law droit
2023-24
F[O]CUS
Spotlight on
McGill Law alumni
MLJ editors in chief: Where are they now? Immersion en gestion client Meet our new professors Photos de l’année
In this issue
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12
EN VEDETTE
6
À LA FACULTÉ
Platinum milestone for the McGill Law Journal Former editors in chief: Where are they now?
12
36
McGill Law journeys
2 Nouvelles embauches professorales 10 Au programme : immersion en gestion de clientèle 22 Nouvelles de la Faculté 24 Snapshots of 2022-2023 32 Meet our new students
Pleins feux sur quatre carrières d’exception
26
From legal scholarship to social change
ALUMNI COMMUNITY
30
Focus sur la nouvelle cohorte BCL/JD
36 Albums photos : Cocktails de la communauté diplômée
34 Meet the alums serving as privacy commissioners of Canada and Ontario
38 Celebrating alumni excellence 40 In memoriam 41 Alumnotes 49 The Chancellor Day Circle
F[O]CUS
droit law
2023-24
McGill Law Journeys Cover illustration by Joe Magee
RÉDACTRICE EN CHEF
CONTRIBUTORS
PHOTOGRAPHES
Focus Law / Droit
Karell Michaud
Christopher DeWolf
Joni Dufour
est publié par l’équipe
Julia Dyck
Owen Egan
des communications de la
Maeve Haldane
Paul Fournier
Faculté de droit de McGill.
Aminata Mboup
Andrew Muzin
Jean-Benoît Nadeau
Alex Tran
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Vanessa Batik Robert Leckey Aminata Mboup Heather Powers
Mark Witten
DESIGN ET MISE EN PAGE Steven McClenaghan McGill Graphic Design Studio
Faculté de droit Université McGill 3644, rue Peel Montréal (Québec) H3A 1W9 www.mcgill.ca/law focuslaw.mcgill.ca comms.law@mcgill.ca
LE MOT DU DOYEN
ALEX TRAN
Dean’s word The academic year 2022–23 was the first normal one
ainsi que 15 étudiantes et étudiants vivaient l’expérience
since before the pandemic. Members of the Class of ’23
du cours de terrain sur le droit anichinabé. Quelles sont
came through their McGill legal education with a
vos idées pour cultiver davantage de ces rencontres
sense of having weathered adversity and emerged as
extraordinaires pour les membres de notre communauté,
a stronger group as a result. I sensed them finding
à McGill et ailleurs ?
a deeper joy than previous cohorts in events that used to be ordinary parts of the McGill Law experience — Coffeehouse on Thursday evenings, Skit Nite in March, the convocation ceremony under the tent and cocktail in Chancellor Day Hall, and their
Our integrated and bilingual BCL/JD program, through which our students learn the common law and civil law in dialogue, opens doors for our graduates around the planet. Our diverse students, with their varied ambitions and dreams, need a range of supports to
grad gala in early June.
help them navigate the start of their careers in rapidly
Preceding generations also faced challenges together,
changing markets. Students whose backgrounds
deepening their sense of cohort and shared experience.
didn’t include regular contact with lawyers may have
This group identity drives the willingness of reunion
different needs than those who debated legal issues
classes to support the Faculty of Law collectively,
at the dinner table. Notre Centre de développement
as by funding a scholarship or contributing to the
professionnel a connu une expansion remarquable
overdue renovations to the basement of Old Chancellor
au cours des dernières années, notamment grâce au
Day Hall.
soutien philanthropique de la promotion de 1993 et
La réouverture complète a permis à notre corps
d’autres membres de notre communauté diplômée.
professoral et notre communauté étudiante de raviver nos liens autour du monde, répandant un peu de l’esprit de la Faculté à travers leurs voyages.
Je souhaite vivement que nous lui donnions une nouvelle poussée de croissance, afin d’insuffler encore davantage de vent dans les voiles de notre communauté
Au pavillon Chancellor-Day, nous avons pu accueillir
étudiante en début de carrière.
de nombreuses conversations édifiantes, à propos du
Your faculty of law keeps advancing. We will look
droit et bien d’autres choses. En mars, la journaliste
forward to sharing with you the extraordinary
Paule Robitaille et l’avocat ukrainien Dan Bilak —
experiences that the 2023–24 year will bring.
tous deux membres de notre promotion BCL et
Do please share your news with us.
LLB 1986 — se sont retrouvés dans la salle du tribunal-école Maxwell-Cohen pour une discussion poignante sur la guerre faisant rage depuis l’invasion russe en Ukraine. Lors de la collation des grades,
Robert Leckey, Ad. E., BCL’02, LLB’02
nous avons fait la rencontre inoubliable de Christiane
Dean and Samuel Gale Professor of Law
Taubira, une figure pionnière de la politique française, alors qu’elle recevait un doctorat honorifique de McGill. En juillet, j’ai été profondément marqué par
Connect with Dean Leckey on LinkedIn:
ma visite à Winnipeg où le professeur Aaron Mills
mcgill.ca/x/UX9
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NOUVELLES DE LA FACULTÉ
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Nouvelles embauches professorales Cinq personnes se sont jointes au corps professoral de la Faculté à l’automne 2023, apportant de l’expertise en droit civil et comparé, en droit aérien et spatial, ainsi qu’en droit pénal.
Michelle Cumyn, BCL’92, LLB’92 Professeure titulaire – droit civil et comparé
Comment est né votre intérêt pour votre
Quelle est une question juridique qui vous
domaine de recherche ?
fascine à l’heure actuelle ?
« On lie les bœufs par les cornes et les hommes par
Je travaille actuellement sur le contrat d’adhésion.
les paroles. » Antoine Loysel, un auteur français du
Lorsque vous acceptez sans le lire un formulaire
17e siècle, présentait ainsi les effets du contrat. Certes,
d’adhésion, vous êtes en principe lié.e par l’ensemble
le langage juridique est malléable. Plusieurs personnes
de ses clauses. À l’origine, les tribunaux ont adopté
ou situations risquent d’échapper à son emprise.
cette règle parce qu’ils tenaient responsable la personne
Néanmoins, j’ai toujours été fascinée par la capacité du
qui signait un écrit sans le lire. Cette justification ne
droit à modeler les comportements à travers le langage.
tient plus, dès lors que la longueur et la complexité
Je m’intéresse donc au raisonnement juridique et aux
du formulaire d’adhésion rendent illusoires la lecture
domaines classiques du droit qui ont une longue his-
et la compréhension de ses clauses. Je propose
toire. Ce droit classique parvient encore, tant bien que
que la lisibilité du formulaire signé ou accepté par
mal, à saisir les réalités contemporaines.
l’adhérent soit une condition générale de son intégration au contrat.
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NOUVELLES DE LA FACULTÉ
What’s a legal question that currently fascinates you?
Noah Weisbord, BCL/LLB’03
What is law’s place in war? The answer is not obvious.
Associate Professor – Criminal Law
Law will not end war. But neither is law dead or irrelevant in wartime. Law permeates the bureaucratic, legalistic structure of the modern war machine. Leaders, powerful or not, must negotiate the legal terrain to wage war, including persuading the population of the justice
How did you become interested in your
of the war, persuading allies, persuading domestic and
field of research?
international courts, purchasing weapons, negotiating
As almost everyone does: through a great teacher.
leases on foreign bases. Law is not simply a constraint
An inspiring McGill professor told me about an inno-
on power. It can slow leaders or assist their military
vative, risky process that was underway in Rwanda
goals. My research asks how law can moderate the rush
to bring justice and healing after the genocide. The
to war and mitigate war’s destructiveness.
judicial system was eviscerated and there was a risk of continued genocide if the situation was not handled sensitively. The Rwandan solution was a mash-up of a local 14th-century restorative justice practice called Gacaca with elements of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the post-World War II Nuremberg trials. As a law/social work student, I travelled to Rwanda to observe the process. There I began to understand the role of criminal law in managing, reflecting, or exacerbating intergroup conflict.
Jeffrey Kennedy, LLM’14, DCL’20 Associate Professor – Criminal Law
How did you become interested in your
What do you look forward to the most about
field of research?
joining McGill?
My first real exposure to criminal justice came through
Oh geez — do I have to pick one thing? I’ve always
undergraduate volunteering in which ordinary commu-
found McGill Law to be a really inspiring academic
nity members supported people after their release from
community. The thinking that goes on here is curious,
prison. The humanizing encounters there, the insights
creative, and challenging, and the people — colleagues
into criminal justice realities, and the experience of
and students alike — are so impressive yet still want
coming together to hold this issue of collective concern
to do better. I’m really excited to work every day in
were all formative for me. I imagine those were the
that kind of environment, to see what I can
seeds of nagging discomfort with the criminal justice
contribute to it, and to see what it will bring
system and interest in what it means (or could mean)
out in me.
to talk of the ‘public’ nature of criminal justice, later cultivated in law school, graduate studies, and other community work.
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RSITY
Vincent Correia Professeur titulaire – droit aérien Codirecteur de l’Institut de droit aérien et spatial Quelle est une question juridique qui vous fascine
Qu’est-ce qui vous enthousiasme le plus à l’idée
à l’heure actuelle ?
de vous joindre à McGill ?
Appréhendé pendant de nombreuses décennies comme
Travailler avec les experts reconnus de l’Institut de droit
un « droit d’ingénieurs », puis comme un droit exclusive-
aérien et spatial et les autres collègues de la Faculté
ment économique, le droit aérien n’est heureusement
de droit me permettra de développer des activités de
pas imperméable aux nouvelles attentes sociales. La
recherche et d’enseignement à la hauteur des enjeux
décarbonation du secteur passe par des instruments
contemporains du secteur aérospatial. Le droit aérien et
juridiques internationaux novateurs, mais devant
spatial est en effet profondément transverse et trans-
parfois faire face à des actions nationales ou régionales
national. Il ne peut donc être sérieusement étudié de
ambitieuses ou, au contraire, pusillanimes. D’autres
manière isolée. Or, la Faculté de droit de McGill compte
domaines d’importance sont également marqués par
parmi ses membres d’éminents et d’éminentes spécia-
cette tendance : les droits des passagers et personnes
listes avec lesquels j’ai hâte de pouvoir collaborer. Je suis
à mobilité réduite, notamment. C’est donc l’étude de
également ravi de pouvoir partager mes connaissances
ces nouvelles questions de droit, dans la perspective
avec les étudiants et étudiantes de la Faculté de droit
de la dialectique unité-fragmentation du droit aérien
de McGill et de m’enrichir à leur contact.
international, qui m’anime.
Andrea Harrington, LLM’14, DCL’17 Associate Professor – Space Law Co-director of the Institute of Air and Space Law How did you become interested in your
What do you look forward to the most about
field of research?
joining McGill?
From an early age, I have always loved space. Watch-
I am honoured and humbled to have this opportunity to
ing Star Trek and televised launches with my mother
rejoin such a robust intellectual community, including
inspired me to consider what humanity could achieve
our faculty, staff, students, and visitors. I look forward
in/using space. Admittedly, mathematics is not my
to the continuing scholarly engagement arising from
strong suit, so for a long time I thought that I person-
our teaching, research, and outreach efforts. Most of all,
ally wouldn’t be able to contribute to space endeavors.
though, as a first-generation university graduate, I am
When I discovered the field of space law, I knew it was
proud to be able to meaningfully give back to the insti-
for me and immediately sought educational opportu-
tution that enabled my success in my field and help the
nities to develop that expertise. I started that journey
next generation(s) of students to succeed in turn.
at the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law and am thrilled to be back here again.
