This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Daniel Bouchard and Sarah Leclerc discuss environmental law
On June 10, 2016, Daniel Bouchard, Managing Partner of the Quebec City office gave a presentation as part of the 2016 edition of the training event ‘Recent developments in environment’. His conference was a summary of the article "Reflection on the underutilized municipal authorities in environment" he recently co-wrote with lawyer Sarah Leclerc, contributing to the following book recently published by Les Éditions Yvon Blais : "Thinking about the underutilization of municipal authorities in environment", clearly states the view of its authors. Indeed, despite the decentralization of powers regarding local management causing the expansion of municipal jurisdiction, including that of environmental protection, civil society seems doomed to suffer the discretionary choice of elected officials in this matter. The article offers an insight on the importance and usefulness of the powers of elected officials in this area in addition to giving examples of these opportunities not seized by elected officials. The authors also make recommendations seeking to propose ways to potentially resolve this urgent problem." [Translation - book available in French only] Recent developments in environmental law, Department of continuing education, the Quebec Bar, 2016 Ed. Yvon Blais, vol. 418., p. 31.
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Zeïneb Mellouli wins a 2016 Lexpert Zenith Award for her commitment to diversity and inclusion
Lavery is pleased to announce that Zeïneb Mellouli, a lawyer specializing in Labour and Employment Law, was presented with a Lexpert Zenith Award by Lexpert Magazine at a gala in Toronto on June 20, 2016. This year’s edition celebrates lawyers whose actions have advanced diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and society at large. Ms. Mellouli is actively involved in the legal community and in the Montréal community. In recent years, she has served on the board of directors of the Young Bar Association of Montreal and has worked with the Barreau du Québec as part of an initiative to create a working group to promote diversity and the inclusion of members of ethnocultural communities in major law firms. She also contributed to the Barreau du Québec’s forum for an inclusive profession and served on the Committee on ethnocultural diversity of the Bar of Montreal. Finally, she has worked to promote the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, particularly through her collaboration with Lawyers Without Borders. “We are delighted that Lexpert has awarded a Zenith Award to a member of our firm,” declared Don McCarty, Managing Partner at Lavery. “This award recognizes both Ms. Mellouli’s efforts and the firm’s corporate culture, which promotes diversity and inclusion.” As a member of Lavery’s Labour and Employment Law group, Ms. Mellouli advises and represents public and private companies of all sizes in all aspects of labour relations. She is regularly called upon to appear before administrative tribunals and civil courts, including the Superior Court, the Court of Québec, and the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST). For further information, visit the Web site of Lexpert Zenith Award.
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Élisabeth Pinard and Anthonie Vézina-Crawford speakers at a conference on the estate settlement
On June 2, 2016, Élisabeth Pinard, partner at Lavery who coordinates the firm's Family law, personal law, and estate law group and Anthonie Vézina-Crawford, lawyer in the same field, participated in a conference on the estate settlement organized by the "Association de Planification Fiscale et Financière" (APFF). Both of them acted as speakers during a presentation entitled "Règles gouvernant la dissolution du régime matrimonial, le partage du patrimoine familial et le testament dans un contexte de décès" given in French only.
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Lavery, proud sponsor of a CCIFCQ event
On June 7, 2016, an event for the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie française au Canada – Section Québec (CCIFCQ), was held at Cafe Sirocco in Quebec City. Lavery was a proud sponsor of the evening and Sylvain Pierrard, one of its business law lawyers, was present as an administrator of the CCIFCQ and the event organizer. Since its creation in 1886, the CCIFCQ's mandate is to develop economic relations between France and Canada.
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Lavery 2nd in the top 30 law firms in Quebec according to Les Affaires
In a special feature of Les Affaires titled ‘Grands du droit 2016’, Lavery was ranked 2nd in the Top 30 law firms in Quebec. Étienne Brassard, business law partner, also discusses Lavery GO inc. Program as part of the nomination: "Lavery (2nd) for his part created a program for start-ups called Lavery GO inc. Program, which operates on selection. "We select promising projects and we help them becoming successful business ," said Étienne Brassard, head lawyer of the program." [Translation – article available in French only] In 2015, Lavery was ranked 3rd on the charts. Thus, this is a significant rise for the firm in the 2016 rankings you can view here.
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In Luxembourg, Laurence Bich-Carrière wins Tony-Pemmers international public speaking competition
Good things come in threes! Winner of the Young Bar of Montreal's Prix de l'orateur in June 2015 and the oratory competition at the 30th Conférence internationale des barreaux de tradition juridique commune held in Cotonou, Benin, in December 2015, Laurence Bich-Carrière took home top honours at the first edition of the Tony-Pemmers international public speaking contest organized as part of the solemn reassembly of the Luxembourg Bar. The eliminatory round of this speaking contest was held on June 2, 2016, at the Superior Court of Justice of Luxembourg before a five-member jury composed of European and Luxembourgian magistrates and lawyers. The winner of the finals, held the following day, was decided by popular vote, so it was an audience of 250 jurists that Ms. Bich-Carrière had to convince and delight to win first place. The competition focused on eloquence, soundness of argument, and strength of conviction, but also on the speaker’s charisma, sense of humour, and ability to make a connection with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. A member of the Quebec Bar and the Law Society of Upper Canada, Ms. Bich-Carrière is part of Lavery’s litigation group. She has worked as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada and received numerous merit-based scholarships during her years of study. Her practice includes all aspects of civil and commercial litigation, among other things.
