This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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François Bélanger and Zeïneb Mellouli named partners at Lavery
Lavery is pleased to announce that François Bélanger and Zeïneb Mellouli have been named partners of the firm. François Bélanger works with the Litigation and Conflict Resolution group. He appears before the courts in commercial, real estate and construction matters. Due to his expertise in these converging fields of law, Me Bélanger acts as advisor to a large variety of small and medium sized companies in order to ensure their legal affairs are effectively managed. Zeïneb Mellouli’s practice is focused on labour and employment law, the application of the Canadian and Quebec Charters and pay equity. She advises and represents small, medium and large private and public companies and regularly appears before both the administrative and civil courts. Me Mellouli has been actively involved in the legal community since the start of her career. She received the L’Expert Zenith Award in June 2016and was appointed to a labour standards, equity and health and safety advisory board in 2017. “The expertise and competence demonstrated over the years by François and Zeïneb in their respective practices has not only helped the firm develop, but has consolidated their position as major assets in its strategic positioning. Their appointments as partners rightfully acknowledge the quality of their work,” commented Anik Trudel, Lavery’s Chief Executive Officer.
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Associate Laurence Bich-Carrière and partner Luc Thibaudeau, of the Litigation and Conflict Resolution group, wrapped up the Cycle de conférences 2016-2017 organized by the Fondation Claude-Masse with a presentation on “Le mythe de Sisyphe et le consommateur heureux: la nécessité d'une législation efficace en matière de crédit à la consummation”. Held at the Université de Montréal Faculty of Law on April 12, the conference cycle discussed the myths and mysteries surrounding consumer law. Ms. Bich-Carrière and Mr. Thibaudeau reviewed the bases and functioning of modern consumer credit mechanisms measured against the statistical reality of Canadian consumer debt level, and sought to identify avenues to allow access to responsible consumer credit while ensuring that the consumer goods and services sector remains financially healthy and functions effectively.
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Richard Burgos publishes an article on Canadian real estate law
Richard Burgos, a partner of our Business Law Group, penned a doing business in Canada guide in real estate law in Practical Law, published by Thomson Reuters. The document is part of a global guide as to real estate law and provides a high-level overview of the real estate market in Canada, with a focus on investment, financing structures and the sale and lease of real estate. Click here to read the full document.
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Awatif Lakhdar speaks at an information session for owner-pharmacists
On March 29, Awatif Lakhdar, a partner of the Family, Personal and Estate Law Group, spoke to owner-pharmacists at an information session held at Lavery’s Conference Centre. Me Lakhdar discussed the legal tools and general considerations required to protect the patrimony and business of owner-pharmacists during the seminar, entitled Pharmaciens-propriétaires : soyez à l’affût des meilleures pratiques pour la gestion de votre patrimoine.
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Lavery appoints Anik Trudel as Chief Executive Officer
Lavery is proud to announce that Ms. Anik Trudel has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the firm, effective immediately. Ms. Trudel has 30 years of experience in the professional services industry, including twenty as a lawyer in a prominent Canadian law firm and ten in public relations for major international firms. Lavery will benefit from her exceptional experience related to management issues and organizational transformation. ”I am pleased to be joining the largest independent law firm in Québec. I am particularly drawn by the push for transformation that has been occurring in the profession over the last few years and the possibilities to seize in this context. Lavery has the full potential and entrepreneurship needed to establish itself, alongside with our clients, as an innovator and instigator of the evolution of the business model and the way services are rendered. I intend to apply all the experience developed throughout my career, in collaboration with the board of directors, the partners and all firm members in order to contribute to the firm’s growth and unique positioning in the Québec market,” comments Anik Trudel, Chief Executive Officer of Lavery. ”This appointment is directly in line with our desire to consolidate the client-based approach favoured by our firm. We can count on an experienced and passionate leader to participate in the firm’s development and actively direct her efforts to overcome the considerable challenges faced by professional service firms. I would also like to thank Jean-Yves Simard, acting Chief Executive Officer, for his excellent work during the interim,” added René Branchaud, Chairman of the Lavery Board of Directors.
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Gerald Stotland speaks at an ABC-Québec mini-seminar
On April 13, Gerald Stotland, a partner of the Family, Personal and Estate Law Group, spoke at a mini-seminar organized by the section of children's rights of the Canadian Bar Association, Québec Division, which Caroline Harnois, partner, is Vice-president. This mini-seminar was held at Lavery’s Conference Centre in Montréal. The mini-seminar, entitled Tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir, mais n’avez jamais osé demander quant aux rapports psychologiques soumis en preuve dans vos dossiers, offered participants the opportunity to ask experts questions pertaining to different areas of law, including family, youth, immigration, estate, and criminal law.
