Xavier Van Overmeire is a lawyer practicing international commercial arbitration, mergers and acquisitions, franchising and distribution and 3 other areas of law. Xavier received a degree from Barreau de Bruxelles, Diplome d'Aptitude a la Profession d'Avocat, CAPA in 2006, and has been licensed for 22 years. Xavier practices at Dentons Canada LLP in Montreal, QC.
Activities and Affiliations
• fellow, Centre d'etudes et de recherches internationales de l'Universite de Montreal (CeRIUM)
•Member, Quebec Bar, 2008
•Member, Barreau de Bruxelles, 2004
•Member, Barreau de Tournai, 2005
•Member, Editorial committee of the monthly journal, L'Exportateur
•Manager and founder, Train4Trade Economic Interest Group
•Member, Comite-Affaires Internationales (Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal)
Xavier advises clients in connection with the determination and implementation of strategies for the production, distribution or sale of their products or services in foreign markets. He drafts complex contracts, such as licensing or partnership agreements for the development or international marketing of technologies, particularly in the natural resources sector. Xavier also represents domestic and foreign companies before international courts of law (particularly in Europe) and arbitration panels on international trade issues concerning the import-export of products and services.
Xavier is accredited by AWEX (Agence Wallonne à l'Exportation) as an international trade specialist. He teaches international business transactions law at the UniversitÉ de MontrÉal and is regularly invited as a speaker by the Barreau du QuÉbec.
Experience
• Aerospace company: Representing the interests of this Canadian company in connection with a technology acquisition.
• Canadian company: Advising in connection with the negotiation of a toll manufacturing agreement with a Shanghai-based joint venture.
• Confidential client: Acting as counsel for the drafting of international sale contracts for precious metals from Europe to Asia (2013).
• Basel Convention: Acting as legal counsel for the compliance of European policies related to the recovery of waste (2013).
• Confidential client: Advising a company (active in non-precious metals) in the context of litigation and arbitration following the acquisition of a company for an amount of approximately CA$360 million which resulted in a fraud of illegal trafficking of waste (2013).
• Confidential clients: Acting for and providing counsel to US and EU companies facing problems with parallel imports in the European Union and recording losses of several million US dollars
• Individuals: Acting in proceedings regarding a violation of trade secrets before the Criminal Court.
• European and Canadian companies: Advising clients acting as trade agencies, or distributors for Canadian or European companies, active in the health sector and submitting a complaint for breach of their framework contract (2013).
• Logistician: Advising on all the restructuring operations of its Canadian group (2013).
• European companies: Advising many clients, particularly in the health sector, regarding the marketing and distribution of their products in over 71 markets (2012-2013).
• Mining companies: Advising on the international sale of minerals (by batches or individually) where each contract represents an annual value of approximately US$35 million (2012).
• Confidential client: Acting as counsel in the restructuring of a distribution network to establish a network of trade officers in the EU and US markets (2012).
• Software services companies: Advising on the sale of their services in Canada and the US by establishing a network of distributors/retailers and of commercial agents (2013).
• Pharmaceutical company: Advising on the distribution and marketing of its products in Canada within the context of a special access program for compassionate use (2012).
• Aerospace company: Acting as legal counsel in the establishment of pre-competitive partnerships (Joint Ventures) between a Canadian and a foreign company (2012).
• Biotechnology company: Advising on the granting of licensed intellectual property rights with an annual value of CA$40 million (2012).
• European company: Advising on the implementation of a partnership with a Canadian research institute covering the conceptualization, prototyping, fabrication and marketing phases (2011).
• Belgian group: Advising on the offsetting of its payables and receivables with a Canadian group with which it was associated (2011).
• Important wind energy producer: Advising on wind power equipment purchase contracts, transport operations (negotiation of NVOCC transport contracts) and insurance issues relating to contracts estimated at around CA$85 million (2011).
• Company specialized in drilling equipment for quarries, mines and wells: Advising in the context of a transfer of technology under a development project for water purification in Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2007).