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More than 100 participants at Lavery’s Annual Labour and Employment Law Conference
Lavery’s Annual Conference on Labour and Employment Law took place on June 1, 2016, in Trois-Rivières. Nearly 110 participants attended the various conferences presented by Nicolas Courcy, Carl Lessard and Marie-Josée Hétu. The speakers addressed several topics, such as the employers protection of interests and rights after the employment relationship breakdown, the best practices in disability management and the recent developments in labour and employment law. Again this year, the event was a great success, tailored for participants and guests who were present. Nicolas Courcy Carl Lessard Marie-Josée Hétu
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Marie Cossette speaker and president of a disciplinary law training organized by Open Forum
May 31, 2016, Marie Cossette, partner at Lavery and head of the business integrity group, chaired a disciplinary law training organized by Open Forum. Several topics were discussed during the event, including the obligation to work and the trustee's powers of investigation, the disciplinary law expert, disciplinary complaints conduct and evidence and procedures new rules, as well as the place of prejudice in determining the sanction and conciliation in disciplinary law. For her part, Ms. Cossette reviewed the landmark decisions of the highest courts in disciplinary law to help people in the field identifying trends and issues to watch. She was assisted by Ms. Charlotte Fortin in the preparation of the conference.
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2016 edition of Lavery’s Major Symposium in Labour and Employment Law - A critical look at some of the challenges facing the business community
Lavery held the 2016 edition of its Major Symposium in Labour and Employment Law and it was a great success. About 300 people made their way to Centre Mont-Royal on June 8, 2016, to participate in the event. The plenary session was hosted by Nicolas Joubert and Guy Lavoie, partners in the Lavery’s Labour and Employment Law group. On this occasion, attendees got to participate in various workshops presented by Dave Bouchard, Jean Boulet, Élodie Brunet, Brittany Carson, Norman A. Dionne, Josée Dumoulin, Carl Lessard, Josiane L’Heureux, Zeïneb Mellouli, Véronique Morin and François Parent. Speakers addressed many different subjects, such as best practices in recruiting, in employment termination and in disability management; in psychological harassment, in pension plans and lessons we can learn about labour and employment law after forty years of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
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Raphaël Schachter, master of ceremonies at the annual conference on human rights organized by the Lord Reading Law Society
On 25 May 2016, Raphael Schachter, partner at Lavery and former president of the Lord Reading Law Society, had the honour to serve as the master of ceremonies of the Annual Human Rights Dinner organized by the Lord Reading Law Society. With over 600 attendees from the field of law and politics as well as important dignitaries, the dinner-meeting was an opportunity to pay tribute to the Honourable Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, former MP for Mount Royal and spokesman of the Liberal Party of Canada in human rights, freedom and international justice. Several leaders of the legal community delivered a heartfelt tribute to Mr. Cotler, including Ms. Justice Rosalie Abella of the Supreme Court who was accompanied by four of her colleagues, Judge Nicholas Kasirer of the Quebec Court of Appeal, as well as the well-known Professor Alan Dershowitz, Esq. from Harvard University. The success of the evening was crowned with a video presentation from the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, highlighting the passion, achievements and outstanding contribution of Mr. Cotler in the field of human rights.
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Julie Grondin, Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin and Awatif Lakhdar appointed partners at Lavery
Lavery is pleased to announce the appointment of three of its lawyers as partners of the firm. They are: Julie Grondin (Litigation) Julie is part of the firm's litigation group and specializes in the areas of construction law, surety law and commercial litigation. She advises public and private owners, contractors as well as surety companies at all stages of construction projects. She also advises clients in respect of public bidding process and drafting of contract documents, management of the work and claims. Julie is also involved in divided co-ownership matters and represents syndicates of co-owners in various cases involving legal hypothecs and work defects. Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin (insurance law litigation, professional liability and commercial litigation) Graduate of McGill University, Jonathan has extensive experience in insurance law. Often involved in complex matters, he regularly appears before all Quebec authorities. He participated in several reference works and gives many presentations and training, including the annual conference Jean Bélanger, an insurance law annual retrospective before the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Insurance Claims Manager Association. Jonathan is also a lecturer at the University of Quebec in Montreal for the Pierre-Basile Mignault moot court. He has recently taken part of the team representing Pro Bono Québec before the Supreme Court of Canada in Réjean Hinse v. Attorney General of Canada. Awatif Lakhdar (family law, personal law and estate law) Awatif is a member of the Family Law, personal law and estate law group since May 2014. Called to the Quebec Bar in 2002, she worked in private practice for over 10 years before joining the firm. Awatif represents clients in international cases including inheritance, divorce, legal separation, child custody, alimony, and the application of matrimonial regimes. Moreover, she often defends clients in international child abduction cases in which the country of origin is not a signatory to the Hague Convention and has acted as legal advisor in cases involving the identification of matrimonial regimes in certain Muslim countries.
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Victory for Lavery at the Supreme Court on behalf of the Chambre des notaires du Québec
In an important judgment rendered on June 3, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada declared certain provisions of the Income Tax Act (ITA), which allowed the Minister of National Revenue to require notaries or lawyers to provide documents or information which could be useful for the application or enforcement of the ITA and which excluded their accounting records from the protection of the duty of professional secrecy of legal advisers, to be unconstitutional. The Court concluded that several deficiencies caused the requirements sent to notaries or lawyers to be unreasonable and contrary to s. 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It also concluded that the exception to the professional secrecy set out at s. 232(1) of the ITA is unconstitutional and of no force or effect with respect to notaries and lawyers. Raymond Doray and Loïc Berdnikoff, two partners practising administrative and constitutional law at Lavery, represented the Chambre des notaires du Québec before the country’s highest court. Guillaume Laberge and Laurence Bich-Carrière also assisted in the preparation of this case. To see the judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada, click here.