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 A U G U S T 2 0 1 7 37 T his year, Poonam Puri founded the Investor Protection Clinic with FAIR Canada. The clinic is the first of its kind in Canada and set to launch this fall. With support from the Law Foundation of Ontario and several Bay Street firms, the clinic will provide pro bono advice to Canadians who have lost their retirement savings due to a scam but cannot afford to hire a lawyer. It will also serve as a "living lab" allowing for data collection and research on the plight of retail investors in Canada. Puri is also currently conducting research on parent company liability for the actions of their foreign subsidiaries, made possible by a Trudeau Foundation fellowship she was awarded last year. Puri, with Osgoode J.D. research assistants, has compiled the first ever independent academic study of statutory secondary market civil liability class actions in Canada and provides recommendations for reform. Puri expects to launch the database, modelled after the Stanford Securities Class Actions Database, in the fall. She also recently released a book she co-authored, Back from the Brink: Lessons from the Canadian Asset-Backed Commercial Paper Crisis. R ecently elected Montreal regional managing part- ner of BLG, André Dufour advises local, national and international companies and financial institu- tions with respect to strategic initiatives, commercial activities and regulatory matters. A member of the Corporate Commercial, International and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups, he has been involved in a broad range of transactions, including acquisitions, mergers, corporate reorganizations, private equity and venture capital financings, technology transfers and joint ventures. Dufour was the lead lawyer on multiple recent transactions including the acquisi- tion by Famar S.A. of operations of Bayer in the Province of Quebec. He also led the Servier joint venture last year and transactions for Courchesne Larose, handled in 2016 and 2017. Last year, Dufour was nominated as senior vice chairman of the International Bar Association M&A committee, vice president of the Leger Foundation Executive Com- mittee, member of the Montreal Fine Arts Museum acquisitions committee and member of the board of the Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital Foundation. Professor, Osgoode Law School Toronto Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais Montreal Poonam Puri what voters had to say: "She is a pioneer in advocating women's participation in the legal world." "Great work on investor protection and much needed — lots of work needs to be done here. Too many investors fall victim to unscrupulous advisors." "Professor Puri is an incredible mentor. She really goes all the way to make sure you learn and provides a great practical lawyering perspective." what voters had to say: "He embodies with class what a true professional should be by his involvement with his firm, his clients and the community." Andre Dufour CORPORATE-COMMERCIAL

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