Montréal, February 10, 2010 – Just days from the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Langlois Kronström Desjardins is privileged to have one of its members on site, playing a very important role. Yann Bernard, a partner in the firm's Montréal office, arrived in Vancouver yesterday to act as ombudsman to the Canadian delegation at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

His role will be to advise the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada’s athletes on any questions of a legal nature that may arise during the course of the Games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, has opened an office in Vancouver for the duration of the Games. The CAS offers litigants two dispute-resolution methods: mediation and arbitration. The lawyer for a country’s delegation may submit any dispute to the Court, which must make its decision without delay. During sessions of the Olympics, the CAS sometimes sits virtually day and night.

Yann Bernard, whose professional practice includes amateur sports law, was a member of the Canadian National Fencing Team for many years, and has represented Canada at many international competitions. His involvement and interest in sports led him to enthusiastically accept this enriching, stimulating and unpaid role.

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games begin this Friday and will continue through February 28.

About Langlois Kronström Desjardins
Langlois Kronström Desjardins (lkd.ca) is one of the largest law firms in Quebec, with over 120 professionals working in its three offices in Montréal, Québec City, and Lévis. With a total of more than 240 individuals making up our team, we are able to offer our clientele a complete range of legal services renowned for their exceptional quality in business law, civil an commercial litigation, labour and administrative law, maritime and admiralty law, and public and private real estate law.

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For more information:

Jean-François Gagnon
Managing Partner 
418-650-7098 

Geneviève Lebel
Senior Consultant, Communications and Media/Public Relations
418-650-7015