Louise Boutin, a member of the public and private real estate law group, will speak at the 42nd Annual Canadian Property Tax Association Workshop. She and other experts from across Canada will take part in a panel on the theme Disclosure & Access to Information. This panel will take place on September 30 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and will provide an opportunity to discuss a variety of issues regarding access to information. The 42nd Annual CPTA National Workshop will be held at the Delta St. John’s Hotel in Newfoundland and Labrador from September 28 to October 1, 2008.

The Langlois Kronström Desjardins law firm is pleased to announce that three new recruits will be starting their careers at our Québec City and Lévis offices on July 28. They will be sworn in on July 25. Martine Bergeron completed her Bachelor of Law degree at Université de Sherbrooke and Renée-Maude Vachon-Therrien completed hers at Université Laval. Both of them will be based in our Québec City office. Martine will be working in business law and commercial litigation. In addition to her Bachelor of Law, Martine has completed a Master of Business Administration, Co-operative Programme, at Université de Sherbrooke. Renée-Maude will be working in the litigation group. In the course of her university studies, she participated in the Willem C. Vis Moot, a moot court competition in international commercial arbitration held in Vienna. She made the Dean's Honour Roll in the Faculty of Law. Marie-Ève Malenfant, also a Université Laval graduate, will be working in civil law and labour relations at our Lévis office. She was a member of the duo that took home second prize in the Pierre-Basile Mignault Moot Competition in 2007 and was awarded a prize for best thesis.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins once again stands out because of its involvement and support of charitable causes through the support of one of its partners, Gerry Apostolatos, in an expedition to scale Mount Kilimandjaro, starting July 23, over a period of eight days and seven nights. The expedition, christened Kili 2008, is spearheaded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Québec. It unites mountain climbing enthusiasts who wish to bring together physical challenges and charitable causes. The activity’s objective is to raise a minimum of $ 120,000 for the foundation and to make the public more aware of the benefits of daily walking. Mount Kilimandjaro, also been nicknamed ¨the Roof of Africa¨ dominates the African steppe from the top of its 5,895 meters, or 19,340 feet. Located northwest of Tanzania, Kilimandjaro stands in the heart of a protected national park, the Kilimanjaro National Park, created in 1968, being itself in the centre of a vast forest area. The park’s mission is to preserve the natural areas in its unique and spectacular ecosystem. The number of climbers is also strictly controlled. An attorney experienced in commercial and corporate litigation, Gerry Apostolatos has litigated before all courts including the Supreme Court of Canada. He is an expert renowned for his work in matters of insolvency and corporate restructuring, and many corporate, investment, financial institution and administrative council leaders seek his advice. In 2006, Gerry Apostolatos was named external specialized consultant to the Canadian Minister of Industry in the context of the reform of Canada’s insolvency laws. Gerry Apostolatos is very involved in the progress of the legal profession. He currently sits on the Quebec Bar Disciplinary Board. Furthermore, he is an executive authority member of the Canadian Bar Association, Québec division, and of its business law section, as well as a voting member of the Canadian Bar Association national council. He presides over the liaison committee of the Barreau de Montréal with the Superior Court, Chamber of Commerce and sits on the ¨Editorial Board¨ of the ¨National Insolvency Review,¨ which is published six times per year. In 2007-2008, he presided over the sub-committee that developed an Anton Piller type order which was then presented to the bench for consideration and comments.

