This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Evelyne Verrier of Lavery, guest panelist in the contexte of the “Journée de l’assurance de dommages 2015” (Day of Damage Insurance 2015)
Ms. Evelyne Verrier, litigation partner at Lavery, will be a guest panelist for a lecture entitled “Fraude à l’assurance : comment combattre le fléau!” (Insurance Fraud: How to Fight this Scourge!) on March 17, 2015. This presentation, held in the context of the “Journée de l’assurance de dommages 2015” (Day of damage insurance 2015) at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, will allow professionals from this industry to offer possible solutions to this phenomenon. For more information on the “Journée de l’assurance de dommages 2015” (Day of damage insurance 2015), please click here (in French only).
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Louis-Martin Dubé of Lavery, speaker at the Annual Review of Jurisprudence in Real Estate Law
Mr. Louis-Martin Dubé, partner in real estate law at Lavery, acted as speaker at the Canadian Bar Association, Québec Branch (CBA Québec) Annual Review of Jurisprudence in Real Estate Law that was held on February 19, 2015. During this annual case law review, many subjects of interest were discussed by the guest speakers. Mr. Dubé examined court decisions pertaining to real estate law, including property law, contracts, secured transactions, real estate brokerage and transfer duties.
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Lavery’s Katia Opalka speaks at the 2015 Conference of the Canadian Association of Environmental Law Societies
On Saturday, February 14, 2015 at the University of Calgary Law School, Katia Opalka, a partner at Lavery, addressed an audience of law students and practitioners as part of a conference titled “Igniting a spark: Innovations and solutions for Canada’s environment.” Ms. Opalka, who practices in the areas of environmental and Aboriginal law, was asked to speak on a panel reviewing the regulation of hydraulic fracturing in Canada.
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Breakfast meeting on the Small Claims Court
On January 27 and February 10, 2015, Ms. Claudia Bérubé and Marika Couture-Houle, lawyers in civil and commercial litigation, in collaboration with Mr. Claude Villeneuve, practicing partner in litigation at Lavery and president of the Bar Association of Saint-François, acted as speakers at our Sherbrooke office during a breakfast-seminar where they discussed the Small Claims Court, whose jurisdictional threshold rose from $7,000 to $15,000 on January 1st, 2015. This conference, entitled “The Small Claims Court: for whom and how?”, helped the firm's clients to familiarize themselves with the procedure to follow as a plaintiff or defendant. It also gave them the tools and practical advice to be well prepared for an audition before the Small Claims Court. Claudia Bérubé and Marika Couture-Houle
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Julie Cousineau of Lavery, speaker at the Annual Review of Commercial Case Law
Ms. Julie Cousineau, a civil and commercial litigation associate at Lavery, acted as speaker at the Canadian Bar Association, Québec Branch (CBA Québec) Annual Review of Commercial Case Law that was held on February 11, 2015 at our Conference Center in Montreal. During this examination of yearly precedential decisions, many subjects of interest were discussed by the guest speakers. Ms. Cousineau dealt with court decisions focused on extraordinary recourses such as injunctions.
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Laurence Bich-Carrière publishes an article in the Supreme Court Law Review
Ms. Laurence Bich-Carrière, litigation lawyer at Lavery, is the author of an article entitled « Le détissage juridique: étude de l’obsolescence des citations électroniques dans les décisions de la Cour suprême du Canada (1998-2014) » [Legal Citations Unweaving: a Study of the Obsolescence of Electronic Citations in the Supreme Court of Canada Decisions], published on January 16, 2015 in the Supreme Court Law Review. By reviewing the electronic references used by the Supreme Court of Canada in its decisions, Ms. Bich-Carrière seeks to assess how the dematerialization of sources and the paradigm shift of the Internet impact the legal profession’s relation to the notion of sources, on which rests the very principle of precedent. From an exhaustive empirical study arises the alarming conclusion that a third of the referenced hyperlinks are broken, and that the link rot phenomenon increases with time. Ms. Bich-Carrière then takes a two-fold approach to try to alleviate the issue: in addition to trying to discern potential factors which could help predict which links will rot, she suggests some preventive measures by drawing on both research methodology and archiving norms. To read the article (in French only), click here.
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Judgement of the Supreme Court of Canada in regards to professional secrecy – another victory for Lavery!
On February 13, 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered an important decision stating that several sections from the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and from its regulationviolate sections 7 and 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, without being justified under section 1 of that same Charter. Mr. Raymond Doray, Ad. E., and Mr. Loïc Berdnikoff, Administrative Law partners at Lavery, with the help of Mr. Guillaume Laberge, represented the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires before Canada’s highest court, where they argued that lawyers and notaries should be exempted from provisions which, among other things, infringed on the attorney-client privilege, the duty of loyalty to each client and the independence of the Bar. To read the judgment of the Supreme Court of Canada, please click here. Raymond Doray, Loïc Berdnikoff and Guillaume Laberge
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Katia Opalka publishes an article regarding the wetlands for the Canadian Bar Association
On February 6, 2015, Ms. Katia Opalka, a partner practicing environmental and Aboriginal law at Lavery, published an article entitled “Wetlands: Did You Know?” (Milieux humides : Le saviez-vous?), on the Canadian Bar Association (CBA), Quebec Branch website. In her article, Ms. Opalka, who is President of the Quebec Division of the Environment, Energy and Resources Law Section of the CBA, situates Quebec’s wetlands conservation efforts at the national, continental and international level. To read Ms. Opalka’s article (in French only), please click here.
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Bernard Larocque and Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin to present insurance law year in review for 2014 in memory of Jean Bélanger
On February 11, 2015, before the Canadian Bar Association, Mr. Bernard Larocque and Mr. Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, both lawyers at Lavery who practice in insurance law, presented an insurance law year-in-review for 2014, in memory of Mr. Jean Bélanger.
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Nadine Landry and Luc Pariseau take part in a conference on cross-border business activities in Boston
On February 4, 2015, Ms. Nadine Landry, a partner in the Labour Law Group and Mr. Luc Pariseau, a partner in the Business Law Group, both of Lavery, took part in a Conference in Boston entitled “'Doing business in Canada' can be risky business”. They provided insight on the various immigration and tax traps that exist when expanding and working outside the national American borders. This conference, attracting close to 50 participants, will also take place at our Conference center in Montreal, on April 22, 2015, this time addressing the pitfalls to avoid for a Canadian company that wants to do business in the United States.
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Daniel Bouchard of Lavery quoted in a newspaper article from Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe
Mr. Daniel Bouchard, Managing Partner of the Lavery Quebec City office, was quoted in a recent article entitled «Changement de zonage en catimini », relating to a municipality’s obligation to inform its residents on zoning matters. According to Mr. Bouchard, the Act respecting land use planning and development is clear: a municipality must, by public notice in a newspaper, inform its population of any zoning by-law draft. It is at the very foundation of the democratic exercise of this process. To read this article, click here (in French only).
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Benjamin David Gross and Anne-Sophie Lamonde give a conference on mining project streaming agreements
On January 27, 2015, Mr. Benjamin David Gross, a partner in the financial services and creditors' rights, real estate law, and mining law teams, and Ms. Anne-Sophie Lamonde, a lawyer practicing in corporate law, both of Lavery, took part in the Conference on financing and security on property organized by the Canadian Institute. Their conference was entitled “Financing of mining projects: What you should know about ‘Streaming Agreements’” and sought to provide insight on this method of financing, which is gaining in popularity among senior mining companies, and more specifically, to explain the key provisions which one should consider when drafting or negotiating such agreements.