What was your path into law and onto the bench?

It all started at an early age. I was 15 when I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. It may have been purely on instinct, because I didn’t really know any lawyers. My father was an engineer and my mother had started pharmacy school, but I just loved police and procedural TV dramas and movies. I ate them up, and I could really see myself in that kind of environment. I was very drawn to courts and trials and the idea of being in the thick of the action. That was an idea that’s always stuck with me, and nothing else ever really interested me. I enrolled at Université Laval at age 19, earned my law degree at 22 and was called to the Quebec Bar the following year. I did a year of general practice in a law firm before branching off into labour law. I worked for Louis LeBel, who later served on the Supreme Court of Canada from 2000 to 2014. It was such a tremendous opportunity, especially because for the first six months, I worked very closely with Justice LeBel. I practiced in labour law for 15 years and tried numerous cases for a broad range of clients across Quebec.

I had never thought about becoming a judge. When I was a young lawyer, there weren’t many female judges. My father would sometimes tell me, “Maybe you could be a judge one day.” For him, the sky was the limit, but I didn’t think it sounded very exciting… I preferred being on the other side, trying cases. That started to change when a colleague of mine was appointed to the bench and tried to convince me to follow in her footsteps. And so, three years later, when I was 39, I put my name forward. I was very lucky because governments at that time were looking to appoint more female judges. There were fewer female trial lawyers to choose from than there are now, and I had that experience under my belt. I was appointed on my first attempt, a few months after submitting my candidacy, and from my very first day on the job, I just loved it. I served on the Superior Court for seven years and eight months before being appointed to the Court of Appeal in September 2004. In a sense, I’ve had three different careers and I’m still in awe of my good fortune and of all the extraordinary experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have. I couldn’t ask for better.

What advice do you have for counsel who appear before you?

They should never forget that they are officers of the law. They have to represent their client, but they must never deceive the court. They should never try to win a case at any cost. Lawyers are judicial officers, and they must be honest and uphold the authority of the courts. They should never forget this principle. And for those who may one day want to become judges, the reputation you build as a lawyer among your clients, your colleagues and judges is very important. You have to practice the profession with respect for others, and you have to maintain a strong reputation. My other piece of advice is to choose your best arguments and make sure you don’t drown them in a sea of weaker ones. If you have one or two very strong arguments, focus sharply on them and express them clearly and succinctly. Trying a case is an exercise in communication, after all. On appeal, a well‑prepared, clear, concise factum, that focuses on the right arguments, with an oral argument that complements it and answers the judges’ questions is the key to success.

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