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FEATURE
Platinum milestone for the McGill Law Journal The revered MLJ celebrated 70 years of student leadership in service of the best legal scholarship By Maeve Haldane For generations of passionate law students, the McGill Law Journal has been their first chance at making a real impact on the legal world — and certainly not their last. Started in 1952 by students Gerald Eric Le Dain and Jacques-Yvan Morin, the rigorously student-edited and peer-reviewed publication has been cited by the Supreme Court of Canada over 150 times, by far the most of any university-based law journal. The MLJ’s bilingual reference guide, the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, sets the standards from sea to shining sea. Dean Robert Leckey (editor in chief, Vol. 46) with Ommu-Kulsoom Abdul-Rahman (editor in chief, Vol. 68).
The MLJ alumni roster reads like a Who’s Who of the last 70 years in Canada. Previous editors have become judges and prominent legal leaders, such as the late Hon. John Gomery, BCL’56, and Dick Pound, BCL’67, LLD’09. Pierre Elliot Trudeau has contributed to
“We were missing out on their areas of expertise and
its pages. Two editors in chief — Stephen Toope,
their unique perceptions,” she explains. For instance,
BCL’83, LLB’83, LLD’17, and Robert Leckey, BCL’02,
Abdul-Rahman isn’t as interested in maritime matters,
LLB’02 — went on to become McGill Law deans.
but doesn’t want that to cloud her judgment when
All the stellar students who have built the McGill Law Journal into the institution it is today have shared a common passion: finding the best legal scholarship, in
reading an article. “Having more folks in the room ensured I was getting a broader perspective on the submission.”
Canada or elsewhere, and making it accessible to the
With four issues per volume and over a hundred submis-
greatest possible number. In service of this mission,
sions each, that’s a lot to winnow through. Those that
editors over the years expanded the journal’s mandate
pass a screening by the MLJ editorial team are sent to
to organizing annual lectures, symposia, and, since 2012,
peer reviewers, who weigh in with their recommenda-
producing podcasts.
tions. At first, Abdul-Rahman found it hard to say no to
As its 68th editor in chief, and the first Black student to hold the role, third-year student Ommu-Kulsoom Abdul-Rahman put her own stamp on the MLJ. Before,
would-be authors, who are usually established academics and professionals. But the red pen became easier to wield with time.
only executive editors reviewed submissions, but she
Abdul-Rahman credits her predecessor Arthur Scalabrini,
realized there was a large pool of underutilized talent in
BCL/LLB’22, for encouraging her to apply for the posi-
the 34-strong team. She opened the evaluation process
tion. He pointed out that other volunteer opportunities
to all editors.
like legal clinics could be pursued later in her career. But running the MLJ was truly a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
(facing page) The McGill Law Journal hosted a reception for its alumni in November 2022 to mark its platinum anniversary. 7
FEATURE
Former MLJ editors in chief Where are they now?
Laura Cárdenas (BCL/LLB’18)
Les défis : Le respect des échéances — les siennes et
Rédactrice en chef du vol. 62 (2016–2017) Plurilingue et lauréate de plusieurs prix pour ses articles juridiques, Laura Cárdenas s’est jointe à IMK en 2021. Elle a comparu devant toutes les instances judiciaires au Québec et plaidé devant la Cour suprême du Canada. Son expertise réside en litige civil, commercial et des droits protégés par les Chartres canadienne et québécoise, notamment en ce qui concerne la discrimination et les communautés LGBTQ+. Elle a été auxiliaire juridique pour l’Honorable Sheilah L. Martin (BCL’81, LLB’81).
celles d’autrui. « Je me souviens en particulier d’une personne qui avait dû retarder la remise de son article pour des raisons de santé... avant de disparaître pendant des mois. À un certain point, nous vérifions même les rubriques nécrologiques en ligne avant de lui envoyer des rappels, nous ne savions plus à quoi nous attendre ! (Heureusement, la personne allait bien et s’est finalement manifestée.) » Gratitude : « J’ai eu la chance de compter sur une équipe brillante et dédiée qui a tout rendu possible (et d’avoir un jeune enfant très compréhensif, toujours prêt à s’amuser dans les bureaux de la Revue pendant que je révisais des articles !). Je tiens
Moments forts : Laura Cárdenas tire fierté d’avoir
à remercier Nicole (notre incroyable directrice de la
publié le premier volume de la Revue de droit de McGill
production) qui l’a entraîné dans d’innombrables
avec une parité homme-femme et français-anglais
courses autour du 3e étage, le temps que je révise
parmi ses contributions.
des notes de bas de page ou approuve des épreuves. »
« J’étais aussi ravie d’avoir convaincu la professeure
Le verdict : « Être rédactrice en chef a été difficile,
Mari Matsuda [N.D.L.R. une éminence de la Critical
mais combien gratifiant ! »
Race Theory aux États-Unis] d’offrir notre conférence annuelle — cet événement demeure l’un des plus beaux moments de mon passage à McGill. »
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
The Hon. Azimuddin Hussain (BCL’00, LLB’00) Editor in Chief of Vol. 45 (2000) Hussain was appointed as a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec in December 2021. He practised as a litigator in Montreal before that, at the firms Novalex and Norton Rose Fulbright. In the context of his litigation practice, he made submissions at the Supreme Court of Canada numerous times, in cases ranging from constitutional law to foreign state immunity to the professional liability of lawyers. An important part of his practice was devoted to facilitating access to justice. Highlights: Some articles from volume 45 continue
Learning experience: Hussain drew on his MLJ skills when co-writing a book on foreign state immunity. “In MLJ fashion, this book is bilingual to facilitate the exchange about the caselaw across the country. My MLJ experience came in handy when it came time
to be thought-provoking for Hussain, including a
to edit the summaries.”
wide-ranging one by Justice Charles Gonthier on how
Final judgement: “The MLJ experience was very
fraternity is the forgotten leg of the three pillars of
useful in my practice as a litigator and continues to be
democracy: liberty, equality, fraternity. “The article
valuable for my work as a judge. The editing exercise
gave me a lot to think about regarding the role of law
instills a discipline that is a very important part of the
in society,” he says.
process of drafting legal texts. Presenting arguments and reasoning in a form that is easy to read makes the substantive legal points more convincing.”
Julia Hanigsberg (BCL’91, LLB’91)
“I remember it as a difficult and emotional time as
Editor in Chief of Vol. 36 (1990–1991)
we tried to address all of the individual, structural
President and CEO of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Vice Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association, and on the CEO committee of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network. Hanigsberg sits on many healthcare boards, was Vice-President of Toronto Metropolitan University from 2010 to 2014, and in 2020 was named to the WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame.
from the election. I am proud that ultimately
Highlights: Hanigsberg officially established French and English editorial positions after one year’s vote led to an anomalous all-anglophone board. Her team decided to restructure the entire executive leadership.
and philosophical reactions to and repercussions we came together and I think lost no camaraderie or collegiality.” Challenges: Roughly each decade, the MLJ updates The Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation, which fell during her mandate. “I don’t know if it is still the same now, but updating the citation guide felt like taking a red pen to the 10 commandments!” Memorable moments: Because so much of Hanigsberg’s time was taken up by MLJ duties, her professor Justice Rosalie Abella (a previous MLJ contributor) allowed her to delay a presentation until the very last day of class. This was the era before cell phones. “It just happened that the power went out that day and the Faculty was plunged into darkness. Because there wasn’t going to be another opportunity to present I had to go ahead — of course from memory alone without any notes because I couldn’t have read them without any light! Justice Abella and I are friends to this day and this continues to be a story we both tell and laugh about.”
9
NOUVELLES DE LA FACULTÉ
Au programme :
IMMERSION EN GESTION DE CLIENTÈLE Par Jean-Benoît Nadeau
En première année du programme BCL/JD, chaque session commence par une « semaine d’intégration », réservée à des capsules de formation intensives. La grande nouveauté de l’hiver 2023 aura été une
Zola Leslie Mbimbi, étudiante en première année, a adoré
formation sur la gestion des clientèles vulnérables,
l’expérience. « Les travailleurs sociaux, on va les côtoyer
offerte aux 180 membres de la cohorte de première
durant toute notre carrière. C’était passionnant de voir
année. « En trois jours, on leur a fait survoler ce que
l’arrière-boutique. Comment se disent les choses.
les études en travail social enseignent en trois ans »,
Comment ils regardent. Comment ils travaillent la
dit l’organisatrice du programme, la professeure
relation. » Celle qui a fondé en 2019 sa propre boîte de
Alicia Boatswain-Kyte de l’École de travail social
consultante en immigration, Inside Immigration, croit
de McGill.
que les juristes se doivent d’être agiles et capables de
L’idée en revient au doyen de la faculté de droit, Robert Leckey, qui cherchait depuis plusieurs années un moyen de sortir les étudiantes et étudiants de
s’adapter. « Ce que nous avons appris avec les clientèles les plus vulnérables s’appliquerait dans presque toutes les situations à des degrés divers. »
l’abstrait. « La formation médicale appuie beaucoup
Le programme était composé de quelques séances
sur l’interaction avec le patient. Les facultés de droit,
plénières, d’ateliers en sous-groupes animés par des tra-
bizarrement, sont moins dans l’humain. Or, la pratique
vailleurs sociaux et de visites de centres, telle la Ligne AAA
du métier d’avocat, elle, se fait rarement dans une
contre la maltraitance des personnes âgées, un refuge
catégorie juridique pure. Et elle déborde souvent
pour les femmes violentées, la Mission Old Brewery et
sur autre chose que le droit. »
Chez Doris pour les personnes en situation d’itinérance, la Chambre de la Jeunesse de la Cour du Québec, et la Société John Howard pour les personnes incarcérées.
