Thierry Dorval

Biography

Thierry Dorval practises securities law and competition law. He acts in a wide range of transactions such as mergers, business acquisitions and dispositions.

He is Chair of our Governance and Directors' Liability Team. Mr. Dorval frequently reviews the governance policies and practices of Canadian corporations listed on both Canadian and US stock exchanges. He also regularly advises boards and management on directors and officers' liability issues and independent committee deliberations.

Mr. Dorval also acts for public and private corporations in Canadian and multinational merger transactions and in competition law investigations.

Year of Call

• Quebec Bar 1996

Law School

• LL.D., University of Ottawa, 2007
• LL.M., Université Laval, 1997
• LL.B., Université Laval, 1995

EDUCATION

• M.B.A., University of Oxford, 1998

Selected Client Work

• Groupe Thibodeau (undisclosed amount) - acquisition by TransForce Income Fund (2008)
• KW Gaspé and Company LP ($110 million) - acquisition of the Le Nordais wind plant by Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc. (2008)
• Europe's Best Inc. (undisclosed amount) - acquisition by the J.M. Smucker Company (2008)
• Bourse de Montréal ($1.2 billion) - combination of TSX Group and Bourse de Montréal (2008)
• Mecachrome International Inc. ($205 million) - initial public offering  (2007)
• Quebecor Media Inc. ($414 million) - takeover bid on the units of Osprey Media Income Fund (2007)
• RONA Inc. (undisclosed amounts) - acquisition of Dick's Lumber and Noble Trade Inc. (2007)
• Domtar Inc. (US$6 billion) - cross-border merger with Weyerhaeuser Inc. (2006)
• RONA Inc. (undisclosed amounts) - acquisitions of Curtis Lumber Inc. and Chester Dawe Inc. (2006)
• Metro Inc. ($1.7 billion) - acquisition of A&P Canada Inc. (2005)
• Alcan Inc. (US$6.3 billion) - spin-off of the rolled products business which became Novelis Inc. (2005)
• RONA Inc. (undisclosed amount) - acquisition of Totem Building Supplies Ltd. (2004) 
• Quebecor Media Inc. ($24.5 million) - privatization of Netgraphe Inc. (2004)

Publications

• "New Rules on Executive Compensation Disclosure", (co-author Tracey Kernahan et als.), Ogilvy Renault Information Bulletin, October 2008.
• "TSX Publishes Listing Rules For Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations", (co-author Tracey Kernahan et als.), Ogilvy Renault Information Bulletin, August 2008.
• "The Merger Review Process - A New Appreciation of Competition Act Requirements", (co-author Martha A. Healey et als.), Competition Law, Vol. XI, No. 3, Federated Press, 2007.
• "Discharging Directors' Fiduciary Duties Through Good Governance Practices", Corporate Liability, Vol. XI, No. 1,  Federated Press, p. 657, 2006.
• Governance of Publicly Listed Corporations, LexisNexis Butterworths, Toronto, 2005.
• "L'indépendance et la supervision active, les qualités à rechercher au sein d'un conseil", Journal de l'Association des MBA du Québec, Vol. XXIII, No. 8, p. 13, 2005.
• "Les nouvelles règles des ACVM en matière de régie d'entreprise", Journal de l'Association des MBA du Québec, Vol. XXIII, No. 7, p. 4, 2005.
• "CSA Finalizes Guidelines in Corporate Governance", (co-author Tracey Kernahan), World Securities Law Report, Washington, p. 6,  May 2005.
• "Overview of Recent Canadian Governance Initiatives", 15th Annual Meeting, Inside Counsel, Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, p. 19, 2003.
• "The Toronto Stock Exchange Clarifies the Status of Proposed Changes to its Corporate Governance Standards and Listing Requirements", Corporate Governance, Vol. II, No. 4, Federated Press, p. 96, 2002.
• "Destruction créatrice", Journal de l'Association des MBA du Québec, Vol. XXI, No. 2,  p. 4, 2002.
• "Lorsque le juridique devient stratégique", Journal de l'Association des MBA du Québec, Vol XXI, No  1, p. 4, 2002.
• "Prudence est mère de sûreté : Responsabilité incombant aux administrateurs de sociétés", Journal de l'Association des MBA du Québec, Vol. XX, No. 9, p. 4, 2001.
• "Directors' Liability for Employee Deductions at Source: The Diligence Defence", Corporate Liability, Federated Press, Vol. VI, No. 2, p. 329, 2001.
• La responsabilité des administrateurs pour les déductions à la source, Carswell, Montréal, 2001.
• La mise au rôle d'évaluation foncière au Québec, Yvon Blais, Cowansville, 1999.
  

Speaking Engagements

• "Gouvernance et marchés financiers en Amérique du Nord", Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Institute of Corporate Directors, Montréal, September 2008.
• "Les pratiques de gouvernance: Aspects coûts/bénéfices", joint presentation with Pierre Genest, Stephen Jarislowsky and Michel Nadeau, Canadian Bar Association, Montréal, May 2008.
• "Rémunération de la haute direction", joint presentation with Jane Craighead, Francis Legault, Fiona MacDonald and Robert Parizeau, Forum en valeurs mobilières, Mont-Tremblant, October 2007.
• "Les associations professionnelles et le droit de la concurrence", joint presentation with Christian Charbonneau, Marie-Claude Touchette and François Tougas Canadian Bar Association, Gatineau, October 2007.
• "La gouvernance des sociétés contrôlées et les actions à droit de vote multiple", joint presentation with Pascal Duquette, Michel Nadeau and Richard Nadeau, Institute of Corporate Directors, Montréal, October 2007.
• "L'indépendance au sein des conseils d'administration", joint presentation with Stéphane Rousseau, Canadian Bar Association, Montréal, March 2007.
• "L'impact des règles relatives aux contrôles internes sur les émetteurs assujettis, leurs dirigeants et leurs administrateurs", presentation, Centre d'études en droit économique, Université Laval, Québec, February 2007.
• "Contrôles internes et enjeux de conformité", joint presentation with Laurent Giguère, The Canadian Institute, Montréal, December 2006.
• "Surveillance de la gestion des risques: rôle et responsabilité du comité de vérification", audit committee roundtable, KPMG Audit Committee Institute, Montréal, June 2006.
• "Responsabilités des administrateurs", presentation, Réseau InterlogiQ, Montréal, January 2006.
• "Les considérations importantes pour la sélection, la formation et l'évaluation des membres du conseil d'administration", joint presentation with Denis Desautels, Jean André Élie and Claude Garcia, Conference on boards of directors, The Canadian Institute, Montréal, October 2005.
• "Les lignes directrices des ACVM en matière de régie d'entreprise et les règles en matière de certification et de contrôles internes", presentation with Laurent Giguère, Canadian Bar Association, Montréal, October 2005.
• "The Pillars of Corporate Governance", presentation, Saïd Business School, Oxford University, United Kingdom, May 2005.
• "The Canadian Securities Administrators Venture into the Corporate Governance Arena", joint presentation with Norman M. Steinberg, Lord Reading Law Society, Montréal, May 2004.

Rankings and Recognitions

• MS Leadership Award

Memberships and Activities

• Founding member, Quebec Chapter, Institute of Corporate Directors
• Listing Advisory Committee of the TSX
• Instructor, Directors Education Program, Institute of Corporate Directors/McGill University

Directorships

• Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
• Foundation of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal