WHAT WAS YOUR PATH INTO LAW AND ONTO THE BENCH?

I always enjoyed history, politics and accounting. I was often told I defended my ideas well. A bit of a cliché, I know! I enrolled in law school simply because it seemed like an interesting career that could potentially serve as a jumping-off point for other careers. I saw the law as basic general knowledge that could be easily applicable to many things.

Within the first few days of law school, I fell in love—with law. It was a revelation, and I must admit that I’ve never lost that passion for the law. I had the opportunity to work in court operations (as administrative support for the chief justice and researcher for the justices), teach law at Université de Moncton, practice civil litigation and family law in a major Atlantic law firm and specialize in family law in a boutique firm before my appointment to the Family Division bench. These experiences have helped me better understand different legal careers and the issues and challenges facing them.

When I decided to apply for a judicial position, I felt ready to make important contributions to the law. I wanted to put my personal and professional experience to work moving the law forward and helping people. I have a reputation as a very hard worker and I wanted to do something to ease the pressing, never-ending strain on the family law bench. This new professional challenge only further fuelled my passion for the law. Every day, I am grateful for everything that guided my choices and led me to the bench, an appointment that has been both personally and intellectually rewarding.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR COUNSEL WHO APPEAR BEFORE YOU?

The first piece of advice I’d give counsel is to know your procedures inside and out, both for the court and for the area of law in which you will be launching proceedings. Throughout my career as a lawyer, understanding procedural rules has always helped me be a better advocate for my clients. On many occasions, I got out of a tough situation by invoking a procedural rule that the other lawyer did not know. When arguing before a particular court, I felt more confident knowing I had a strong grip on its procedural rules. Sometimes, knowing procedural law would also help me strengthen the position and arguments I presented to the court. Not knowing procedure is like jumping into the water without proper swimming technique. You might be able to make it to the other side, but…

The second piece of advice I have is to prepare, prepare and prepare some more. There are no shortcuts. It can be time-consuming and exhausting, but preparation always pays off. A judge will never chastise a lawyer for being overprepared! Being underprepared, though, will leave the judge with a poor impression of your abilities. When you are well prepared, you can see not only the strengths of your position and arguments, but also its weaknesses. It’s best to know these ahead of the hearing so you can prepare a response, instead of being caught off-guard by a judge’s question. Preparing makes your oral presentation sound more confident and lend legitimacy to your arguments. The best feeling is when you’re able to anticipate all of the judge’s questions and they tell you they appreciate how well prepared you are.