The Langlois Kronström Desjardins law firm maintains its dominant position in Labour Law with the launch of the 6th edition of Le Droit du travail du Québec, a key work in the legal community. Under the coordination of Yann Bernard, Bernard Cliche and André Sasseville, the team of legal advisors made up of François LeBel, François Mainguy, Sarto Veilleux and Jean-Guy Villeneuve updated the 6th edition of the famous work by Robert P. Gagnon, deceased in 2006. In a clear and direct style, Le Droit du travail du Québec looks at the most significant areas of labour laws in Quebec, favoring a practical approach to situations stemming from individual and collective labour relations. Thus, in addition to reviewing the Quebec Act regarding occupational health and safety, this work also goes over the main issues related to employment contracts and labour standards. The authors are also painting a complete picture of collective labour relations by taking up areas and applications of the Labour code, freedom of association, certification procedure, collective bargaining and arbitration, conflicts of negotiation, collective agreement and arbitration of grievances. Available at Les Éditions Yvon Blais, this new edition is essential for everyone with an interest in labour laws. It is aimed at labour lawyers as well as managers and administrators called upon to negotiate these issues within their organization, and any mediator dealing with Labour Law.

– Mont Sainte-Anne and the Société des Établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq) have recently announced the ratification of an agreement, amending some transaction clauses brought in during the transfer of Mont Sainte-Anne Station in 1994. The Langlois Kronström Desjardins firm has supported the Sépaq throughout this undertaking, according to a fully integrated work approach and under the direction of the Sépaq litigation department. “This integrated work approach is extremely efficient for a business litigation department. As a result, we benefited from their distinctive know-how, at the same time involving the internal team, a move which has afforded us better cost control and team working. Moreover, this method has allowed us to follow this case more closely,” reported Nelly Rodrigue, Corporate Secretary and Director of the legal department for Sépaq. The agreement has ended a dispute of interpretation on the impact of some clauses, which were detrimental to the development of the station, as well as attuning to the required conditions for the future of the station with the realities of today’s market. The litigation was directed at Mont Sainte-Anne’s obligations to buy some land located around the perimeter of the ski area. This agreement allows the Sépaq to take advantage of financial considerations targeted by the 1994 transaction by means of a fair profit sharing of the future sales of these lots. The Langlois Kronström Desjardins team responsible for the case was made up of Yves Rochette and Michel Jolin.

The Langlois Kronström Desjardins law firm is pleased to welcome Andrée Chamberland to its Québec City office. She specializes in Civil and Commercial Litigation as well as Insurance Law. Andrée Chamberland has been practising with a Montréal-based law firm since her admission to the Quebec Bar in 1996. Although she takes on major class action and injunction cases, her practice focuses mainly on general civil liability cases and property insurance. Holding a law degree from Laval University, Andrée Chamberland is currently completing her Master’s degree in business law at the University of Montreal.

