two new members to its Montréal office and Business Law group: Christian Chidiac and Pamela Cifola. Christian Chidiac Christian joins the Business Law group. He will be supporting our partners and experienced members, working primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions and commercial law. “From a professional standpoint, I wanted to work on major and complex cases, and the firm’s Business Law group seems to be very diverse. From a more personal and relational standpoint, my exchanges with each member of the firm have always been very cordial, and it seems to me that Lavery values the well-being of its employees. I think it’s a great place to learn and work” says Christian Chidiac, lawyer. Pamela Cifola Pamela was recently sworn in after completing her articling program at the firm. She joins the Business Law group. Pamela practices primarily in securities law and will be providing our clients and business partners with her expertise. Prior to joining Lavery, Pamela also completed an internship with the judiciary of the Superior Court of Québec. “As soon as I joined Lavery, I had the opportunity to work with passionate and competent professionals on all kinds of cases! During my articling program, I was fortunate to have outstanding mentors who took the time to share their knowledge with me and who invested in my professional development, including my articling supervisor Jean-Sébastien Desroches and my mentor Jean-François Maurice. I'm blessed to be part of the Lavery family and I couldn’t be in a better place to start my business law practice,” says Pamela Cifola, lawyer.

Lavery is pleased to announce that it has been named Quebec Law Firm of the Year for a third consecutive year at the Canadian Law Awards. The winners of the Canadian Law Awards are determined by a panel of independent judges composed of lawyers working in private practice and as in-house counsel. This recognition is a testament to the service we provide to our clients and the exceptional talent of our lawyers.

Lavery strengthens its Litigation and Dispute Resolution group with the arrival of two new lawyers  Ms. Catherine Cloutier and Ms. Eve-Lyne Morin are joining the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. Catherine Cloutier’s practice will focus on insurance litigation, and in particular on construction law and civil liability cases. Prior to joining Lavery, Catherine gained extensive experience in law, having worked as a student in Legal Affairs at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, at CDPQ Infra (Réseau Express Métropolitain project), in commercial property at a law firm in England and as a court clerk in commercial arbitration. Her expertise extends beyond the legal practice: In addition to being a registered nutritionist-dietitian, Catherine is socially involved in the community. Mindful of the importance of making a collective effort during the pandemic, she volunteered for the government’s 2021 COVID-19 vaccination campaign. “I showed an interest in Lavery from the moment I started my law studies at Université de Montréal. I had the pleasure of being invited to the firm’s offices during one of the phases of the Course aux stages recruitment process, and I was instantly charmed. I was also impressed with how approachable and enthusiastic the many professionals I met were about their areas of practice. I always knew that after passing the bar exam, I wanted to pursue a career with Lavery.” In her new position, Ms. Eve-Lyne Morin will focus her practice on commercial litigation. Previously, she worked for Lavery and at a major international business law firm where she participated in a wide variety of cases involving product liability, construction law, securities, allegations of price-fixing, civil liability class actions and negligence. Her previous experience advising Canadian and multinational corporations will be a great asset in cases involving consumer protection law, protection of personal information, language requirements and other legal requirements for doing business in Quebec.  “I chose Lavery for its entrepreneurial spirit and company culture that values teamwork in order to provide comprehensive and practical solutions to its clients. I have no doubt that, at Lavery, I will find brilliant colleagues and inspiring mentors, and make valuable friends.” The arrival of these two lawyers will bring the firm a wealth of experience to help our business clients deal with the many issues they face.

Lavery is pleased to welcome two new members to its Montréal office. Mathias Rancourt joins as a partner in the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution group, while lawyer Maxime Chabot rounds out the Business Law group, more specifically the Tax Law team. Mathias Rancourt With over 20 years of experience in the legal sector, Mathias Rancourt has developed specific expertise in risk management and ethical issues in professional law. An experienced litigator, Mr. Rancourt will represent entrepreneurs, professionals and institutions in commercial litigation, construction law and real estate law. “For me, Lavery is a firm with a great tradition and an enviable reputation in the market. It is a dynamic, progressive office that offers an environment where its members can reach their full potential,” says Mathias Rancourt, partner. Maxime Chabot Maxime joins the Business Law group as a member of the firm’s tax law team. He will provide our clients and business partners with his expertise in tax reorganization. Before joining Lavery, Mr. Chabot started as a law clerk with the Tax Court of Canada and then practiced with a private law firm.   “I joined Lavery for the excellence of the tax team. What I love about my job is supporting our clients through the major stages of their personal and professional lives,” says Maxime Chabot, lawyer.

On March 29, 2022, ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd (IPA) announced that it acquired BioStrand BV, BioKey BV, and BioClue BV (together, “BioStrand”), a group of Belgian entities pioneers in the field of bioinformatics and biotechnology. With this €20 million acquisition, IPA will be able to leverage BioStrand’s revolutionary AI-powered methodology to accelerate the development of therapeutic antibody solutions. In addition to creating synergies with its subsidiaries, IPA expects to develop new markets with this revolutionary technology and strengthen its position as a world leader in biotherapeutics. Lavery was privileged to support IPA in this cross-border transaction by providing specialized expertise in cybersecurity, intellectual property, securities and mergers and acquisitions. The Lavery team was led by Selena Lu (transactional) and included Eric Lavallée (technology and intellectual property), Serge Shahinian (intellectual property), Sébastien Vézina (securities), Catherine Méthot (transactional), Jean-Paul Timothée (securities and transactional), Siddhartha Borissov-Beausoleil (transactional), Mylène Vallières (securities) and Marie-Claude Côté (securities). ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. is a biotherapeutic, innovation-powered company that supports its business partners in their quest to discover and develop novel antibodies against a broad range of target classes and diseases.

Olivier Boileau – Associate Lavery is pleased to announce that an associate and a paralegal have joined the firm Olivier Boileau is an associate and member of the firm’s Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group, and his practice focuses primarily on civil, commercial and corporate litigation. « What convinced me to join the Lavery team was the organic opportunity to continue my practice in commercial law within a team of experienced lawyers. Working at Lavery means joining a team that wants to provide the best practical solutions to their clients without ever compromising the excellence of their legal advice. » Emile Goethals – Paralegal Emilie is a paralegal in the Business Law group. She assists notaries and lawyers with the start-up, reorganization, transfer and financing of companies. “Lavery has a modern and fresh identity. Coming from a corporate background that included multinational corporations, and having recently moved to another province, it was important for me to find a solid foundation and a foothold to feel like I was in somewhat familiar territory. A gentle balance between precision, thoroughness, high standards and customer satisfaction. I think I found these values when I joined the teams at this major firm.”