Béatrice Pola joins DS Avocats’ employment law practice

DS Avocats is delighted to announce the arrival of Béatrice Pola as Partner, strengthening our labor law offering alongside Gwladys Beauchet in Paris, Frédéric Godard-Auguste in Bordeaux and Patricia Jeannin in Lille.

Béatrice Pola is an expert, recognized by her peers and clients alike, who advises and defends major French and international groups in their highly sensitive cases: crisis management, monitoring complex individual and collective litigation, setting up and monitoring social compliance investigations, etc.

She is also involved in the social aspects of reorganizations and advises foreign companies on their implementation in France.

Béatrice Pola’s expertise has been recognized for many years in international and national rankings (individually and by team) by The Legal 500 EMEA (Tier 1), Chambers (Band 3, Band 2), Best Lawyers and Who’s Who Legal, Option droit et Finance and Décideurs juridique.

She will be accompanied by Estelle Coulombel, counsel (management of international mobility and transnational secondments, internal investigations into harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, compliance, complex litigation), recognized as “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyer and “Tomorrow’s leader” by International Employment Lawyer, and praised for her doctrinal contribution to AFDT on discrimination issues.

Olivier Fages, Chairman of DS Avocats, comments: “In today’s complex legal environment, companies can rely on the combined expertise of our specialist lawyers to help them prosper. Armed with rigorous and proven methods, Béatrice’s team offers new solutions to our clients in search of a cutting-edge ‘full-service’ firm“.

Yvon Martinet, future Chairman of DS Avocats, adds: “With the reinforcement of Béatrice and Estelle, our firm continues to consolidate its unrivalled expertise in compliance and CSR/ESG commitments, to support companies in all their current and future transformations. Our status as an independent third-party auditor of sustainability reports is unique in the legal market.”

Béatrice Pola concludes: “Recent legislative developments are tending to impose new CSR and environmental obligations on major groups, as part of their organizations and reorganizations.

To fully understand these new challenges, it is essential to rely on specialists, and DS Avocats is the only firm to have obtained OTI (Organisme tiers indépendants) accreditation.

Likewise, the firm was involved with the Ordre des Avocats in the design of a loss of collaboration insurance policy and an employee charter. These achievements testify to the firm’s concern for people, which, for a specialist in employment law, is fundamental.

Our Labour and Employment Law team is Growing Again 

We are pleased to welcome Sissi Querido, an associate, in our Montreal office as a member of our Labour and Employment Law team. She will assist and support the team in its mission of excellence.

A dynamic individual with a positive, can-do attitude, Sissi brings her labour law and civil & commercial litigation experience to a highly skilled team of professionals. She is well-versed in all aspects of labour and employment law, particularly in the interpretation and application of collective agreements, occupational health and safety, psychological harassment, the protection of personal information, pay equity, employment insurance, and human rights.

I am pleased to be part of this team. Not only am I joining a professional team focused on excellence, but also great mentors who will help me grow in my career.

The Labour and Employment Law team, led by lawyer and partner Josee Pilon, says Sissi is a welcome addition.

Sissi is a dynamic, professional and team-oriented lawyer. She is a pleasure to work with and knows how to meet and exceed client expectations. She’ll fit right in.”

Before joining DS Lawyers, Sissi was articling at a boutique labour law firm. While studying law, she was involved with the Racial Profiling Committee of the St-Michel Legal Clinic in Montreal and the Law and Sports Committee at the University of Montreal.

About DS Lawyers

We are a full-service law firm offering a broad range of business and legal solutions to our local, Canadian, and international clientele. We offer a personalized approach and integrated services in business, tax, litigation, commercial real estate and employment law across our 24 locations, including Québec City, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Our clients are at the heart of our initiatives. We dedicate ourselves to providing practical solutions to their most complex challenges and realities. Our collaborative structure allows us to help companies looking to cross borders or that need legal support for international business ventures.

An additional lawyer joins the ranks of DS Lawyers in Quebec

Having successfully completed his articling term at DS Lawyers in 2022 and  been called to the Quebec Bar, we are pleased to welcome Laurent Crépeau within our team.

Laurent joins the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution team in Montreal. His practice focuses primarily on civil, commercial and corporate litigation as well as bankruptcy and insolvency. He obtained his Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctor from McGill University’s Faculty of Law and completed a Master of Laws in International Arbitration at New York University.

“I am thrilled to begin my career at the firm and continue working alongside very experienced lawyers who have become my mentors,” said Laurent Crépeau.

Earlier this summer, two other articling students had agreed to join the ranks of DS Lawyers in Quebec City as associates:

“We are pleased to have these young lawyers on our team, who stand out for the quality of their work, their leadership, and their aspiration for excellence. It is clear that DS Lawyers is a firm that stands out in the market, not only with business clients, but also with legal talents,” added Richard Laramée, Chairman of the Board of DS Lawyers Canada LLP.

About DS Lawyers

DS Lawyers is an international law firm that was founded fifty years ago in Europe. The firm’s lawyers offer a full range of legal solutions to its local, Canadian, and global clients. The firm offers a tailored approach to each situation and integrated services in the areas of business, tax, litigation, commercial real estate, and employment law from our 24 locations including Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Because our clients are at the heart of our initiatives, we are committed to offering concrete solutions adapted to the most complex problems and realities of our clients. Thanks to our collaborative structure, DS Avocats also contributes to assisting companies that wish to cross borders or that need legal support for their international business ventures.