Raynold Langlois, a partner at the Langlois Kronström Desjardins firm and an outstanding lawyer recognized for both excellence and professionalism, yesterday officially received the award of Advocatus Emeritus (Ad.E.) from the Quebec Bar at a ceremony held during the Quebec Bar convention, at Quebec City’s Convention Centre. More than 700 people attended the event which featured prominent figures from the legal sector, among whom was Minister Jacques P. Dupuis. It is the second year in a row that the honour has been bestowed on the firm. Michel Jolin, also a recognized litigator, received this honorary distinction last year. “Raynold Langlois is a high-profile lawyer who, over the years, has gained the respect and admiration of many colleagues and opponents because of his professionalism and integrity. He is without question a great source of pride for our firm,” stated Jean-François Gagnon, Managing Partner at Langlois Kronström Desjardins. Raynold Langlois boasts an impressive track record. Raynold Langlois is a founding partner of Langlois Kronström Desjardins. He is a litigator and a strategic advisor to corporate clients. Raynold Langlois has represented governments and businesses before regulatory agencies as well as before the Federal Court and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has also been involved in several provincial and national class actions. He is a lawyer of the Quebec Conference of Judges and the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges. He acts as well for the Canadian Judicial Council. Raynold Langlois is ranked among the top 25 litigators in Canada by LEXPERT magazine in addition to being awarded the highest rating (AV) by Martindale Hubble, and he is listed in the prestigious Best Lawyers in Canada (2008) directory. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. The Advocatus Emeritus honorary award was created by the Quebec Bar last year to promote the image of the legal profession by honouring its most exemplary members. The award is given to members whose career is characterized by professional excellence, an ongoing and outstanding contribution to the profession and exceptional influence within their social and professional circles.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins’ expertise in class actions once again proves itself, in a magnificent way, through their most recent victory won last Friday by Chantal Chatelain, a firm partner. The Court of Appeal maintained the dismissal of a motion for authorization of a class action suit against nine pharmaceutical companies in the array of accusations regarding the claim that generic drug manufacturers have been delivering several rebates, discounts, bonuses and other benefits to Quebec pharmacists in order to favour the sale of their products. In essence, the Court of Appeal decided that the allegations were insufficient to justify a true semblance of right. Notably, the Court of Appeal deems that the proposition regarding the claim that beneficiaries may have undergone a lost is ¨legally untenable¨. This is one of the most important class action suits in Quebec, with damages being requested in amounts exceeding 3.9 billion dollars. Chantal Chatelain was representing the respondent, RhoxalPharma, now known as Sandoz, in these proceedings. Chantal Chatelain acts in civil, public law, administrative and constitutional litigation. She has a diversified practice, mostly characterized by complex and large-scale matters. She leads cases in the fields of class actions, rights and freedoms, latent defects, independence of the judiciary, federal-provincial fiscal arrangements, access to information and numerous civil suits. She has developed her abilities mainly by acting in cases with great public, political, economic and social implications. Chantal Chatelain has appeared before and also has specific knowledge of the practice before the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Chantal Chatelain, member of the Business Law Group and the Civil and Commercial Litigation Group, will participate in Workshop 24 on reasonable schemes of arrangement during the annual Québec Bar Conference. Ms. Chatelain will be a speaker at this event, which will take place this coming May 29, 30 and 31, 2008, in Québec City. Chantal Chatelain will discuss the legal implications of the debate on schemes of arrangement along with two other speakers as part of a half-day workshop. The workshop will provide a setting for examining the public debate that took place in Québec last year, analyzing in detail the conclusions and recommendations of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission report which is expected to be published in the meantime, and finally discussing the consequences of the evolution of Québec law, especially as concerns government action and proposed legislative amendments.

Michel Lebeuf, member of the Commercial Law group, has been invited to speak at the technical breakfast organized by the Chambre de Commerce Française du Canada, addressing the subject La Seine-Saint-Denis, the site of your future success. The goal of this event, which will take place on May 27 in Montreal, is to give advice to growing businesses that want to expand to Europe. Mr. Lebeuf will speak about creating businesses in France.

Valérie Lemaire and Patricia Dupuis, members of the Civil and Commercial Litigation Group, will be speakers at the Breakfast Conference of the Association des femmes d’assurance de Québec. This event will take place on May 9 in Sainte-Foy. The speakers will cover the topic of evaluating bodily injury.

The Quebec Superior Court, in a ruling by judge Claudine Roy on April 21, 2008, dismissed a motion for authorization to institute a class action against TELUS Mobility. The applicant intended to file a class action on behalf of individuals and companies who got billed roaming charges by TELUS for calls made or received in Quebec. The applicant alleged that TELUS could not legally bill her roaming charges when she was using her cellular phone in Quebec to make or receive calls in Quebec, even though the call was picked up by a communication tower located in the United States. The Court upheld our arguments that the alleged facts did not justify the conclusions sought by the applicant and thus refused the authorization to institute this class action. This represents a significant victory because it recognizes in particular the distinctions between the concepts of cellular telephony and traditional land-line telephony. This victory is also significant because the Court recognized that the applicant was not able to ensure adequate representation of members under the section 1003d criterion. In many instances, defence lawyers do not even bother to dispute this criterion because it is usually easily met by applicants in a class action. Chantal Chatelain, a partner at Langlois Kronström Desjardins, did a brilliant job representing TELUS Mobility in this matter. Chantal Chatelain works in civil, public, administrative and constitutional litigation. She has a diversified practice, mostly characterised by complex and large-scale matters. She practises in the firm’s Montreal office.