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
Les ateliers, construits autour d’études de cas,
La plénière sur la pleine conscience (mindfulness)
visaient à développer les compétences d’écoute
était un autre volet qui a impressionné les juristes en
active et d’empathie afin d’accueillir et mettre à l’aise
devenir. « Les clients en difficulté exigent beaucoup
la clientèle. « On voulait que nos participantes et
de la personne qui les aide. La demande émotionnelle
participants comprennent aussi comment réagir
peut être considérable. Il faut apprendre à gérer des
quand on reçoit des témoignages très chargés. Quand
émotions qui peuvent se manifester de toutes les
est-ce qu’on consulte, qu’on réfère ? » explique la
manières », dit le doyen Leckey. « Les travailleurs
professeure et travailleuse sociale. Elle avait également
sociaux sont entraînés à la pleine conscience, et j’en
demandé au personnel des centres d’aides de ne pas
vois l’utilité dans une profession où l’on est très peu
se gêner de partager ses frustrations devant la machine
enclin à montrer ses vulnérabilités. »
juridique, notamment le manque de soutien, d’accès, d’accompagnement et aussi la déshumanisation
Alicia Boatswain-Kyte, elle, a été surprise par le niveau d’intérêt des étudiantes et étudiants. « Beaucoup nous
de la pratique.
ont dit que ce cours avait été marquant pour eux. Les
Tant l’étudiante que le doyen ont été fascinés par
juristes ne se destinent pas tous au droit commercial,
l’idée maîtresse de ce cours pratique : le client comme
et certains sont là pour le social, pour l’aide juridique »,
expert. « Pour un avocat, qui se perçoit comme
dit la professeure.
l’expert, c’est un changement de paradigme », dit le doyen Leckey. « La grande aptitude des travailleurs sociaux, c’est l’écoute et le respect. Leur rôle est d’accompagner la personne pour l’amener à prendre la décision par et pour elle-même. » Zola Leslie Mbimbi
Après le franc succès de cette première édition, le doyen Robert Leckey promet que l’expérience se répétera au pavillon Chancellor-Day. « Le sujet reviendra dans une forme ou l’autre, j’en suis sûr. »
a trouvé elle aussi cette idée très forte : « La personne qui vit la situation peut juger de ce qui est le meilleur. L’avocat, là-dedans, agit comme support. »
Photos par Owen Egan and Joni Dufour
« Pour un avocat, qui se perçoit comme l’expert, c’est un changement de paradigme. » Des jeux de rôle ont permis aux étudiantes et étudiants d’exercer leurs aptitudes professionnelles.
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MCGILL LAW JOURNEYS Two law degrees, a world of possibilities: our graduates’ paths testify to the versatility of the integrated BCL/JD program.
THE BCL/JD JOURNEY
1L: Chaque session de la première année commence par une semaine d’intégration, dédiée à des activités en petits groupes et des formations intensives.
Admission au BCL/JD d’une cohorte bilingue et exceptionnellement talentueuse. Chaque membre est choisi pour qu’il soit enrichi par son passage à McGill, et prêt à enrichir à son tour la profession. Rencontrez notre nouvelle cohorte à la page 30. First-year classes introduce students to McGill Law’s distinctive integrated approach: common law, civil law and, increasingly, Indigenous legal traditions are taught simultaneously, in dialogue.
Découvrez l’atelier « Travailler avec des clientèles vulnérables » à la page 10.
Students acquire a deep fundamental understanding of the law and develop their creative legal minds through advanced classes, taught by world-class professors.
BCL/JD candidates put their skills into practice and explore their passions through experiential learning, such as moot competitions, legal clinics, law journals, clerkships, and exchanges.
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Renewed mandatory classes include Indigenous Legal Traditions and a year-long, multidisciplinary course on Criminal Justice. 2-4L: Students hone their professional skills and are initiated to topics relevant to current practice through advanced mandatory classes (Legal Ethics and Professionalism, Advocacy) and optional Focus Week Workshops taught by seasoned practitioners. Graduation Les finissantes et finissants reçoivent un baccalauréat en droit civil (BCL) et un Juris Doctor (JD), qui leur ouvrent la porte à une pluralité de carrières au Québec, au Canada, aux États-Unis et à l’international.
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
PUBLIC SERVICE Meet the privacy commissioners of Canada and Ontario Page 34
Minister, ambassador, governmental appointments Nonprofits, non-governmental organizations
Elected office
BUSINESS
Crown attorney
CEO
RECHERCHE ET ENSEIGNEMENT Carrière universitaire
Think tanks, observatoires
Company executive Entrepreneur
Études aux cycles supérieurs
Journalisme
Organismes régulateurs
BCL/JD Direction de médias
Barreau du Québec, all Canadian bars, New York Bar and many international jurisdictions
Judicial clerkship
In-house counsel
Supreme Court clerkship
Meet our new clerks page 45
Discover the journey of Magda Grace page 18
ARTS, MÉDIAS ET DIVERTISSEMENT
ARBITRAGE ET MÉDIATION
Senior legal advisor
Avocat.e en cabinet
Chief Legal Officer
IN-HOUSE Associé.e
NOMINATION À LA MAGISTRATURE Découvrir le parcours de l’honorable Alexandre Bien-Aimé page 14
PRATIQUE EN CABINET Discover the journey of Awi Sinha page 20
SOLE PRACTICE Discover the journey of Aubrey Charette page 16
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FEATURE M C GILL LAW JOURNEYS
LA FLEXIBILITÉ DE DÉROGER Par Jean-Benoît Nadeau
À huit ans, l’honorable Alexandre Bien-Aimé, BCL/LLB’10, rêvait déjà d’être avocat.
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« Mon idée était remplie des clichés de la télé, mais je
criminaliste de grand renom, lui propose alors de
trouvais ça stimulant », confie-t-il. Convaincu qu’il fera
se joindre à lui comme associé. Leur association
du droit pénal longtemps avant son entrée à la faculté
permet à Alexandre Bien-Aimé d’accéder beaucoup
de droit de l’Université McGill, le jeune Alexandre lit
plus tôt que d’usage à un nouveau chapitre de sa
les biographies de criminalistes flamboyants et de juges.
carrière, où il se retrouve intimement impliqué dans
« Je ne connaissais aucun avocat et c’était ma manière
la croissance et le rayonnement d’un cabinet.
de découvrir leur quotidien. »
Aussi fulgurante que puisse sembler la progression
Nommé juge à la Cour supérieure du Québec à 35 ans
de sa carrière, elle n’en a pas été linéaire pour autant.
en février 2023, Alexandre Bien-Aimé est certes
« J’ai aussi connu mon lot d’échecs : des dossiers que
l’un des plus jeunes juges à accéder à ce tribunal au
j’étais certain de gagner, des emplois que j’étais certain
Québec. « Mais, tient-il à préciser, je ne suis pas la
d’obtenir », raconte le nouveau magistrat. Il s’inquiète
première personne noire. J’ai deux prédécesseures,
de percevoir chez les étudiantes et étudiants une
Marie-Hélène Dubé et Guylène Beaugé. »
grande anxiété pour la réussite rapide alimentée par la
De ses années à McGill, il a gagné de solides amitiés
peur de l’échec. « Le succès ne suit pas nécessairement
parmi la communauté étudiante et l’administration. Il cite également un conseil inoubliable formulé par Charmaine Lyn, doyenne adjointe à l’époque : « Elle m’a dit de rester ouvert et d’avoir la flexibilité pour déroger de mon plan. » Et c’est ainsi que le jeune
une ligne droite. L’échec du plan A ne signifie pas la fin du parcours. Et c’est souvent le plan B, survenu à la dernière minute, qui est la bonne voie. Mais le plus drôle là-dedans, c’est qu’on n’aurait pas découvert le plan B si on n’était pas passé par le plan A. Et il y a
Alexandre, qui avait hâte de commencer une pratique
de la beauté dans la découverte de son chemin. »
en droit criminel, s’est permis quelques détours
Conscient de la portée symbolique de sa nomination,
formateurs comme auxiliaire juridique auprès
Alexandre Bien-Aimé tient néanmoins à réduire les
de l’hon. Thomas A. Cromwell à la Cour suprême du
attentes. Nommé juge seulement 13 ans après son
Canada, avant de faire une maîtrise en droit à Harvard.
accession au barreau, il ne veut surtout pas laisser
Ces expériences lui ont permis de se familiariser avec
son âge le distraire. « C’est le travail qui parle. Je ferai
une pluralité d’environnements. Le hasard des rencontres l’a amené à travailler à Trinité-et-Tobago — où la peine de mort teinte encore le droit. L’été entre sa troisième et quatrième année d’études en droit, il prend la direction de New York et découvre la pratique juridique à une nouvelle échelle : « J’ai été impressionné
le meilleur travail possible. » Et le travail, il connaît. À son retour des États-Unis en 2016, il avait assumé une charge de cours à la Faculté de droit tout en développant et en cosignant un ouvrage didactique sur la procédure pénale (Criminal Procedure: Cases and Materials).
par la fréquence à laquelle se présentaient des dossiers
Ancien vice-président du chapitre québécois de
gargantuesques, mobilisant des dizaines de juristes »
l’Association des avocats noirs du Canada, Alexandre
se souvient-il. Quelques années plus tard, après son
Bien-Aimé croit à l’importance de la diversité dans
admission au Barreau du Québec, il deviendra d’ailleurs
nos institutions et y voit, comme le juge en chef de la
membre du Barreau de New York.
Cour suprême du Canada, Richard Wagner, un lien
« J’ai eu accès à des collègues généreux qui m’ont permis de me développer très vite », souligne Alexandre Bien-Aimé. Avant d’avoir célébré ses trente ans, le juriste agit déjà comme avocat principal dans des dossiers d’envergure. Le regretté Richard Shadley [BCL’63],
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avec la santé de la démocratie. Pour le reste, il se fait cependant plus circonspect: « Comme juge, on est censé parler par la voix de nos jugements et c’est ce que j’ai l’intention de faire. »
M C GILL LAW JOURNEYS
EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES By Maeve Haldane
For a lawyer who specializes in the deeply rooted area of First Nations law, Aubrey Charette, BCL/LLB’10, has had a far-flung international journey.
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Her dad, John Chabot, was in the NHL so Charette
helping draft judgements in an area of the law that is
spent her early years in Montreal, Pittsburgh, and
rapidly evolving,” she says. “The judges are fleshing
Detroit. When he later joined the European Ice Hockey
out how to apply general principles to different
League, Charette landed in Italy for grade seven, then
factual scenarios.”
Berlin for the rest of high school.
Individual First Nations clients then asked her to
Afterwards, she went to Oxford (Queen’s College) to
advise them on a wide variety of historical and cultural
study politics, philosophy and economics. She found
issues, from self-governance to family and property
the experience “intellectually incredibly difficult but
matters. “It’s all about crafting a vision for our own
a complete and utter joy socially” — and admits to
future,” she explains. And Charette could continue this
perhaps enjoying the latter a bit too much.
work when she moved to Istanbul for two years, for
Charette returned to Canada, first to Toronto at
her husband’s temporary posting.
War Child Canada, then Ottawa with the National
Upon returning to Ottawa in 2020, Charette hung
Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA),
out a shingle for solo practice, specializing in specific
an Indigenous economic development organization.
claims, governance and self-determination, and
A bonus was spending more time with her parents
Indigenous entrepreneurship. The global pandemic
in town, and her grandfather at the Kitigan Zibi
made her first few months in business more challeng-
Anishinabeg reserve, about two hours north. Charette
ing than expected, but her practice nonetheless picked
is a status member of the community and is well-versed
up. “I love the freedom and flexibility,” she says.
in its history. She’s aware her life is starkly different from her grandfather’s, who spoke only Algonquin until he was nine years old, trapped for food, and travelled by canoe to trade.
Drawing from her experience at the Specific Claims Tribunal, Charette has notably supported First Nation clients with over a dozen “specific claims” — a particular set of claims Indigenous governments have against
Adventure pulled her abroad again, with her spouse
the federal government for historical breaches of legal
to Papua New Guinea. There, Charette helped write a
obligations, such as illegal reserve takings or breaches
draft of the United Nations Development Assistance
of the Indian Act.
Framework. It’s also during this stay that she came to realize the power of legal work. Malaysian corporations were engaging in massive deforestation in the country. Charette saw a lawyer tackle the issue by analyzing the local legal framework. “He read the laws, understood them, and showed what needed to be changed, and how to use the courts.”