DS Lawyers welcomes four labour and employment partners

Montréal, 16 August 2022 – DS Lawyers welcomes four experienced lawyers from a prominent Montréal law firm’s Labour and Employment law group in line with its strategic growth plan. Geneviève Beaudin, Nicola Di lorio, Georges Samoisette-Fournier and Mélanie Sauriol, as well as two legal assistants, will be joining DS Avocats on August 16, 2022.

This team has mastered all aspects of individual and collective rights practice for companies subject to the Canada Labour Code or Quebec Labour Code, including collective agreement negotiations, grievance arbitration, labour disputes, individual rights, privacy, administrative law and specialized tribunals.

This team’s integration is an additional step in the implementation of DS Lawyers’ vision of offering comprehensive and integrated legal services to serve its business clients.

“During our discussions, we quickly realized that we had values and professional aspirations in common with our DS Lawyers colleagues,” said Nicola Di lorio, Senior Partner, Labour and Employment Group. “Our decision to join DS Lawyers was greatly influenced by the firm’s flexible, human-oriented culture and our complementary experience and expertise and shared desire to offer customized services to clients in Quebec, across Canada and around the world.”

“We’re delighted to welcome this renowned and respected team of lawyers whose sought-after expertise in an important area of law is sure to be an asset for our clients. Geneviève, Nicola, Georges and Mélanie’s arrival reinforces our position as the new legal services leader for Quebec and Canada’s business community,” said Richard Laramée, Chairman of the Board of DS Lawyers Canada LLP. “This announcement is a concrete expression of DS Lawyers’ strategic direction to continue to grow by taking advantage of a more complex, more sophisticated and faster-paced business environment.”

About DS Lawyers

DS Lawyers is a full-service law firm offering a broad range of business and legal solutions to our local, Canadian and international clientele. We offer a personalized approach and integrated services in the areas of business, tax, litigation, commercial real estate and employment law across our 24 locations, including Québec City, Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver.

Since the interests of its clients are at the centre of its initiatives, DS Lawyers ensures that it offers concrete solutions adapted to the most complex problems and realities of its clients. Through its collaborative structure, DS Lawyers also supports businesses seeking to cross borders or requiring legal support for their international offices.

For information

Marie-Ève M. Garant

Directrice nationale communication et marketing

DS Avocats

514-969-4688

megarant@dsavocats.ca

Paris Tax team strengthened with the arrival of Jean-Claude DRIE, Laurent KIHL and Adrien LANDON

DS Avocats Paris is strengthening its tax department by integrating Jean-Claude Drié, Partner, Laurent Kihl, Of Counsel, and Adrien Landon as an associate, thus pursuing its development strategy.

With this arrival, the Paris tax team now consists of 4 Partners, 1 Of Counsel and 4 associates.

The team thus composed broadens its support capabilities in the event of tax audits and criminal litigation, and provides a new service for the handling of production taxes. The department also expands existing synergies with other areas of expertise in order to assist our clients with the tax issues arising from their mergers and acquisitions, real estate and development operations, in a national and international context.

As former tax administration executives, Jean-Claude Drié and Laurent Kihl bring their extensive knowledge of the French Tax Authorities (DGFIP) to the department, which enables them to provide the best possible advice to companies and prevent any litigation before the courts.

Jean-Claude Drié

Jean-Claude Drié is a graduate of the École Nationale des Impôts and holds a doctorate in law.

He was a public finance inspector in charge of tax auditing at the Direction des Vérifications Nationales et Internationales (DVNI), a teacher at the Sorbonne and author of books on taxation ; he is also a lecturer in auditing and local taxation.


A specialist in tax audit assistance and litigation, he joins DS Avocats as a Partner

Laurent Kihl

 graduate of the École Nationale des Impôts, Laurent Kihl was an auditor, then inspector in charge of litigation (corporate taxation) at the Hauts-de-Seine Tax Services Department.


He is involved in tax litigation for individuals and companies. His area of expertise extends to tax consulting and tax audit assistance. He has extensive know-how in the field of patrimonial taxation. He also supervises restructuring operations for tax purposes and coordinates audit operations.

He joins DS Avocats as a Of Counsel.

Adrien Landon

After a Master in Business Law and a collaboration at Price WaterHouse Coopers, Adrien Landon joined Jean-Claude Drié and Laurent Kihl in 2018.


He is particularly involved in personal and patrimonial tax matters and participates in tax audit assistance for both individuals and companies. He participates in tax consulting operations in close collaboration with the partners.

He joins DS Avocats as an associate.

* * *

Christophe Billet states: “DS Avocats’ ambition is to anticipate the needs of our clients. It is in this context that the arrival of Jean-Claude, Laurent and Adrien completes our offer in tax law, in particular in the areas of tax audits, litigation, tax investigations, criminal risk and exemption requests“.

Jean-Claude Drié adds: “The international and trailblazing approach of DS Avocats provides us with the opportunity to offer our clients 360° support in tax law, and more generally in all areas of business law.”

Laurent Kihl concludes: “The permanent evolution of taxation requires a speedy transition for law firms in order to provide the tax security expected by their clients. Our expertise combined with the know-how of DS Avocats opens up dynamic and promising prospects.

Contact DS Avocats : Laure Esclapez

Contact Avocom Virginie Jubault

About DS Avocats

Founded in Paris in 1972, DS brings together nearly 400 corporate legal practitioners within a network of 22 offices on 4 continents.

As the leading French law firm with an international dimension, DS has a dual expertise in consulting and litigation, and assists its French and foreign clients in all areas of business law, both in France and abroad.