The law firm of Langlois Kronström Desjardins is pleased to announce the arrival of Pierre Barnard who will work in commercial law and, more specifically, in the areas of securities and venture capital. Admitted to the Bar in 1975, Pierre Barnard exercised the first 6 years of his practice in a federal government litigation department. Thereafter, he moved toward the private practice sector in Montreal. "With Pierre’s arrival on our business law team, our clients will benefit from a greater depth of experience in securities and venture capital," declared Jean-François Gagnon, managing partner of Langlois Kronström Desjardins law firm. "He is joining a team which is developing more and more in the Montreal market, thanks to the expertise of its members and the dynamic innovation they afford our clientele both here and elsewhere," added Jean-François Gagnon.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins is clearly in full expansion as it welcomes three new lawyers to its Quebec City office, now with a total professional workforce of close to 120 individuals. Valérie Jordi and Pierre-Olivier Lessard are joining the labour law team, while Alexandre B. Turcotte swells the ranks in commercial law. A notable common trait that Valérie Jordi and Alexandre B. Turcotte share: they are both International Training certified. As for Pierre-Olivier Lessard, he has proven his skills as an outstanding litigant, having won the 2004 edition of the pleading competition ¨La Coupe du Doyen,¨ at the Faculty of Law, Université Laval. As Jean-François Gagnon, managing partner in the firm, emphasized: ¨We welcome three very talented lawyers endowed with qualities that set them apart and that more and more meet the demands of our clientele. The international perspective and the knowledge of other types of international laws that Valérie and Alexandre bring to the table will most certainly be appreciated by several of our clients who work in markets that go beyond the boundaries of Quebec. And Pierre-Olivier’s pleading skills are already well recognized and highly valued after just a few short years of practice.¨

Langlois Kronström Desjardins is very pleased to announce the arrival of Michel J. Duranleau to the labour law team in its Montreal office. As Jean-François Gagnon, managing partner at Langlois Kronström Desjardins, pointed out: ¨Michel is one of Quebec’s best lawyers in his field. Our labour law team is enriched by the arrival of this professional, highly valued by clients and renowned for developing strategies that are customized to their challenges, with a success rate that speaks for itself¨.

Jean-François Gagnon, Managing Partner with Langlois Kronström Desjardins, and Michel Farrah, General Manager, are proud to announce the arrival of Denyse Thiffault to fill the position of Director of Marketing, Business development and Communications. Having received her MBA (Master of Business Administration) from the École des HEC and a bachelor’s degree in Public Communications from Université Laval, Denyse Thiffault has worked for nearly twenty years in the fields of marketing and communications with both national and international service corporations. She began her career in Quebec City as a radio journalist before managing her own businesses in the fields of graphic design, communications and language services. After the completion of master’s studies in 1998, she held management positions in the information technology industry, B2B e-commerce and telecommunications, and, more recently, in a large law firm with offices both in Canada and abroad.

François LeBel (Quebec Bar, 1995) has been granted the status of partner. Based in Quebec City, François LeBel has worked in the firm since 1995, mainly in administrative and public law. Another appointment announced is that of Fabrice Vil (Quebec Bar, 2007), who has been granted the status of lawyer after completing his internship at the firm of Langlois Kronström Desjardins. His practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation, labour and administrative law.

Langlois Kronström Desjardins law firm is proud to announce the recent arrival in their Quebec City and Montreal offices of three new professionals in business law and litigation. Two lawyers are joining the business law group. Michel Gharbi (Quebec Bar, 1986), makes his entry into our office in Quebec City and Patrick Naccache (Quebec Bar, 2006), to our Montreal office. In Quebec City, Jean-François Leclerc (Quebec Bar, 2007) joins the ranks of our litigation group. ¨We are delighted to welcome Michel, Patrick and Jean-François to our firm. They bring more depth and value to the services we offer our clientele throughout the province. Their training and expertise in their respective fields, coupled with their practical experience in business, means they can offer advice that is truly customized to the business realities our clients¨, said Jean-François Gagnon, Managing Partner at Langlois Kronström Desjardins.

