Verna Cuthbert has extensive experience as a commercial law lawyer having practiced for more than 30 years in Ontario and Quebec. Her practice extends to many areas of business law but with particular emphasis on lending transactions, commercial joint ventures, real estate development and financing, acquisitions and dispositions, and mining law. She represents institutional lenders, developers, technology, retail and mining companies. She has acted as counsel to Quebec's public pension fund in a number of multi-million dollar financings in several provinces and represented it in construction and permanent financing for office complexes, commercial projects, industrial properties, multi-residential and retirement homes. She also has acted for, and continues to represent, an international major mining company as the majority co-owner in a multi-million dollar commercial project advising on all matters of the project, including the joint venture agreement, licensing technology, land assembly, user agreements, supply contracts, leases and closure procedures.
In her practice, she is also active in representing a number of foreign companies in commercial activities in Canada. She has participated in trade missions both for Canada and the Province of Quebec in Europe and South America. She is an active member of the Global Mining Group and the Asian Pacific Practice Group having served for a number of years as the regional representative of both Practice Groups. She is also an active member of the Real Estate Practice Group.
Because of her unique experience in both the civil and common law jurisdictions of Canada, being both a partner based in the Montreal office and having practiced in Toronto for a number of years, Verna brings to her clients' transactions not only expertise in the two different legal systems but also a common sense approach. She is a deal maker, her aim being to complete the transaction successfully. In her opinion maintaining a sense of decorum and a sense of humour are absolute musts in today's high-pressure situations.
Rankings and Awards
Named in Directory of Women in the Lead: Verna Cuthbert was named in the 2009 edition of the national directory of Women in the Lead/Femmes de Tête, which is a national directory of women whose professional expertise and experience recommend them as candidates for positions of senior-level responsibility and corporate board appointment.
Winner of Prix Excellence of CREW Montreal: In order to recognize the excellence of women in commercial real estate, CREW Montreal created the CREW Montreal Excellence Award. This award is given to an experienced individual who has distinguished herself within the commercial real estate industry by virtue of her leadership qualities, her accomplishments and her contribution to the industry and/or her firm. This award was given in December 2009 to Verna Cuthbert.
Community Involvement
- Director of The Foundation of the Women's Centre of Montreal
Membership/Affiliations
- Member, Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Ontario Bar Association
- Member, Urban Development Institute of Quebec
- Lifetime Member, Women's Law Association of Ontario
- Lifetime Member, Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity
- Lifetime Member, Canadian Historical Association
- Member and Past Director of Strategic Planning, CREW Montreal, Commercial Real Estate Women
- Past Director, Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association