Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m M A R C H 2 0 1 4 35 2 1 counsel, McCarty has insight into the ways regional firms can stand out, for example by actively looking for cost savings and keeping communication channels open via regular updates and second- ments. This kind of approach will help his regional firm to convince clients they do not need a legal partner with an office in every city, he believes. Read on to find the full list of Quebec's top regional firms. Their 2012 positions are noted in parentheses. Total lawyers: 210 Lawyers by office: Montreal, 156; Quebec City, 19; Ottawa, 4; Sherbrooke, 22; Trois-Rivières, 9 Core practice areas: Business transactions/mergers and acquisi- tions; taxation; litigation and dispute resolution; labour and employment; financing and financial services Key clients: CH Group Ltd. Partnership; Osisko Mining Corp.; Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec; Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.; National Bank of Canada; Fiera Axium Infrastructure Inc. Notable mandates: Represented Chambre des notaires du Quebec and Barreau du Quebec in Canada-wide litiga- tion to exempt lawyers from provisions of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act; represented Demilec Inc. and affiliates in the sale of most of the group's assets to companies controlled by Sun Capital Partners Inc.; counsel for the province of Quebec in $796-million acquisition by Hecia Mining Co. of Aurizon Mines Ltd.; represented Industrial Alliance in renewal of $1-billion base shelf prospectus. Star alumni: Supreme Court of Canada Justice Richard Wagner; Quebec Court of Appeal justices Lorne Giroux and Jacques Chamberland; Sean Finn, executive vice president, corporate services, and chief legal officer of Canadian National Railway; Pamela McGovern, general counsel of Hydro-Québec; Eric Stevenson, superintendent, client services and distribution oversight, Autorité des marchés financiers; Caroline Ferland, VP, corporate and regulatory affairs, Imperial Tobacco Can- ada; Anne-Marie Papineau, senior legal counsel, Cirque du Soleil; François Lavallée, SVP legal affairs, financial markets and wealth management, National Bank Financial; Isabelle Gosselin, associate GC, Labatt Brewing Co.; Patrick Buch- holz, VP, legal affairs and assistant secretary, Gesca Ltée. Affiliations: World Services Group The firm: Lavery celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2013. Its roots can be traced back to 1913, when Onésime Gagnon and Maurice Dupré founded the firm of Dupré & Gagnon in Quebec City. The firm was to evolve and later merge into Lavery de Billy. Two of Lavery's other predecessor firms were Audette and Lorrain, founded in 1926 in Montreal, and Tansey de Grandpré & de Grandpré, founded in 1949. In 1979, these two firms merged to become Lavery O'Brien, before joining Gagnon, de Billy, Cantin, Beaudoin, Lesage & Associés of Quebec City in 1991, becoming Lavery de Billy. In 2007, 34 lawyers and 60 staff members of Desjardins Ducharme's Montreal office joined Lavery. A respondent praised Lavery's "consistently excellent client service." LAVERY DE BILLY (1) LAVERY.CA Total Lawyers: 164 Lawyers by office: Montreal, 118; Quebec City, 41; Sept-Iles, 2; Barbados, 3 Core practice areas: Mergers and acquisitions; tax; corporate finance and banking; commercial law; commercial litigation Key clients: Groupe BMR; Bombardier Aeronautique; Quebe- cor; Mouvement Desjardins; RBC; CGI Notable mandates: Acted for Groupe BMR for the conclusion of a commercial agreement with La Coop Fédérée, which through its Unimat banner, is acquiring a minority interest in Groupe BMR. Acted for RCI Environnement Inc. in its acquisition by Waste Management Québec, a subsidiary of Waste Man- agement, to form Quebec's largest waste management firm; acted for Denis Lefrançois, co-founder, former president, and main shareholder of Solotech in the sale of his participation in the corporation to Claridge, Desjardins Capital de Risque, and Investissement Québec; acted for TVA Group Inc. in the acquisition of two companies. Star alumni: Bombardier senior legal counsel Nadia Martel; Quebecor Media assistant secretary and main legal coun- sel Christian Marcoux; Yellow Pages Group Co. director, legal affairs, Marie-Josee Lapierre. Affiliations: Meritas The firm: BCF was established in 1995 under the name Brouil- lette Charpentier Fournier in Montréal. It grew rapidly and opened an office in Québec City in 2001.It changed its name to BCF in 2005, preceding adecade-long period of expansion, with substantial additions made to personnel, offices, and technical resources. BCF also opened an office in Barbados in 2011, and continued growing with the opening of an office in Sept-Iles, in the eastern part of the province. In February it expanded again, taking on a group of 26 lawyers from Heenan Blaikie's Quebec offices. BCF was rated for its "breadth of practice and innovative approach" by one respondent. BCF LLP (4) BCF.CA *These numbers updated with lawyers from the former Heenan Blaikie who joined Lavery after the print edition went to press.

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