Charette also does a lot of pro bono work, serving on the boards of Oxfam Canada and First Assist, a charity dedicated to promoting educational achievement in remote Indigenous communities through sport. She takes on a small number of Indigenous individuals as pro bono clients, recognizing how Indian status can create complicated legal situations for individuals who
From there, Charette applied to McGill Law. The Faculty’s transsystemic program served her well, showing her how to creatively craft arguments and understand the law as evolving, not static. Taking this critical — and creative — approach helps imagine how policy can be tweaked, she says.
do not have the means to seek legal advice. In a recent matter, she challenged an Indian Affairs policy that was preventing a woman from inheriting her childhood home, and, to her pleasant surprise, got the policy changed. “We just got word that my client would be allowed to inherit her childhood house, which is really
After graduation, Charette headed off to New York City.
amazing,” says Charette.
Though she found working for an AmLaw 100 law firm
There wasn’t always the political will to budge old
gruelling — even more when a baby was added — she loved it. She always advises younger lawyers to work at a firm. “It’s rigorous training. People ripping apart your work? You will get better. You’ll be a better writer, a better thinker, you’ll be faster.”
policy, Charette explains. But now there’s the space to make creative arguments based on reconciliation. “The area of law affecting Indigenous people is changing all the time,” she says. New cases are fleshing out today’s standards and rules, that better reflect what people
Four years later, a return to Ottawa brought her to the
think is just. “In terms of Indigenous issues, this
Specific Claims Tribunal formed to resolve First Nations
government is the best I’ve seen. It’s doing a lot of things
claims over land and assets. As legal counsel, “I was
behind the scenes that don’t get any credit at all.”
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GEORGE PIMENTEL/SHUTTERSTOCK
M C GILL LAW JOURNEYS
A PRINCIPAL PLAYER FOR PRIME VIDEO By Christopher DeWolf If the head of Amazon’s Prime Video for Canada, Australia and New Zealand can pinpoint a moment that sparked her interest in the legal issues that surround the entertainment industry, it may have been chats she had with her father in the early 2000s. “We had a lot of discussions at home about MP3s and Napster and the implications of that,” says Magda Grace, BCL/JD’11. “At the time people were getting $10,000 charges from various music organizations for illegally downloading things.” “It had a big impact on young people like me, who didn’t have a lot of money and were just looking for easier ways to consume media.”
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These days, Grace herself plays an important role
“My job was effectively negotiations, so being able to
in the Canadian media space.
read contracts and persuade buyers to find common
She runs a branch of the world’s second-largest
ground,” she says. In 2016, Grace was recruited by
streaming service, which has more than 200 million subscribers. She oversees content like Three Pines,
Amazon to work on content acquisition. Soon after, the company launched Prime Video in Canada, and
a TV adaptation of Quebec author Louise Penny’s
Grace moved to Toronto to help build it up.
best-selling Inspector Gamache mysteries, and LOL:
“This was at the very beginning of the global expan-
Qui rira le dernier?, a comedy reality show hosted by
sion,” she says. “We just turned on these extra 200
Patrick Huard.
countries. How [could] we be successful locally?”
A Dawson College graduate, Grace came to study law
The answer to that question, if the past six years are
at McGill after completing a pre-law undergraduate
any indication, is local content.
program at the University of Toronto. She worked as
It turns out people want to see themselves reflected on
a research assistant for law professor David Lametti, BCL’89, LLB’89, former attorney general and minister of justice of Canada, helping him with a paper about the ownership of intellectual property (IP) in the cloud. And she took every course she could find that dealt with the issues that increasingly intrigued her. “The courses that really resonated with me were in digital rights and entertainment law,” says Grace. “It was in those courses that I really started to build an understanding that I could turn this from a passion into a career.” Following her studies at McGill, Grace earned a master’s degree in IP and entertainment law at UCLA. Then she plunged straight into Hollywood. “My first job out of UCLA was with a talent agency,” she says.
screen. Streaming services have begun producing film and television developed by and for local markets. And often, a hit show in one country can also resonate in another, as was the case for the Spanish series Money Heist or the French series Lupin, both on Netflix. “What we’ve seen is that people watch such a diverse selection of content, we need to offer content that isn’t one-size-fits-all,” says Grace. Twenty-five percent of Canadians who use streaming services watch Prime Video, according to a 2021 survey by market research firm Finder. An impressive number, but still far less than Netflix, which attracts 52 percent of those viewers. And the market is getting ever more crowded, with new platforms like Apple TV and Disney Plus vying for audiences, on top of homegrown services like Crave
Half of her job dealt with non-disclosure agreements
and CBC Gem.
and the other half involved working with clients.
Grace is sanguine about the competition. “It’s good
“Aretha Franklin would call sometimes, and I’d get to speak with her, which was one of the highlights of that first job,” says Grace.
for customers — it means there’s more content being made. But it forces us to remind ourselves that we have to earn our customers’ trust, earn their eyeballs,
But it was tough, high-pressure work. “If you’ve
and put out good content constantly. It’s a good chal-
ever seen Entourage, it was definitely that type of
lenge for us as a business.”
environment.”
“One of the things I really like about the streaming
She found herself more interested in the client side of
space, and how and why we’re successful, is because
the business rather than in writing up contracts.
we make it easier for people to get access to what
“I was pursuing this dream that wasn’t paying itself
they want.”
back in a sustainable salary or successful career. I had a lightbulb moment where I realized I don’t need to be a successful lawyer to have a successful career.” She found a position with Starz that involved selling the cable network’s shows to international digital platforms like iTunes, Amazon and Netflix. Her legal background proved to be an asset.
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This is an abridged version of an article published by McGill News alumni magazine in April 2023 — read the original story at mcgill.ca/x/UY5
M C GILL LAW JOURNEYS
A PRACTICE IN THE LAW OF EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES By Maeve Haldane
Awanish “Awi” Sinha, LLB’99, is the lawyer you call when faced with the unprecedented.
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Good-humoured and calmy bold, the law partner
While the balance is a challenge, Sinha wants to fully
co-leads McCarty Tétrault’s Public Sector group, where
embrace “every lovely scrumptious aspect” of family
politics, policy, and business meet. Sinha helps organi-
life while serving his clients, being a good friend,
zations navigate new and unexpected scenarios, carving
finding interesting new things, learning from the
out legal space where there may not be precedents.
world. “How can I make it so that all of these are not
In 2023, Canadian Lawyer named him one of the top 25
independent stones, but colours on a palette? I’m trying
most influential lawyers in the country.
to live a life, not go through tasks.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, he advised governments
In the early days of his career, he didn’t want to draw
and corporations on how to respond, as well as helped
attention to how he was usually the only Brown person
sports teams and casinos coordinate shutdowns and
in the room. “You could barely make a soccer team
re-openings. He’s provided advice on the legalization of
out of the Brown partners on Bay Street,” he says. But
cannabis, and regulation of new dental plans. His exper-
a colleague urged him to step up. Today, he serves as
tise in political law makes him the go-to for corporations
McCarthy Tétrault’s ambassador to Legal Leaders
and political actors on conflicts of interest, ethics,
in Diversity, and is a sought-after voice for diversity
lobbying and elections law.
in the business community.
And if an entity wants to engage in something like
Not only is a diverse staff more productive, innovative,
cryptocurrency, or take a public stance on a political
and creative; it’s also a sign of a well-functioning office
issue that poses a media risk, he’ll weigh in.
that hires for talent and eschews the risk of groupthink,
“I’m naturally drawn to unsolved problems,” Sinha says.
Sinha stresses. He likens its importance to how special
If you look at law as the operating instructions for a tribe as it grows, when new needs arise, legal lacunae open. Sinha approaches these gaps as “how an ecologist might be excited to find a new species.”
“Our profession requires people who can do a very peculiar job,” he says. “You’re looking for the people who crave it, and are good at it, and can engage with it in the way that makes it great. If you put unnecessary,
Sinha attributes his capacity for holding many perspectives at once to his bijural training at McGill in the ’90s, with its emphasis on political, moral, and societal underpinnings. “It was a great environment to
By Maeve Haldane
powers are found anywhere in the X-Men universe.
think and be challenged with ideas,” he says. “And an absolutely beautiful mélange of people from different backgrounds, different cultures, different educational paths, and with different anticipated careers,” the Hindu Newfoundlander adds. He was part of the first class of students to be recruited by New York firms, and landed at Paul, Weiss, gaining great experience. But the NYC lifestyle wasn’t the right fit for Sinha and his now-wife. “Being on the Upper East Side arguing with people about where to find the best risotto didn’t feel like us,” he jokes. So, 23 years ago, they chose Bay Street over Wall Street.
irrelevant characteristics in front of your perception of who’s going to be good at the job? If you need a team of heroes and you only look for heroic types, you’re going to miss Wolverine, up north in a Canadian mining town. You’re going to miss Nightcrawler because he’s a street urchin in Germany.” Within the organized chaos and fast decisions of his office’s legal dealings, Sinha tries his best to mentor junior lawyers so they mature as problem solvers. He has great faith in the younger generation to lead us toward ever more progressive ways. “I’ve got a pet theory that my kids’ generation is just going to straighten things out,” he says. For them, climate change and gender equality aren’t debatable. “Corporations will have to be good citizens and show moral corporate character, just to keep competitive.”
He and his wife, an executive at an insurance company, lead busy lives. When their kids were young, Sinha was aware that if he left work at 6 to relieve the nanny, it’d be assumed he was going to another meeting — or that if he were upfront about his family commitments, he’d be lauded in ways his wife might not have been. “That’s ridiculous! Because she’s probably contributing more than me at the office and at home, but gets no bonus points for it,” he notes.
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“I really do believe the universe arcs toward justice and, in the end, don’t bet against rationality,” Sinha says. “My highest professional obligation is the execution of the law. And I have faith that if you support that system, then that system creates a backbone for a moral and just society.”
Nouvelles de la Faculté McGill Law was ranked the 29th best law school worldwide in the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. The Faculty received the highest score in Canada, 17th best in the world, for the Teaching evaluation criterion. Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) also placed the Faculty 29th in the world, up two ranks from 2022.
Daniel Weinstock, CM, a été nommé membre de l’Ordre du Canada pour « son apport magistral au progrès de la philosophie politique, des politiques publiques et de la justice sociale au Canada, en tant qu’éthicien, philosophe et intellectuel respecté ».
René Provost, MSRC, Ad E, a reçu le cer-
Maria D’Amico, senior administrative
tificat de mérite de la American Society of
coordinator in the Institute of Air and
International Law (ASIL) pour son ouvrage
Space Law, retired from McGill after
Rebel Courts: The Administration of Justice
over thirty-five years of service.
by Armed Insurgents (Oxford University Press, 2021). En mai, il a été nommé titulaire d’une prestigieuse chaire James McGill pour un mandat de sept ans.
