This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Jean Saint-Onge, member of the Class Action Defence Quarterly Advisory Board
Mr. Jean Saint-Onge, Ad. E., a Litigation partner at Lavery, has joined the Advisory Board of the Class Action Defence Quarterly, a scholarly journal published by LexisNexis Canada (Butterworths). The Board includes the Honourable Warren K. Winkler, Chief Justice of Ontario, Ms. Patricia Jackson from the law firm Torys, the Honourable Neil C. Wittmann, Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta, and Mr. Daniel Jutras, Dean of the McGill University Faculty of Law. Published four times a year, this high-quality publication is exclusively dedicated to class action topics.
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Gérard Coulombe, recipient of the Lawyer Emeritus distinction
Lavery is pleased to announce that Mr. Gérard Coulombe, Q.C., Ad. E., a Business Law partner at Lavery, has received the Lawyer Emeritus (Ad. E.) distinction from the Barreau du Québec during a ceremony that was held on September 23, 2013 at the Montréal Science Centre.This prestigious honorary distinction is awarded to members of the Barreau for their exceptional legal career. In the last 35 years, Mr. Coulombe has carried on a general practice in business and commercial law where he represents more specifically financial institutions, Crown corporations and multinational companies. He sits on the boards of directors of several corporations, including National Bank of Canada, Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust and Club de hockey Canadien, Inc. As shown in the photo, the Montreal Canadiens recognized this accomplishment in their own way.
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Bernard Larocque and Jean Hébert, speakers at the 7th General Meeting of COVÉA on September 20, 2013
Bernard Larocque and Jean Hébert, Litigation partners at Lavery, have been invited at the 7th General Meeting of AA-COVÉA AIS on September 20, 2013. Mtre Larocque made a presentation with Mr. Marcel Lacoste, senior expert advisor at Crawford Canada, global services and Mr. Stéphane Santoni, director Pole Performance Material IRD, COVÉA, on the professional and ethical conduct expected from insurance adjusters in Quebec.COVÉA is a leading mutual insurance group consisting of MAAF, MMA and GMF, with a market share of nearly 20% in France. More than 400 persons attended the meeting, including French lawyers and insurance adjusters.
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Emil Vidrascu, speaker at a seminar on the New Romanian Civil Code
Emil Vidrascu, speaker at a seminar on the New Romanian Civil Code Mr. Emil Vidrascu, a Litigation partner at Lavery, has been invited to take part in a seminar that will take place in Bucharest, Romania, October 23-26, 2013. The seminar will focus on the New Romanian Civil Code that was adopted at the end of 2011 and was partly inspired by the Civil Code of Québec.Organized jointly by the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, the Institut Juriscope de l’Université de Poitiers and l’Association Henri Capitant des amis de la culture juridique française, the seminar will be held under the theme “The New Romanian Civil Code: An Internal and External Perspective” and will draw several renowned speakers.During the seminar, Mr. Vidrascu will give a conference entitled “Développements jurisprudentiels sur des aspects du droit des obligations du Québec dont se sont inspirés les codificateurs roumains”. It is worth mentioning that a select group of Quebec lawyers acted as consultants from 1999 to 2003 to advise the Commission for the Reform of the Romanian Civil Code. This group of lawyers included Emil Vidrascu, Gil Rémillard, Jean Pineau, Jean-Louis Baudouin and Jacques Auger.
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André Laurin conducts a training workshop on deliberative assemblies
Mr. André Laurin, a Business Law partner at Lavery, conducted a training workshop on deliberative assemblies during the 5th Seminar of the Officers of Professional Corporations that took place in Quebec City from September 11-13, 2013.This seminar was attended by several hundred directors and executives from the 44 registered professional corporations in Quebec and by other professionals. During the workshop, Mr. Laurin discussed various issues with respect to meetings, including the management of these meetings and the measures that must be implemented by the facilitator, participants and management to maximize effectively and respectfully their respective contribution.
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Marie Cossette, speaker for the Fédération Québécoise des Municipalités
On September 12, 2013, Ms. Marie Cossette, a Litigation partner at Lavery, gave a conference entitled “Votre municipalité est-elle prête à faire face à une gestion de crise médiatique” (Is your municipality ready to manage a media crisis?) before the members of the Fédération. Ms Cossette’s conference was delivered in the aftermath of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy last July.
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Victoria Cohene joins Lavery as an associate
Lavery is pleased to announce that Ms. Victoria Cohene has recently joined the firm as an associate. Called to the Quebec Bar in 2013 and a former articling student with the firm, Ms. Cohene will practise within the firm’s Litigation Group, particularly in the areas of family law and estate law.
