This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Lavery lawyer Léonie Gagné contributed to the community by offering free legal consultations at the Bar of Montreal’s Salon VISEZ DROIT
Léonie Gagné, a litigation lawyer at Lavery, offered free legal consultations in her area of practice at the 19th annual Salon VISEZ DROIT, organized by the Bar of Montreal on April 12. Committed to giving back to the community, Ms. Gagné decided to volunteer her time and expertise for this event which is organized to educate the public about their rights and obligations as well as promote a better understanding of the legal system. The Salon VISEZ DROIT consists of four days of law-related activities organized by the Bar of Montrealfor the general public. The 19th edition took place from Monday, April 11, to Thursday, April 14, 2016, at the Complexe Desjardins in Montréal, with actress Lynda Johnson serving as spokesperson. Thousands of visitors came to the event to meet the exhibitors and participate in the free activities offered.
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Édith Jacques appointed Chair of the board of Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec (MEQ)
Lavery is proud to announce that Édith Jacques, a partner in its Business law group, was recently appointed chair of the board of Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec (MEQ). Ms. Jacques, who is well-known for her work with manufacturing and energy companies, regularly supports her clients in the development of new products and distribution networks as well as project management. Having served on MEQ’s board of directors since 2008, Ms. Jacques has been vice-chair since 2013. It was in line with her commitment as chair of the board of the MEQ and as a member of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) board that she met with Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, at the CME’s meeting, last month. As Chair, Ms. Jacques aims to deepen her understanding of the business challenges facing manufacturing and export companies and play a key role in developing the industry.
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Lavery hosts Québec women in finance at the launch of the 2016 AQWF gala
Lavery celebrated women leaders by hosting the annual pre-gala VIP cocktail party of the Association of Québec Women in Finance (AQWF). The purpose of this event was to launch the festivities surrounding the 11th edition of the organization’s annual “Les Talentueuses s’entourent” gala celebrating the professional success of exceptional women who have distinguished themselves in the finance sector. The finalists were announced in four categories - Inspiration-Andrée Corriveau, Rising star, Leadership, Initiative for the advancement of women in finance – as well as for three “next generation” awards to be presented to finance students. As a proud partner of the AQWF, Lavery wishes the best of luck to the winners, whose names will be announced on April 21, 2016.
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Michel Servant invited to preside the Prix Relève d’Excellence 2016 Committee of Réseau HEC Montréal
Michel Servant, a partner at Lavery, will be the President of the Prix Relève d’Excellence 2016 Committee of Réseau HEC Montréal. This competition recognizes the professional success of HEC’s graduates, aged 35 and under, in four different classes: Large Enterprises, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), Entrepreneurs and Young Professionals. The prize-winners are selected by a jury of experienced business people. This event will take place as a Gala-Evening on Thursday, May 26, 2016, at the Bonsecours Market in Montréal. It will be the 31st anniversary of the Prix Relève d’Excellence in 2016 and Mr. Hubert Bolduc, President and Chief Executive Officer of Montréal International will be the Honorary President. Montréal International is an organization whose mission is to attract foreign investment, international organizations and strategic talent to Greater Montréal.
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Lavery and the Lavery GO inc. Program support J’entreprends Québec through Mouvement RAIZE
Lavery joins Mouvement RAIZE – through its Lavery GO inc. Program – to support the J’entreprends Québec initiative. Mouvement RAIZE is a pioneering business involved in socially committed consumption whose slogan is “On récolte ce que l'on donne” (“you get what you give”). RAIZE selects products and services for which it gives back a part of the profits as donations, thereby meeting the growing financing needs of registered not-for-profit organizations and offering encouragement and support to socially responsible businesses. RAIZE has a web platform that allows user to offer promotions and makes it possible for users and clients to donate a percentage of the revenue from their promotions to a not-for-profit organization. For its part, Lavery has chosen to support the J’entreprends Québec initiative, a not-for-profit organization that aims at bringing entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs through innovative thematic evenings, an entrepreneurial local exchange system to encourage the exchange of services between entrepreneurs and various events targeted to more specific niche markets. For more information about J’entreprends Québec, click here. To follow RAIZE on Facebook, click here.