"Time granted to employees to vote" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"Mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts no longer valid" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"Parry Sound doesn't change anything: temporary employees usually cannot grieve a dismissal" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"Christmas parties : What are the employer's obligations?" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

Another sweet victory for our client, the Fédération des Caisses Desjardins du Québec, and another sweet victory for our firm! Langlois Kronström Desjardins was a key player in team of seasoned litigators that convinced the court to reject a motion to authorize a class action targeting a group of fourteen financial institutions, and for an estimated amount of more than 50 million dollars. Our Team, one of the best in the country for class actions!

"The Court of Appeal starts to redress the balance: is this the death-knell for actions against an entire industry" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

We are pleased to announce that Jean Marie Pâquet, Pierre Galardo, Robert Nantais, Louise Boutin and Laura Palavicini, of the law firm Pâquet Galardo & Nantais, are joining our respected team of experienced lawyers. Our new colleagues will allow Langlois Kronström Desjardins to extend the services which it already provides to its Québec, Canadian and international clientele in the traditional practice areas of our firm, namely litigation, business law, administrative and labour law. The contribution of these new partners in the areas of public real estate law (municipal real estate evaluation, expropriation, municipal zoning and environment), private real estate law (real estate development, contracts, financing and construction), together with their contribution in the field of health law, will allow us to offer additional legal services in rapidly growing practice areas thereby allowing us to meet even better the needs of our clients. Langlois Kronström Desjardins consolidates its privileged position as one of the largest suppliers of legal services in Quebec. We are convinced that the addition of these new partners to our team will benefit Langlois Kronström Desjardins and our business partners. Langlois Kronström Desjardins is one of the principal law firms in the province of Québec and includes more than 115 lawyers. Langlois Kronström Desjardins has offices in Montréal, Québec City and Lévis.

"What every American lawyer should know about Quebec class Actions" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Publications".

Anton Piller Orders : A poorly executed Order leads to disqualification of law firm.

"Liability for false and misleading information on the secondary market" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"Danier Leather - Courts must give deference to senior management's business judgement" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"Shopping for jurisdiction" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"First Decision on Psychological Harassment" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

"Business Closings and Notice of Termination" For more information please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

For more information concerning this major victory, please consult the "Information centre" section under "Legal bulletins".

We are proud to announce the imminent arrival within our organization of Mr. Jean-Paul L'Allier as strategic advisor in business development. Mr. L’Allier has a background in law (LL.L., D.E.S.) and in political science from the University of Ottawa. A visionary who has applied a rigorous approach to his numerous undertakings, Mr. L'Allier has had a remarkable career within the Quebec community. Among other things he has acted as Mayor of Quebec since 1989 and was a Minister under the Bourassa government from 1970 to 1976. President of the Quebec Metropolitan Community and member of the board of directors of the Union of Quebec Municipalities, he is also Vice-President of the International Association of Francophone Mayors (I.A.F.M.) as well as President of the International Association of Mayors of the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence. He is also past President to the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) during the period 1991 to 1999. He has acted as Chairman of the board of directors of the Grand Théâtre de Québec and President of the Fondation du Théâtre du Nouveau-Monde of Montreal in the late 1970’s. General delegate of Quebec to Belgium from 1981 to 1984, he subsequently acted as honorary Consul of Belgium in Quebec from 1985 to 1988. During his brilliant career, Mr. L'Allier has received numerous honorary titles the most prestigious of which are: Doctorate honoris causa in law from the University Montesquieu Bordeaux IV in October, 2002 ; officer of the National Order of Quebec in June, 2004 ; commander of the National Order of Quebec in September 2005 ; and commander of the Order of Léopold in September, 2005 for his important role in the development of relations between Belgium and Quebec. More recently, he was raised to the rank of commander of the Legion of Honour in Paris by the President of the French Republic.