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Katia Opalka, author of an article posted on the World Services Group website
Ms. Katia Opalka, an Environmental Law partner at Lavery, is the author of an article entitled “Environmental Law in Canada: The Landscape is changing fast” (Le droit de l’environnement au Canada : Un paysage en rapide mutation) that was posted on the World Services Group website.In this article, Ms. Opalka summarizes the highlights of Government of Canada initiatives from 2009 to 2011 that were designed to amend environmental statutes.To read this article, click here.
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Lavery: 100 years of service
In 2013, Lavery is celebrating 100 years of service to its clients. Founded in Quebec City in 1913, the firm has grown steadily to become Quebec’s leading independent law firm, with offices in Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. Throughout its history, Lavery has had strong leaders with a deep understanding of the law, strategic vision and keen business acumen. “Lavery’s influence extends right across Quebec. Over the years, many of our people have been involved in issues that have profoundly affected our society and they have left an enduring mark on our profession. Our firm has always been at the forefront of practice areas that are emerging in response to our clients’ needs and an ever-changing business environment”, said Don McCarty, Managing Partner of the firm. Our people have made Lavery what it is. Pioneers such as Onésime Gagnon, John L. O’Brien and Jacques de Billy, and Elizabeth C. Monk, the first woman to practise law in Quebec. Visionaries such as Harold Tansey and Louis-Philippe and A. Jean de Grandpré. Individuals and leaders with distinguished legal careers such as J. Vincent O’Donnell, Claude Lavery, Robert W. Mason, Pierre Cantin, Pierre Beaudoin, André Laurin, Michel Yergeau, Richard F. Dolan and Élise Poisson. Our story was written by individuals who had a vision for the future and a commitment to attract and develop new talent. “Since its inception, all of the firm’s decisions have been made with a single goal in mind: to support our clients and contribute to their success. Over the decades, the law has evolved to address new realities, and so have we. For example, we have pioneered new areas of practice focused on environmental protection, public law, access to information and the protection of personal information”, added André Vautour, Chairman of the Board. The legal community has acknowledged the calibre of our jurists by selecting dozens of judges from within our ranks, including the Honourable Richard Wagner, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and the Honourable Jacques Chamberland, Justice of the Court of Appeal of Québec. In similar fashion, Lavery lawyers have been sought out by the business community to serve as corporate counsel in some of Canada’s leading companies. For more information, please consult the Centennial Brochure in the “Lavery: Your Business Fair and Square for 100 Years” section of the firm’s website Lavery.ca.
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Bernard Larocque and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, authors of an article in La ChADPresse
Mr. Bernard Larocque, a Litigation partner at Lavery, and Mr. Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, a Litigation associate at Lavery, published an article entitled “Jusqu’où l’assureur couvre-t-il des lieux où se déroulent des activités criminelles ?” (To What Extent are Insurers Required to Cover Premises where Criminal Activities are Conducted?) in the Fall issue of La ChADPresse, a publication of the Chambre de l’assurance de dommages.In their article, Mr. Larocque and Mr. Lacoste-Jobin summarize a decision rendered by the Court of Appeal of Québec on April 17, 2013 that focuses on the application of exclusion clauses contained in a home insurance policy in the context of criminal activities.To read this article (in French), click here (pp.14-15).
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Eugene Czolij re-elected as President of the Ukrainian World Congress
Eugene Czolij, a partner in the Litigation Group at Lavery, was recently re-elected as President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), for another five-year term, at the X UWC Congress held August 20-22, 2013 in Lviv, Ukraine. Over 550 participants from 31 countries attended the X Congress.The UWC is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The UWC has member organizations in 33 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 14 additional countries. Founded in 1967 as a non-profit corporation, the UWC was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with special consultative status.
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Nicolas Gagnon and Jacques Perron recognized by Lexpert for their expertise in the area of infrastructure
The September 2013 issue of the Globe and Mails’s Report on Business includes an insert entitled 2013 Lexpert/Report on Business Special Edition – Infrastructure in which Nicolas Gagnon and Jacques Perron, Business Law partners at Lavery, are recognized as leading lawyers in Canada in the area of infrastructure law. This special edition recognized lawyers who have contributed very effectively to the P3 model development and implementation. The P3 model is currently used in 100 fully operational projects in Canada.More precisely, this publication recognizes the scope of Mr. Gagnon Infrastructure Law practice, which embraces infrastructure and institutional projects, including P3s, and focuses on contracts, procurement, default remedy and litigation.The publication also underlines the scope of Mr. Perron Infrastructure and transportation law and commercial litigation law practice, including his more than 25 years’ experience in the railway industry.