Lara Khoury, Ad E, received the prestigious 2023 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA). She was promoted to the rank of full professor in June. L’honorable Louise Otis, OC, OQ, Ad E, In recognition of her impactful scholarship, teaching, and social justice commitment, Adelle Blackett, FRSC, Ad E, received a doctorate honoris causa from the Université catholique de Louvain in February, and from Simon Fraser University in June. She received the Labour Law Research
Frédéric Mégret received an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen in recognition of his standing as “one of the most influential scholars in international law of his generation.”
a pris sa retraite après avoir été boursière Boulton et professeure auxiliaire à la Faculté pendant douze années. Cette ancienne juge à la Cour d’appel a joué un rôle de premier plan dans la promotion de la médiation et de la résolution de différends, au Québec et à l’international.
Network’s Bob Hepple Award for Lifetime Achievement in Labour Law and the McGill Graduate Law Students’ Association’s Excellence in Supervision and Mentorship Award.
In September, he was named to the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Shauna Van Praagh was appointed by
Public International Law for a seven-year term. It was previously held by François
the Governor in Council as president of
3
Crépeau, OC, OQ, FRSC, Ad E, who
the revived Law Commission of Canada
was its inaugural chairholder.
for a five-year term, effective June 2023.
Shadaye Cousins, BCL/LLB’22, s’est
In May, she was awarded the McGill
jointe à la Faculté à titre de doyenne
Sébastien Jodoin a reçu le prix Acteur
adjointe intérimaire (admissions et
de changement de l’Université McGill
recrutement) en janvier pour un mandat
pour son dévouement à conscientiser
d’un an.
le public et les gouvernements de
Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching in the full professor category.
l’impact des changements climatiques sur les personnes avec un handicap.
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Nouvelle chaire en droit des affaires nommée en l’honneur d’une pionnière québécoise À l’occasion de la Journée internationale des femmes 2023, la Faculté de droit a annoncé son intention de fonder la Chaire Elizabeth Carmichael Monk en droit des affaires. Elizabeth Carmichael Monk, CR, BCL’23, LLD’75, est passée à l’histoire en devenant l’une des deux premières femmes à accéder au Barreau de Québec. Sa carrière épanouie en droit commercial et droit immobilier a traversé cinq décennies de profondes transformations sociales. Découvrez cette initiative : mcgill.ca/x/UYh
Brian F. Havel, who had completed a
Fabien Gélinas, Ad E, a été reconduit
five-year term as director of the Institute
comme titulaire d’une chaire Sir William
for Air and Space Law in summer 2022,
C. Macdonald.
retired and became professor emeritus
Manon Berthiaume, coordonnatrice
in January.
administrative senior, a pris sa retraite après plus de trois décennies au service de la Faculté de droit et du Centre Paul-André Crépeau de droit privé et comparé. Sandy Hervieux has been appointed head librarian for the Nahum Gelber Law Library. Holder of a BA in German Studies
Helge Dedek was named to the Wainwright Chair in Civil Law for a seven-year term. The chair was held most recently by former dean Daniel Jutras, OC, Ad E.
and a Master of Information Studies from McGill, her main area of research is in the field of AI in academic libraries. Ignacio Cofone has received the McGill Principal Prize’s for Outstanding Emerging Researchers. He was promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure in June. Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly received the Geneviève Saumier a été reconduite comme titulaire de la Chaire Peter M. Laing QC de droit. La professeure Andrea K. Bjorklund et elle ont également été nommées chercheuses Norton Rose Colleen Sheppard, FRSC, was named to the FR Scott Chair in Public & Con-
Fulbright en arbitrage et en droit commercial pour l’année universitaire 2023-2024.
stitutional Law for a seven-year term. It was held most recently by Mark Walters and previously by former dean the late Roderick Macdonald, OC, FRSC.
Omar Farahat was promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure in June.
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2023 John W. Durnford Award for Teaching Excellence. The McGill Alumni Association presented him with the James G. Wright award, in recognition of his commitment to community service (see page 38). In April, he was presented with the Prix Hommage Bénévolat-Québec of the Government of Québec.
NOUVELLES DE LA FACULTÉ
Snapshots of 2022-2023 The academic year brought the McGill Law community back together, fostering stimulating conversations and vibrant new connections among students and alumni. Cérémonie de remise des Codes civils pendant la Journée d’accueil.
Visite de l’hon. Sheilah Martin, BCL’81, LLB’81, et de l’hon. Nicholas Kasirer, BCL’85, LLB’85, juges à la Cour Suprême du Canada.
Blockbusting return of Skit Nite: the talent show raised more than $10,000 for Chez Doris, a Montreal women’s shelter.
The all-class Homecoming reunion makes its in-person comeback!
Au printemps, une réception réunit des récipiendaires de bourses et les donateurs ayant rendu ces bourses possibles.
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La majore de promotion Khadija Ahmed, BCL/JD’23, à la collation des grades.
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
The Buffalo Hat Singers performing during the annual Indigenous welcome ceremony.
Coffee truck meet and greet between the Career Development Office, students, and local alumni.
30th anniversary reunion of the Classes of 1991, 1992 and 1993 at Chancellor Day Hall.
Conférence dans le tribunal-école Maxwell-Cohen : la journaliste Paule Robitaille, BCL’86, LLB’86, s’entretient avec Dan Bilak, BCL’86, LLB’86, avocat devenu membre des Forces armées ukrainiennes.
Christiane Taubira, LLD’23, femme politique pionnière en France, reçoit un doctorat en droit honoris causa de McGill.
Après la cérémonie de remise des diplômes, la nouvelle cohorte célèbre au pavillon Chancellor-Day!
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CATALYSTES DE CHANGEMENT
From legal scholarship to social change Privacy in the age of AI, inclusive climate action, and employment equity for all — through their commitment to public service, Professors Ignacio Cofone, Sébastien Jodoin, and Adelle Blackett, FRSC, Ad E, are leading efforts to answer some of our society’s most pressing challenges.
REDEFINING HARM IN THE INFORMATION ECONOMY By Julia Dyck “In a world where data is the lifeblood of the economy,
In his new book, titled The Privacy Fallacy: Harm
figuring out how to protect people from data harms
and Power in the Information Economy (Cambridge
is paramount,” says Ignacio Cofone, associate pro-
University Press, December 2023), Cofone proposes
fessor and Canada Research Chair in AI Law & Data
a novel legal framework for properly recognizing
Governance at the Faculty of Law. “Current laws and
the value of privacy in the age of AI.
regulations fail to protect us because they are built on outdated ideas that trap lawmakers, regulators, and courts into wrong assumptions about privacy.”
Cofone argues that consent provisions, which have long been considered a cornerstone of privacy protection, are insufficient in preventing AI and
Cofone’s research focuses on online data governance,
privacy harm. This is because much of the harm
with a major focus on law reform in response to tech-
arises from inferences made about individuals and
nological and economic advancements. He is a 2023
groups, where individual agreements become irrele-
laureate of the McGill Principal’s Prize for Outstanding
vant. For instance, one of Cofone’s projects explores
Emerging Researchers and an affiliated fellow at the
how the US correctional system uses AI to predict
Yale Law School Information Society Project.
whether inmates are likely to re-offend when released.
In 2020, he authored the Office of the Privacy Commis-
Because the algorithms are based on arrest data
sioner of Canada’s report setting out the direction of the most significant reform to federal privacy law of the last two decades. This year, the Parliament of Canada is discussing a reform proposal that incorporates most
in which racialized people are disproportionately affected, these people are mistakenly flagged as “risky” more frequently by the AI, magnifying existing systemic inequalities.
of the report’s principal recommendations.
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
“Striking the right balance between specificity and durability is crucial.”
Risks extend beyond the criminal system to the entire
“Once we figure out how to conceptualize the idea of
economy. “Our privacy is increasingly besieged by
privacy harm, which is what this book attempts, we
tech companies,” he highlights. “The number of data
can build a more powerful liability system that can
breaches and harms to individuals, to groups, and
create accountability for data practices in ways that
even to democracy that we have witnessed in the last
the current system cannot,” he explains. Cofone’s
decade shows us that we simply cannot live with that
proposed reforms aim to shift the focus from collecting
system anymore.”
superficial consent to actively protecting people from
Under current regulations, organizations have little
online harms.
incentive to prevent harm. Many privacy scandals
While the rapid pace of AI innovation might seem like
involve companies that have obtained users’ required
a major challenge, Cofone argues that policymakers
consent and fulfilled procedural requirements. When
should focus on the economic and social relationships
there’s a data breach, people can typically pursue
that underlie the technology, not the technology itself,
legal action only if it leads to outright identity theft
to design laws that are future-proof. “Striking the right
or financial/reputational harm. Cofone advocates
balance between specificity and durability is crucial:
for a more robust system that holds companies
regulations should not be overly ambiguous to the point
accountable for their data practices based on the data
of lacking practicality, nor should they be excessively
practices’ consequences, suggesting that they should
specific and limited in utility as technology advances.”
be obligated to provide reparations when a harmful privacy breach occurs.
Learn more about The Privacy Fallacy: Harm and Power in the Information Economy : mcgill.ca/x/U7m
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POUR DES POLITIQUES ENVIRONNEMENTALES RÉELLEMENT INCLUSIVES Par Jean-Benoît Nadeau En 2015, Sébastien Jodoin, BCL/LLB’05, est hospitalisé d’urgence. Le diagnostic tombe : sclérose en plaques, à 33 ans. L’été suivant, il découvre que cette maladie chronique le rend particulièrement vulnérable à la chaleur. « J’ai réalisé que les personnes avec un handicap seraient parmi les premières affectées par les changements climatiques », dit ce titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada sur les droits de la personne, la santé et l’environnement. Or, malgré qu’environ 15 % de la population mondiale vit avec un handicap — 20 % dans un pays avec une population vieillissante comme le Canada — ce segment reçoit peu d’attention dans
Or, on est loin du compte. Par exemple, les politiques
le domaine du changement climatique.
favorisant l’abandon de l’automobile ne tiennent pas
Cette négligence se traduit très concrètement par une surmortalité des personnes handicapées lors d’urgences climatiques. Ainsi, 91 % des plus de 600 décès durant la vague de chaleur de 2021 en Colombie-Britannique touchaient des personnes avec un handicap. « Si les personnes handicapées n’ont pas accès aux ressources, soins et services pour survivre à une vague de chaleur, c’est parce que les gouvernements n’ont pas tenu compte de leurs droits ni dans leurs plans d’urgence, ni dans les mesures d’adaptation climatique à long terme. » Dans une étude qui a fait les manchettes internationales, le professeur Jodoin et son équipe ont démontré que les personnes handicapées étaient systématiquement négligées dans la gouvernance climatique autour du monde. Ils ont constaté que moins d’un quart des pays mentionnent les personnes handicapées dans leurs politiques climatiques. En outre, lorsqu’ils y font référence, ils le font de manière superficielle. Le programme de recherche que dirige le professeur Jodoin a pour but de co-générer et promouvoir des solutions climatiques inclusives du handicap. Une politique bien pensée, par exemple, devrait prévoir le refroidissement passif et la climatisation des milieux
compte des besoins des personnes à mobilité réduite, ni de l’accessibilité des modes de transport sobres en carbone. « À Montréal, seulement 25 des 68 stations de métro sont accessibles. Pourtant, si on améliorait l’accessibilité, on aiderait non seulement les personnes handicapées, mais on favoriserait la mobilité des personnes âgées et des familles avec des poussettes. C’est justement ce que les personnes handicapées peuvent contribuer à l’action climatique : nous savons faire en sorte que les programmes et politiques fonctionnent pour le plus grand nombre possible de personnes. » Fréquemment consulté sur ces questions par les gouvernements canadiens et étrangers, le professeur Jodoin a notamment eu l’occasion de présenter sa recherche auprès des gouvernements du G-7 et au Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies. Il insiste sur l’importance de reconnaître l’agentivité et les connaissances des personnes handicapées et n’hésite pas à se citer en exemple. « Sans mon expérience vécue avec la sclérose en plaques, je n’aurais probablement pas fondé le seul programme de recherche dédié à l’action climatique inclusive du handicap. »
de vie habités par les personnes handicapées. Et les politiques de décarbonisation devraient réduire, plutôt qu’accroître, les barrières auxquelles font face les personnes handicapées.