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Julie Cousineau and Emil Vidrascu review the recent jurisprudence on civil procedure with corporate in-house counsel
On March 30, Julie Cousineau and Emil Vidrascu, partners of the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group, discussed the jurisprudential trends since the coming into force of the new Code of Civil Procedure with corporate counsel. The seminar was held in Lavery’s Conference Centre in Montréal. Entitled Le nouveau code de procédure civile a un an : album de jurisprudence de sa première année de vie, the seminar was intended to inform in-house counsel about the impact of the new Code of Civil Procedure on their practice.
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Lavery holds a seminar on employee addiction problems
On April 5, in collaboration with Cyclone Santé, Lavery held a seminar entitled Les problèmes de toxicomanie chez les employés : agir pour éviter le pire ! (Employee Addition Problems: Act to Avoid The Worst-Case Scenario) which took place at Lavery’s Conference Centre in Montréal. During this seminar, which was attended by close to one hundred participants, Christiane Legault, Vice-President, Corporate Health at Cyclone Santé, spoke to the participants about various drugs and their effects. Zeïneb Mellouli, a lawyer in our Labour and Employment Law Group, also discussed the practical and legal aspects of managing employees with alcohol and drug abuse problems.
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Léonie Gagné moderates a seminar at the Insurtech QC 2017 Day
On April 3, Léonie Gagné, a lawyer in our Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group, moderated a seminar during the Insurtech QC 2017 Day, which was held at the Quebec City port terminal as part of the Semaine numérique (Digital Week) in Quebec City. The seminar, entitled Répondre aux besoins des nouveaux consommateurs : l'assurance de l'économie collaborative (Responding to the Needs of the New Consumer: Insurance of Collaborative Economics), the two speakers Emmanuelle Mury, co-founder of InsPeer, a French peer-to-peer insurance platform, and Tim Attia, CEO of Slice Labs, an American on-demand insurance platform, discussed the topic of the transformation of the insurance industry and the emergence of insurance platforms in this new era of Insurance 2.0.
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Louis-Martin Dubé, speaker at the Advanced Forum on Commercial Leasing
On May 3, Louis-Martin Dubé, a partner in the Business Law Group, spoke at the Advanced Forum on the legal, financial and business aspects of commercial leasing, which will be held at the Hotel Omni Mont-Royal, in Montreal. The lecture, entitled: "The relevance of recent decisions on commercial leases," sought to review the landmark decisions on commercial leases to help stakeholders in this field identify trends and issues that may have an impact on their activities or on the advice they offer to their clients.
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Élodie Brunet and Nicolas Gagnon spoke at the Bitume Québec Annual Conference
Élodie Brunet and Nicolas Gagnon spoke at the 13th Annual Conference of Bitume Québec that was held at the Grand Times Hotel in Drummondville on April 5. Élodie Brunet, a lawyer in the Labour and Employment Law Group, gave a presentation on the management of workplace health and safety, discussing, in particular, prevention and some practical elements of a due diligence defence and the management of workplace injuries. Nicolas Gagnon, a partner in the Litigation and Conflict Resolution Group, discussed in his presentation the limits of the protection afforded by a stipulation for another included in a construction contract, and reviewed the case law in 2016 regarding calls for tender.
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Guillaume Lavoie selected as finalist at the ARISTA 2017 Provincial Contest
On March 30, the ARISTA Provincial Contest announced that Guillaume Lavoie, a partner and head of the Lavery CAPITAL and mergers and acquisitions groups, has been selected as one of three finalists in the Quebec Young Professional category. The name of the winner will be revealed at the ARISTA Gala on May 29, 2017, to be held at the Marché Bonsecours. As a finalist, Guillaume Lavoie will also be eligible for the Hydro-Québec "Coup de cœur”, which is awarded to the finalist who receives the most votes from the public. The public can vote by clicking “Like” under the finalist’s picture (to visit the page, click here). The ARISTA Provincial Contest is organized by the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. ARISTA rewards and showcases young business leaders from Quebec who stand out and demonstrate leadership and innovation, whether by their professional success or by their contribution to the community. For more information about this contest, click here.