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Awatif Lakhdar receives a prize from the Chamber of Commerce Al Maghreb in Canada during a mission to Morocco under the leadership of the Embassy of Canada to Morocco
On March 7th 2016, Awatif Lakhdar, a lawyer in Lavery’s Family Law, personal law, and estate law group whose practice focuses on private international law, was awarded a prize by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Al Maghreb in Canada for services rendered for the development of economic relations between Canada and Morocco. To learn more about the CCIMC, of which Lavery is a proud partner, please click here.
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François Bélanger leads a round table organized by Futurpreneur
On March 21, 2016, François Bélanger, a partner in Lavery’s Litigation group who acts as litigation counsel in the areas of commercial, real estate, and construction law, led a round-table discussion organized by Futurpreneur on the topic of “The importance of having a shareholder agreement”. The event took place at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec Price building before young entrepreneurs mainly from the Quebec City and Levis region whose business has been up and running for two to five years. Mr. Bélanger’s role was to guide and provide added-value to exchanges between participants. Futurpreneur is a national not-for-profit organization that offers financing, mentoring and support tools to young and new entrepreneurs (18 to 39 years of age).
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Evelyne Verrier and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin speakers at the Journée de l’assurance de dommages
Évelyne Verrier, a partner at Lavery who holds a degree in actuarial science and coordinates the Distribution of financial products and services group and whose practice focuses primarily on civil litigation and insurance, and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, a lawyer in the firm’s Litigation group who practises primarily in insurance law, professional liability, and commercial litigation, were speakers at the 5th edition of the Journée de l'assurance de dommages held on March 15 at Palais des Congrès de Montréal that brought together hundreds of industry participants. They participated in a panel that covered both the regulation of the online sale of insurance and a “share economy” in a digital world. For more information about this event, for which Lavery was one of the main partners, please click here.
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Myriam Brixi, Loïc Berdnikoff and Lavery on hand at Legal IT 2016 conference
The 10th anniversary of the Legal IT conference took place March 21, 2016 at the Centre des Sciences de Montréal with over 200 attendees. The event was organized by Myriam Brixi, a lawyer in Lavery’s Litigation group whose practice focuses on class actions, insurance law, and civil liability, in her role as a director and head of the IT Committee of the Young Bar Association of Montreal. Lavery was one of the event’s sponsors, and Loïc Berdnikoff, a partner in the firm’s administrative law team with expertise in the areas of access to information and the protection of personal information, presented a conference entitled “Behavioral Advertising: the New Klondike for Advertisers”. For more information about this event, please click here.
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Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur pens an article on the issue of alcohol and drugs in the workplace in Avantages magazine
The February/March 2016 edition of Avantages magazine features an article by Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur, a partner at Lavery with expertise in the fields of labour and employment lawand occupational health and safety law, and Christiane Legault, director of business development at Cyclone Santé, entitled “Alcool et drogues en milieu de travail: Agir pour éviter le pire !” (“Alcohol and drugs in the workplace: Actions to avoid the worst-case scenario !”). In the article, the co-authors describe the issues and present several strategies to remedy them. They underscore how important it is for employers to consult experts regarding drug and alcohol use, to thoroughly document and investigate cases in order to determine which situations require drug testing and to put in place a unambiguous and detailed policy regarding substance abuse.
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Élisabeth Pinard talks about the evolution of family law in the Journal du Barreau
In the special section entitled “L’Ambition au féminin” (“Women and ambition”) published in the March 2016 edition of the Journal du Barreau, Élisabeth Pinard, coordinating partner for the Family law, personal law, and estate law group at Lavery, presents her vision of progress in family law after 35 years of practice. To read this special section, please click here.
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Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin and Léonie Gagné publish an article on waiving the insurer’s right to deny coverage
Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin and Léonie Gagné, lawyers in the firm’s Litigation group whose practice focuses mainly on insurance lawwrote an article entitled “Spoken words fly away, written words remain? Waiving the insurer’s right to deny coverage” published in the Spring edition of La ChADPresse. This free magazine, published four times a year by the Chambre de l’assurance de dommages, is distributed to more than 14 500 damage insurance agents and brokers, as well as claims adjusters. In the article, the authors conclude that: “The claims adjuster’s actions or representations could result in the insurer being deprived of its right to deny coverage or to invoke an exclusion in the insurance policy. It is therefore essential to draw up a clear, comprehensive reservation of rights letter and give it to the insured as soon as possible after the loss occurs in order to avoid an implicit waiver being held against the insurer..” To read the full article, please click here.