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WRITING A NEW CHAPTER FOR EMPLOYMENT EQUITY By Julia Dyck “When we discuss diversity-related issues, it’s easy to
In recent years, many workplaces have established
lose sight of how much we have in common,” accord-
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion working groups and
ing to Professor Adelle Blackett, FRSC, Ad E, BCL’94,
policies, but these efforts are often on a voluntary basis.
LLB’94. A steadfast leader of change throughout her
However, in Canada, the concept of employment equity
career, she has cultivated the art of bringing people
is given a constitutional foundation in substantive
together around shared values.
equality, grounded in a key principle: equity does not
Blackett is Canada Research Chair in Transnational
mean treating everyone the same, but rather working
Labour Law at McGill. In 2021, she was appointed chair of Canada’s Employment Equity Act Review Task Force by the federal Minister of Labour Filomena
to address the barriers that different individuals face. “Thinking carefully about the framework, and how to strengthen it was a huge part of the mandate,”
Tassi. The 12-strong group was tasked with conducting
Blackett says.
a comprehensive review of the Employment Equity Act;
In her role as chair of the task force, she drew from
the first since the landmark legislation was adopted
her recent contributions to a Canada-wide initiative
in 1986, based on the report of the sole commissioner
chaired by Vice President of the University of
of the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment,
Toronto and Principal of the University of Toronto,
the Hon. Rosalie Abella, FRSC, LLD’99.
Scarborough, Wisdom Tettey, where she served as
“It was a huge undertaking,” Blackett acknowledges.
principal drafter of the Scarborough Charter on
During the pandemic, the task force team met virtually with hundreds of constituents across the country, along with undertaking months of research. The government mandated the task force to identify systemic barriers that exist in the recruitment, promotion and retention of individuals in four designated groups — women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. The task force was also mandated to seek input from 2SLGBTQI+ communities, who are not currently designated under the Employment Equity Act, and to consider whether Black communities should be designated a distinct employment equity group rather than included in the visible minority category.
anti-Black racism and Black Inclusion. The Charter, which provides a framework for promoting Black flourishing and redressing anti-Black racism in the Canadian post-secondary sector, has been signed by nearly 60 Canadian institutions, including McGill. When addressing equitable inclusion, Blackett frames her work around principles that seek to bring people together and create space for voice in the spirit of “nothing about us without us.” The task force heard both that equitable inclusion is important for historically marginalized groups, and that it helps to transform workplaces in ways that can benefit us all. Internationally, Canada tends to be held up as an example of what is achievable in terms of equity, Blackett points out. “We have a responsibility to demonstrate that equitable inclusion is indeed possible.”
“When we discuss diversity-related issues, it’s easy to lose sight of how much we have in common.” 29
COMMUNAUTÉ ÉTUDIANTE
Focus sur la nouvelle
COHORTE BCL/JD Internationales, diversifiées et exceptionnellement talentueuses, chacune des cohortes BCL/JD sont soigneusement constituées pour que chaque membre soit enrichi par son passage à McGill, et prêt à enrichir à son tour la profession juridique. Excellence scolaire
Diversité
180
1,142 candidatures
personnes admises
20%
16%
*
admis du cégep, avec une cote R moyenne de 34.49 Âge moyen :
24
ans
ont réalisé des études de deuxième cycle Moyenne universitaire (GPA) :
3.8/4.0
Multilinguisme
53%
38%
appartiennent à une minorité visible ou racialisée
s’identifient comme personnes noires
s’identifient comme personnes autochtones
Communauté internationale
ont le français comme langue maternelle
90
dans
villes natales
30 pays
40
100% 22% 12 est trilingue
s’identifient comme membre de la communauté LGBTTQ+
14% 9.4% 2%
sont les premières personnes de leur famille à mener des études universitaires
plus de
de la cohorte est bilingue
*
*
21%
ont l’anglais comme langue maternelle
26%
*
ont une double citoyenneté
langues maternelles parlées
Ces données sont issues d’un sondage anonyme réalisé annuellement auprès de la cohorte entrante dans le but d’en comprendre la composition et d’évaluer nos démarches de recrutement. * Moyenne des trois dernières cohortes — le sondage de la cohorte entrante 2023 est en cours.
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
One of Canada’s most inclusive law schools In a census report* published by the Black Law Student Association of Canada, McGill Law was rated as one of the most diverse law faculties in Canada. Black students make up 8.4% of the BCL/JD cohort, the third-most in the country.
“I was delighted to see the result, but our learning journey is not done,” said Dean Robert Leckey. “We are committed to fostering equitable inclusion at the Faculty, and will continue our constant, deliberate effort toward this goal.”
8.40%
4.97%
Black Law Students in the BCL/JD Program
Percentage of Black people in Quebec
7.93% Percentage of Black people in Montreal
A multifaceted approach: The LEX (Law-Éducation-Connexion) Outreach Program by Davies. LEX encourages youth belonging to under-represented communities to consider law school and careers in the legal profession through classroom visits, community engagement initiatives, and field trips to the University. A generous donation by Davies is providing critical support to LEX’s mission, and will bolster its activities over the coming years. A holistic admissions process that values the applicants’ personal statements, CVs, and reference letters, in addition to their grades. Dedicated funding provided to aspiring Black law students, including several philanthropically funded scholarships. Institutional leadership through the appointment of Brittany Williams as Assistant Dean (Students) and Dean’s Lead, Black and Indigenous Flourishing. Remunerated positions for students contributing to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion efforts, such as Indigenous Student Coordinators, Black Affairs Student Coordinators, and LEX coordinators.
* Black Law Students’ Association of Canada, “Black Law Student Census Report 2022-2023” (14 February 2023), indd.adobe.com/view/234705c0-1395-4c24-b226-45e673868ea1
31
COMMUNAUTÉ ÉTUDIANTE
Meet our
NEW STUDENTS Over $350,000 were granted in entrance scholarships this year, opening the Faculty’s doors to outstanding aspiring jurists.
RÉCIPIENDAIRE DE LA BOURSE DE LA BANQUE SCOTIA pour les études en droit, attribuée à un nouvel étudiant en droit ayant démontré son expérience dans la lutte contre le racisme et sa volonté de tirer parti de sa carrière en droit pour contrer le racisme systémique. Diplôme d’études collégiales en sciences humaines au CÉGEP Heritage College. Ancien étudiant consultant pour le projet Action Équité et Diversité, où il a contribué à la création de contenu pédagogique inclusif envers les personnes racialisées poursuivant des études supérieures. Passionné par les enjeux d’envergure internationale, il se voit, à l’avenir, offrir du soutien juridique aux immigrants en vue de faciliter leur intégration.
Ritchie NGIEME
« J’ai grandi dans un milieu où peu de personnes ont la chance d’entreprendre des études avancées. À travers les activités de bénévolat auxquelles j’ai participé, j’ai eu la chance de côtoyer des personnes extrêmement intelligentes qui se sont fait discriminer sous bases de caractéristiques sur lesquelles elles n’avaient aucun contrôle.
32
Je me suis promis d’étudier dans un domaine où je pourrais utiliser mes talents et mes habiletés en vue de créer ne serait-ce qu’un petit changement. Entamer mes études en droit représente pour moi la chance de prouver que ma perspective peut contribuer au milieu juridique, et ce, peu importe mes origines. »
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
RECIPIENT OF THE LEON LEVINSON AWARD, awarded to a deserving journalist or broadcaster who decides to pursue the study of law. Iran-born Canadian. Honours in International Development Studies with a minor in Persian language at McGill. President of the McGill Pre-Law Students’ Society for two years. Writer and editor for The Tribune, with a focus on the Opinion section. Headhunted by the editor in chief of the Montreal Gazette for a short-term column council.
Sepideh “ I enter McGill Law with a long-time interest in Indigenous rights AFSHAR committed in Canada, an adapted passion from international human rights when I increasingly realized the continued
need for basic human rights right here at home. Starting law school, to me, is the natural next step in my longtime unwavering commitment to enacting change.”
RECIPIENT OF THE OSLER, HOSKIN & HARCOURT LLP ENTRANCE SCHOLARSHIP, granted on the basis of academic achievement to a Black student entering the BCL/JD program. Honours Political Science degree from Concordia. Montrealer of Haitian origin who grew up speaking both French and English. Previously worked for the Ministère de la Famille, gaining hands-on experience in the application of public policy. Volunteered with an organization helping refugees and asylum seekers and on projects with the Montreal Black community.
Oldine “ From a young age I was passionate pursuing my goal of contributing SHEA about to society by becoming a lawyer. I am interested in exploring the many different areas of law and appreciate being able to do so in both official 33
languages. The McGill exchange programs as well as the International Human Rights Internship Program are of much interest to me as I would gain an international perspective while pursuing my studies.”
FEATURE
PROTECTING YOUR
PRIVACY
Two of the country’s most prominent advocates for protecting our privacy rights are McGill Law graduates: Philippe Dufresne, BCL’98, LLB’98, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and Patricia Kosseim, BCL’92, LLB’92, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. By Mark Witten Dufresne, who was appointed privacy commissioner in
More recently, he served as the chief legal officer of
June 2022, views this as a pivotal time for Canada.
the House of Commons, and that experience is already
“There has never been a more important time for
proving useful to him in his new role. He had a close-up
privacy from the standpoint of great transitions and change,” says Dufresne. Last year, his office investigated
view of Parliamentarians at work and what goes into decisions about developing, passing, and implement-
cases involving a range of concerns — everything from
ing new legislation.
the use of facial recognition technology by law enforce-
As a law student at McGill, Dufresne was influenced
ment agencies, to the location tracking of Tim Hortons
by his very first professor, Nicholas Kasirer, BCL’85,
customers.
LLB’85 — McGill Law dean from 2003 to 2009, now
“Our laws on the public and private sector sides of
a Supreme Court of Canada justice — to pursue a career
privacy are past due for modernizing and they need to
in public service.
catch up to the technologies that have been developing
“It stayed with me, the inspiration not only of this
and continue to develop at a very rapid pace,”
amazing jurist and his strong legal understanding, but
says Dufresne.
also of someone absolutely committed, who encour-
Bill C-27, the new Digital Charter Implementation
aged public service and contribution to institutions
Act — which modernizes private sector privacy laws and strengthens the privacy commission’s enforcement powers — is a key tool Dufresne will be using to help accomplish that goal. The bill is currently before the
and to one’s society,” says Dufresne. “You can do it in academia, as a judge, or as a privacy commissioner. That commitment to institutions and to the fundamental rights of Canadians is something I saw and
House of Commons.
experienced more broadly at McGill.”