Insights Activities and Affiliations Community Involvement and Pro Bono Teaching Roles Presentations
• "Transactions commerciales internationals", co-edited with Guy Lefebvre, Les Éditions ThÉmis (to be published)
• "L'exercice de droit de propriÉtÉ intellectuelle sous l'angle du droit europÉen de la concurrence", Distribution des intangibles: la propriÉtÉ intellectuelle dans le commerce des nouveaux biens (under the supervision of Pierre-Emmanuel Moyse), Les Éditions ThÉmis, May 2014
• "Signing off on the basis for a free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada", Dentons Insights, October 2013
• "Canada-EU free trade deal: Intellectual property issues for the pharmaceutical industry" Dentons Insights, October 2013
• "La Joint Venture Internationale comme mode d'accès à un marchÉ Étranger", Savoir Exporter, Volume 6, NumÉro 2, January 2013
• "Un accord commercial Canada-UE en 2013: opportunitÉs à saisir pour les exportateurs wallons", L'Exportateur - Éditions des CCI, November 2012
• Fascicule 2, ''Structure de la règle de conflit'', JurisClasseur Quebec - Civil Law Collection, International Private Law, LexisNexis Canada Inc., November 2012
• Co-author of the "Les importations parallèles dans l'Union EuropÉenne - La recherche d'un Équilibre entre libertÉ et protection", co-editors Anthemis, L.G.D.J., Schulthess and Themis, 268 pages, March 2012
• "Role of documents: avoid conflicts between buyers and sellers" L'Exportateur, Éditions des CCI, February 2011
• Foreword and Comments in Christine Destexhe's book entitled "Le contrat de vente international: pour les non-juristes" Edipro, Brussels, Belgium, 2010
• "Incoterms 2010: adaptation aux pratiques commerciales contemporaines'', Focus on International Trade, November 2010
• "Role of documents: sale of goods during transport" L'Exportateur - Éditions des CCI, September 2010
• ''You must require negotiable transport documents'' L'Exportateur - Éditions des CCI, June 2010
• "The North American Free Trade Agreement's origin rules'' L'Exportateur - Éditions des CCI, May 2010
• "Parallel Imports and Repackaging of Pharmaceutical Products: The Lessons from the Judgment in Wellcome Foundation Ltd. v. Paranova Pharmazeutika Handels Gmbh", Les cahiers de propriÉtÉ intellectuelle, October 2009
• Corporate Law in the European Union: The Advent of the European Company, Focus on European Law, May 2009
• "Parallel Imports of Medication in Europe: Conciliation Between Liberty and Protection", Les cahiers de propriÉtÉ intellectuelle, May 2009
• "The Virtual World Defies the Legislator: The Issue of Applicable Law in Cyberspace", Lex Electronica, UniversitÉ de MontrÉal, Spring 2008
• fellow, Centre d'Études et de recherches internationales de l'UniversitÉ de MontrÉal (CÉRIUM)
• Member, QuÉbec Bar, 2008
• Member, Barreau de Bruxelles, 2004
• Member, Barreau de Tournai, 2005
• Member, Editorial committee of the monthly journal, L'Exportateur
• Manager and founder, "Train4Trade" Economic Interest Group
• Member, "ComitÉ-Affaires Internationales" (Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal)
• "International Commercial Transactions 2", Lecturer, Master's in Law, UniversitÉ de MontrÉal
• "International Commercial Transactions 1", Lecturer, Master's in Law, UniversitÉ de MontrÉal
• "Electronic Commerce Law", Lecturer, Master's in Law, UniversitÉ de MontrÉal
• "European Business Law", keynote lecturer, UniversitÉ de MontrÉal
• "International Contracts - Part 1", Lecturer, Master's in Law, UniversitÉ de MontrÉal
• Regional seminars: "Introduction to the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement" (CETA), May 2014
• "Legal framework and regulations in Europe", Round Table, Carrefour Europe - Montreal, November 6, 2013
• "Les accords commerciaux internationaux", Federated Press, October 16, 2013
• "Les dÉfis auxquels font face les compagnies minières et ÉnergÉtiques canadiennes à l'Étranger: Encadrement juridique des contrats internationaux", Training activity provided to clients, Montreal, October 2, 2013
• "Aspects pratiques des stratÉgies de distribution", VIE Network UK, London, August 21, 2013
• "Outils de l'import et de l'export", UniversitÉ de MontrÉal, February 8, 2013
• "Aspects lÉgaux, pratiques et gestion de risques lies aux achats et ventes internationales", 48e Nord International, November 22 and 23, 2012
• "The mechanism of exhaustion of rights in light of competition law", International Association of Young Lawyers, November 15, 2012
• "Importations parallèles dans l'Union EuropÉenne", Canadian Bar Association Conference, October 17, 2012
• "Enjeux à l'exportation (AmÉrique du Nord vs Europe)", Centrallia, October 10, 2012
• "Parallel Imports within the European Union" Training activity provided to clients, May 23, 2012
• "Marketing: Legal and Practical Aspects of the International Sales of Goods" Training activity provided to members of the Barreau du QuÉbec and the Chambre des notaires, organized by the Conference Centre of the Maison des hautes technologies, April 18, 2012
• "Export your products to the European Union", seminar organized by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, April 12, 2012
• "Practical and international aspects of online sales", conference held within the Legal IT 6.0 conference, April 2, 2012
• "Canada as Gateway to the Americas", conference held within the SIAL mission in Toronto organized by the Wallonia Foreign Trade and Investment Agency (AWEX), May 11, 2011
• "International Trade: The mechanism of documentary sales", conference held at the Canadian Bar Association, May 5, 2011
• "Practical Issues in European Business Law", UniversitÉ de MontrÉal and the QuÉbec Bar continuing legal education, April 23, 2010
1 Place Ville-Marie, 39th FloorMontreal, QC H3B 4M7Canada