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SPECIAL REPORT 38 www.canadianlawyermag.com TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL Business ÉDITH JACQUES Partner, Lavery de Billy LLP, Montreal Édith Jacques is a partner in the Montreal office of Lavery's business law group. She specializes in mergers and acquisitions, commercial law and international law and acts as business and strategic consultant to mid- and large-size companies. On Dec. 18, 2018, Michelin completed the acquisition of Camso. Apart from its value of US$1.7 billion, what distinguishes this transaction from others is its complexity and the role played by the lawyers involved in the legal management of the project. Lavery's team led by Jacques had an opportunity to play a dual role in this major transaction: by assisting long-time client Camso Inc. in selling all the shares of its share capital and representing the two majority shareholders: the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the Fonds FTQ. In-house BRUCE WILDSMITH Counsel, Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs, Barrs Corner, N.S. Bruce Wildsmith serves as legal counsel with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs and the Kwilmu'kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office. His pursuit of Mi'kmaq access to natural resources and treaty rights has resulted in the clearer understanding of Aboriginal rights and their place in Canada. Wildsmith was lead negotiator for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq Chiefs and the Mi'kmaq of Nova Scotia. He is also a retired law professor from Dalhousie University. He has been working with the Mi'kmaq since 1974 when he acted on a case that established Mi'kmaq hunting rights on reserve land. He has advocated for Indigenous rights in a number of Supreme Court cases since then, including Simon v. The Queen in 1985, which upheld a Mi'kmaq man's hunting rights based on a 1752 treaty that had previously been disregarded. In-house DANIEL DESJARDINS Senior vice president of Bombardier Inc. and chairman of Bombardier Transportation, Montreal Daniel Desjardins has distinguished himself through the transformative partnership with Airbus SAS relating to the C Series aircraft, the sale of Bombardier's Downsview, Ont. property to the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, a significant equity injection through a public offering of 168,000,000 Class B shares (subordinate voting) for aggregate gross proceeds, successfully representing Bombardier before the International Trade Commission with respect to a trade complaint involving Boeing and leading the legal team with respect to the issuance on international markets in debt securities. Desjardins continues to dedicate significant personal time to his Legal Leaders for Diversity project, which raises important sums of money for deserving students to complete a legal education.