Dufresne was once the senior general counsel for
For her part, Kosseim has been dealing with privacy,
the Canadian Human Rights Commission, where he worked for almost 15 years. He appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada on 15 occasions. These included a major pay equity case in which female postal workers were awarded $150 million, and cases advocating on issues ranging from accessibility and freedom of expression to workplace protection for Parliament
access, and digital data issues throughout her career. She served in executive positions with Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), as senior general counsel and director-general with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and most recently as counsel in Osler’s Privacy and Data Management Group.
Hill staff.
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
“When you have worked in the private sector, public sector, research, academia and the health sector, every path along the way you come to appreciate the different perspectives and what different sectors in society are trying to do for the benefit of the collective good,” she says. She learned early in her career that it is both essential and feasible to build privacy protection into the development of new science and technology initiatives. As an ethics officer at CIHR, Kosseim helped develop ethical guidelines for the use of personal health information in large population health studies and biobanks. As information and privacy commissioner, Kosseim works not only with digital health care stakeholders, but those in many other sectors across Ontario to protect and promote privacy and access rights. “This is a dream role in terms of the data-related issues we’re living through as a society and to be at the heart of the problem as an advocate representing people’s rights,” she says. Kosseim hopes to get the public more involved and engaged in the work of her office. She hosts a podcast called Info Matters and blogs on her office’s site about the issues that she and her colleagues regularly deal with. Last fall, her office launched the Transparency Challenge, a new initiative that spotlights innovative projects or programs in Ontario at the provincial and municipal levels that improve government transparency. Kosseim says her interest in addressing ethical, legal, and societal issues began when she worked as a researcher for the McGill Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, after completing a management degree. She enrolled in law the following September. “During my four years at law school I learned how to learn, how to think, how to approach and analyze issues, which proved to be indispensable skills through my entire career and in my current role,” she says. “McGill was also a time for me to discover my passion and my calling, and to follow my heart.”
This is an abridged version of an article published by McGill News alumni magazine in January 2023 — read the original story at mcgill.ca/x/UgA
35
ALUMNI COMMUNITY
Cocktail des diplômées et diplômés de Montréal Photos par Owen Egan et Joni Dufour
(en haut) Larry Markowitz, BCL’95, LLB’95, et Daria Hobeika, BCL/LLB’05. (en bas) Sydney Warshaw, BCL/LLB’17, et Nadir Pracha, BCL/LLB’16.
Le 12 avril 2023, plus d’une centaine de membres de la communauté diplômée de Montréal se sont retrouvés dans l’atrium du pavillon Chancellor-Day pour une joyeuse réception entre camarades de classe. Merci d’avoir fait un franc succès du retour de cette tradition annuelle !
(en bas) Kathy Nakashima, BCL’81, LLB’81, Alexandra MacBain, BCL/LLB’16, et Lloyd Cooper, BCL’81, LLB’81.
(en haut) Andréa Baptiste, BCL/LLB’19, Marie-Laure Saliah-Linteau, BCL/LLB’19, Alexis Faust-Trahan, BCL/JD’20, Andrea Gomez, BCL/ LLB’18, et Daphné Anastassiadis, BCL/LLB’19. (à droite) Rheza Adizora, LLM’21, Abdullah Sen, LLM’21, Amir Nahidi, et Didar Shwan, LLM’21.
Visionnez l’album photo complet au : mcgill.ca/x/UMQ
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 0 2 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
New York City Alumni Cocktail Photos by Andrew Muzin
We were thrilled to catch up with our alumni in the Tri-State area just before the holidays, on 8 December. This festive reception was generously hosted by McGill Law champion Jordan Waxman, LLB’91, BCL’92. (above) Event host Jordan Waxman, LLB’91, BCL’92, and Nile Kaya, LLB’91, BCL’93, in conversation with other guests.
(above) Viva Dadwal, BCL/LLB’19, Corina Stonebanks, BCL/LLB’94, and Julia Kolovarsky, BCL/LLB’02. (right) Dean Robert Leckey and Priyanka Timblo, BCL/LLB’13.
View the full photo gallery at: mcgill.ca/x/UMm
37
ALUMNI COMMUNITY
Celebrating Alumni Excellence Each year, the McGill Alumni Association recognizes those who have made standout contributions in service of the University, alumni life, and the betterment of society. We proudly present the members of our community who were honoured in 2023.
Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly, BCL/LLB’15
Patrick Keeler, BCL/JD’23
PRIX JAMES-G.-WRIGHT
PRIX GRETTA-CHAMBERS POUR LE LEADERSHIP ÉTUDIANT
Professeur adjoint à la Faculté, Jérémy BoulangerBonnelly est dévoué à l’accès à la justice et au service à la communauté en tant qu’avocat. Il travaille pro bono à la contestation judiciaire de la loi québécoise sur la laïcité de l’État (« loi 21 »), qui interdit l’accès à certains emplois du secteur public provincial aux personnes portant des symboles religieux. Le professeur Boulanger-Bonnelly est aussi avocat pro bono dans la contestation judiciaire de certaines dispositions du Code civil du Québec affectant les jeunes personnes trans, ainsi que dans des procédures visant à faire reconnaître le statut juridique des familles multi parentales dans le Code civil du Québec.
Patrick Keeler s’implique auprès de la communauté montréalaise touchée par le VIH depuis 2010. Décidé à répondre aux besoins urgents de cette population mal desservie — dont de nombreux membres n’ont pas accès au système de santé — il a fondé Le Cercle Orange en 2019 afin d’harmoniser au sein d’un système unifié les ressources existantes telles que des soins de santé sans frais, de la médication, de l’information juridique et du soutien communautaire. L’approche unique de l’organisme et son grand succès en ont fait un modèle à suivre. À McGill, Patrick Keeler a aussi contribué à la fondation du McGill Business Law Meter, un blogue sur des questions d’actualité en droit des affaires, et participé au Concours de plaidoirie en droit des sociétés et des valeurs mobilières de Davies.
Luciano D’Iorio, ex-président de l’Association des diplômé.e.s de McGill, et Jérémy Boulanger-Bonnelly, BCL/LLB’15.
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FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
Dominique Hussey, BSc’97, LLB’97
Jonathan McGillivray, BCL/LLB’16
MAA TORONTO EXCELLENCE AWARDS – IMPACT AWARD
MAA TORONTO EXCELLENCE AWARDS – RISING STAR AWARD
Dominique Hussey has built a stellar career as a
Senior associate at Resilient LLP, Jonathan McGillivray
leader in the legal profession. She is Bennett Jones’
is one of Canada’s leading climate change lawyers and
Vice Chair and Toronto Managing Partner, and leads
is widely recognized for his ground-breaking work.
its Intellectual Property Litigation group. She has
He regularly attends and advises on the annual United
earned many accolades for her work, including the
Nations global climate negotiations and serves on
Law Firm Leaders Award in 2021 at the inaugural
the board of directors of GreenPAC, a non-partisan,
Chambers Canada Awards. She is the first Black
non-profit organization working to elect and support
woman to be managing partner of a Bay Street law
environmental leaders running for public office across
firm. She serves on the board of the BlackNorth
the country.
Initiative, a not-for-profit that aims to remove anti-Black systemic barriers. In June she began a term as president of The Advocates’ Society.
While at McGill, McGillivray was deeply involved in the Law community. He edited the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law & Policy and co-chaired the Faculty’s Green Law Committee. Beloved and respected by his colleagues, he received the Faculty’s Patricia Allen Award for Participation.
Dominique Hussey, BSc’97, LLB’97, and Dean Robert Leckey.
39
In Memoriam Chris Axworthy, QC, LLM’71 Martin A. Aster, BCL’64, LLB’80 Geoffrey Gordon Briant, LLB’77 Kenneth Burke, LLB’84, BCL’85 Gordon L. Echenberg, BCL’64 Keith A. Ham, BCL’59
Armand de Mestral
Donald E. Hushion, BCL’64 Pierre Joncas, BCL’72 John Stanley Kennedy, LLB’83 Henri P. Lafleur, BCL’59 The Hon. Perry Meyer, KC, BCL’52 Law Professor at McGill from 1960 to 1975 Jacques-Yvan Morin, BCL’52 Vincent O’Donnell, BCL’55
The Honourable ALISON HARVISON 1941–2023
YOUNG, BC’83, LLB’83, a judge of the
D
Ontario Superior Court of Justice, was appointed to the Court of Appeal iplômé de Harvard et de McGill, Armand de Mestral, CM, est devenufor Ontario. Justice Harvison a avocat au Barreau du Québec en 1967. Il a ensuite travaillé enYoung Suissewas pour member of the Faculty Law of McGill l’ancêtre de l’Organisation maritime internationale, avant of d’approfondir University from 1988-1998, teaching son expertise en droit maritime au ministère de la Justice à Ottawa. Il a in the
of public, private and family law. joint la Faculté de droit en 1976. Au cours de saareas longue carrière, il a enseigné le droit constitutionnel, le droit de la mer, le droit international public, le droit commercial international, l’arbitrage international, le droit de communautaire européen et
Michael James Ogilvie, BCL’61
le droit aérien international public. Nommé professeur émérite après sa retraite
Ivan E. Phillips, BCL’59
de Covid-19 ne l’en empêche.
Christophe Preobrazenski, LLB’79
Le professeur de Mestral a reçu des doctorats honorifiques de l’Université de Lyon
Oscar Respitz, BCL’54
de la Chaire Jean Monnet en intégration économique internationale. En 2007,
Shannon Joan Rogers, BCL’96, LLB’96
en 2010, ce pédagogue dévoué a continué d’enseigner jusqu’à ce que la pandémie
et de l’Université Kwansei Gakuin au Japon. En 2003, il a été nommé titulaire il a été fait membre de l’Ordre du Canada. Il a présidé la Société canadienne de la Croix-Rouge de 1999 à 2001, au cours d’une
Arthur H. Rosenbaum, BCL’63 Jason Victor Ruby, BCL’54 Arthur Michael Sanft, BCL’66 Earl S. Schwartz, BCL’54 Richard E. Shadley, KC, Ad E, BCL’63 The Hon. Joel A. Silcoff, BCL’67 Abraham Slawner, BCL’68 Ruth Sullivan, BCL’81, LLB’81 Donovan Waters, LLD’06 Law Professor at McGill from 1967 to 1977 G. Ian Watson, BCL’57 David H Wood, BCL’53 Susan Valerie Zimmerman, BCL’82, LLB’83
période de défis et de transition pour l’organisation. Devant les enjeux éthiques soulevés dans le cadre de cette fonction, il a toujours fait preuve de patience, de sagesse et de discernement. Armand avait à cœur et citait souvent le verset biblique qui rappelle aux fidèles « d’obéir, d’être prêts à toute bonne œuvre ». Armand était un collègue et un mentor exemplaire. Il était profondément attaché au bilinguisme de la Faculté de droit, à sa communauté diversifiée et respectueuse, ainsi qu’à l’ouverture mondiale de notre programme intégré. Il faisait la promotion de McGill et de notre conception de l’enseignement du droit partout où il allait, vantant ce qu’il jugeait être son avant-gardisme et son ingéniosité. Nous nous souvenons de lui comme d’un homme exceptionnel à bien des égards, alliant de façon singulière la douceur, la force et la modestie. Véritable gentleman, il se distinguait par sa curiosité intellectuelle et faisait preuve d’une intégrité, d’une fiabilité et d’une gentillesse sans pareilles. Armand et son épouse, Rosalind Pepall, ont élevé leurs fils dans un foyer chaleureux, empreint d’art et de culture. Nous présentons nos plus sincères condoléances à sa famille, ainsi qu’aux nombreuses autres personnes qui, comme nous, ont connu et aimé Armand de Mestral et qui, comme nous, le regretteront profondément.
Robert Leckey, Ad E Doyen et titulaire de la Chaire Samuel Gale
40
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
ALUMNOTES
40’s, 60’s, and 70’s William Brock, Ad E, BCL’78, LLB’80, a été nommé président du conseil d’administration de l’Institut de recherche en immunologie et en cancérologie (IRIC) à l’Université de Montréal.
Philippe Lette, CM, BCL’68, was appointed to the Order of Canada for the excellence of his career in commercial, business and competition law. An attorney of the Quebec and Paris Bars with more than fifty years of practice, he has notably served as the President of the France-Canada Chamber of Commerce, and counsel to the embassies of Canada and Switzerland in Paris. L’hon. Brian Riordan, BCL’78, s’est joint au cabinet Spiegel Sohmer à titre de consultant. Nommé à la Cour supérieure du Québec en 2004, il a siégé comme juge à sa Chambre commerciale jusqu’à sa retraite en octobre 2022.
The Hon. IRWIN COTLER, OC, OQ, Ad E, BCL’64, LLD’19, has received
BARTHA KNOPPERS, OC, LLB’78, BCL’81, a été nommée membre The Honourable ALISON HARVISON indépendante du conseil d’adminisYOUNG, BC’83, LLB’83, a judge of the tration du Fonds de recherche du Ontario Superior Court of Justice, was Québec en santé. Professeure appointed to the Court of Appeal for titulaire au département de génétique Ontario. Justice Harvison Young was a humaine de la Faculté de médecine member of the Faculty of Law of McGill de McGill, elle dirige son Centre de University from 1988-1998, teaching in the génomique et politiques. areas of public, private and family law.
the prestigious 2023 Lantos Human Rights Prize, an honour previously bestowed on the likes of the Dalai
80’s
Lama and Hillary Clinton. An emeritus
Gary Bell, BCL’89, LLB’89, was elected
professor of the Faculty of Law, Irwin
General Secretary of the International
Cotler has had a distinguished career
Association of Comparative Law. He is an
as an international human rights
associate professor at the Faculty of Law
lawyer, representing some of the
of the National University of Singapore,
most notable political prisoners and
MANUEL SHACTER, KC, Ad E,
activists of the 20th century. He was
BCL’47, a reçu la Médaille du Bar-
a Member of Parliament for 16 years,
reau de Montréal pour souligner
and has served as Minister of Justice
sa contribution exceptionnelle à la
The Hon. Carol Cohen, BCL’82, is the
and Attorney General of Canada.
cause de la justice. Ayant pratiqué
senior judge of the Superior Court of
le droit pendant plus de 75 ans,
Quebec, where she has sat since 1997.
il a notamment servi comme
She teaches a highly appreciated seminar
Bâtonnier de Montréal en 1987-1988
called Anatomy of a Murder Trial at the
et co-fondé la Lord Reading Law
Faculty of Law, where she is an adjunct
Society. Il est spécialement connu
professor.
pour sa victoire dans l’affaire
L’hon. Clément Gascon, CC, Ad E, BCL’81,
Michael Goldbloom, CM, BCL’78, LLB’79, was appointed for a second five-year term as chair of CBC/Radio-Canada’s Board of Directors. Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Bishop’s University from 2008 to 2023, he was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2013 for his work building bridges between Montreal’s English and French-speaking communities.
Brody v. The Queen, [1962] SCR 681, remportée à la Cour suprême du Canada aux côtés de F.R. Scott, son ancien professeur de droit, alors doyen de la Faculté.
and practices as an arbitrator based in Singapore.
ancien juge à la Cour suprême du Canada, a été nommé compagnon de l’Ordre du Canada pour son exceptionnelle contribution au droit canadien et pour sa profonde détermination à dissiper les préjugés sur les maladies mentales, en particulier au sein de la communauté juridique.
41
ALUMNOTES Robert J. Lesperance, BCL’83, LLB’83,
Me Bajaj perpétue la robuste tradition
was appointed a per diem judicial
d’engagement des diplômé.e.s en droit en
justice of the Provincial Court of British
gouvernance universitaire; six membres
Columbia. A co-founder of Lesperance
de notre communauté siègent actuelle-
Mendes Lawyers, he is chairperson of
ment au Conseil.
the firm’s environmental and intellectual property practice groups. a 2024.
Alicia Barin, LLB’95, was appointed Vice-Chairperson, Broadcasting of the
The Hon. Lori Renée Weitzman, BCL’84,
Canadian Radio-television and Tele-
LLB’85, a judge of the Court of Quebec,
communications Commission (CRTC).
was appointed to the Court of Appeal of
A former vice-president of strategic
Quebec. Justice Weitzman was a Crown
planning for Astral Media, she has over
prosecutor in Montreal from 1987 to 2010
20 years of experience in the Canadian
and specialized in the prosecution of
media industry.
sexual assault and homicide cases.
90’s Arun Bajaj, BCL’93, LLB’93, a été nommé membre à titre personnel du Conseil des gouverneurs de l’Université McGill. Il est premier vice-président et chef des ressources humaines chez Gildan Activewear Inc. Présidé par Maryse Bertrand, Ad E, BCL’80, le Conseil des gouverneurs est la plus haute instance dirigeante de McGill.
the South Asian Bar Association
Andrée-Claude Bérubé, BCL’99, LLB’99,
of Toronto 2023 Legal Excellence
a été nommée vice-présidente directrice
Award. She is a senior legal coun-
et chef du contentieux d’AtkinsRéalis
sel at Alstom Canada, where she
(anciennement SNC-Lavalin). Elle était
specializes in business law and
précédemment chef adjointe du conten-
corporate ethics.
tieux et secrétaire corporative de la firme d’ingénierie. Hugo Cyr, Ad E, BCL’97, LLB’97, a été nommé directeur général de l’École nationale d’administration publique pour un mandat de cinq ans débutant le 1er février 2022. Avocat émérite, il était précédemment professeur titulaire à la
Jacques Neatby, BCL’92, LLB ‘92, has co-authored Leadership Team Alignment: From Conflict to Collaboration (Stanford University Press, 2023). He is a partner at MindLab, a Europe-based consultancy supporting executive teams around the
Faculté de science politique et de droit
world with strategic alignment issues.
de l’Université du Québec à Montréal,
Marko Pavliha, DCL’92, was bestowed
où il a été doyen de 2015 à 2020.
a Doctor of International Maritime Law
Ariel J. Deckelbaum, BCL’98, LLB’98,
honoris causa from the International
was named partner at Ropes & Gray. He represents public and private companies, private equity and asset management firms, boards of directors, special committees, family offices, high-net-worth
DOUGLAS « DOUG » MITCHELL,
AMEE SANDHU, LLB’98, received
Maritime Law Institute (IMLI). His award letter highlighted the excellence of his career in international maritime law, as well as his decades of commitment to the IMLI as a lecturer and member
individuals, and other strategic investors.
of its governing board.
Véronique Hivon, BCL’94, LLB’94, s’est
L’hon. Eleni Yiannakis, LLM’99, a été
Ad E, BCL’88, LLB’88, a reçu la
jointe au conseil d’administration de
prestigieuse distinction Advocatus
l’organisme de vulgarisation juridique
Emeritus du Barreau du Québec.
Éducaloi. En juin, elle s’est jointe à titre
Cofondateur du cabinet IMK
de professeure invitée au département
avocats, il a été admis en 2022 à la
de science politique de l’Université de
Canadian Academy of Distinguished
Montréal, où elle est également experte
Neutrals, et il a été nommé avocat
en résidence à la Maison des affaires
de l’année (Montréal) — litiges « le
publiques et internationales.
nommée juge de la Cour supérieure du Québec. Reconnue comme une avocate de premier plan par les guides Lexpert, Best Lawyers et Benchmark Litigation, elle avait été nommée en 2023 dans le top 100 des femmes en litige au Canada.
tout pour le tout » par le classement Best Lawyers in Canada 2024.
42
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
00’s Éric Blondeau, BCL/LLB’05, s’est joint au groupe Droit des sociétés et droit commercial de Fasken à titre d’associé. Il possède près de 20 ans d’expérience en matière de gestion d’actifs, de fonds d’investissements, de fusions et acquisitions et de transactions commerciales. Emily Crocco, LLB’01, was appointed chair and full-time member of the
Les membres de notre communauté diplômée ont brillé au dîner présidentiel de l’Association du Barreau canadien, division du Québec, remportant deux des trois prix individuels décernés : LISA MIDDLEMISS, BCL/LLB’12, de Gomberg Dalfen, a reçu le Prix Jules-Deschênes, qui récompense le dévouement exceptionnel d’une ou un bénévole au sein de l’ABC-Québec.
Canada Agricultural Review Tribunal by
MICHEL BÉLANGER-ROY, BCL/LLB’17, de Norton Rose Fulbright,
the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau,
a reçu le Prix Pro Bono — Rajpattie-Persaud, pour sa contribution active
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
à des mandats pro bono en matière de droits de la personne, notamment concernant les droits des jeunes trans, non binaires et intersexués ainsi que les familles pluriparentales. Parmi les invités d’honneur de cette prestigieuse soirée, on comptait deux grandes figures de notre communauté diplômée en droit : l’honorable MAHMUD JAMAL, BCL’93, LLB’93, juge à la Cour suprême du Canada, et l’honorable ALEXANDRE BIEN-AIMÉ, BCL/LLB’10, juge à la Cour supérieure du Québec.
Martin Doe, BCL/LLB’08, was named
Charles A. Foucreault, LLM’06, s’est
CARA CAMERON, BCL’01, LLB’02,
co-Deputy Secretary-General and
joint comme associé au bureau de
s’est jointe au cabinet Woods en
Principal Legal Counsel of the Perma-
Montréal du cabinet international
tant qu’associée. Elle se spécialise
nent Court of Arbitration at the Hague.
Clyde & Cie. Il se spécialise dans les
Michael J. Eldridge, BCL/LLB’07, was
questions liées à l’assurance respon-
en différends commerciaux délicats, tels que les litiges contractuels et de droits des actionnaires, ainsi que les enquêtes et la défense liées aux enquêtes économiques (cols blancs), la fraude commerciale, la recherche d’actifs et les procédures de recouvrement.
named partner at McCarthy Tétrault,
sabilité professionnelle et en droit
where he is part of the Business Law
de l’assurance.
Group in Toronto. His practice is focused
Roberto Ghignone, BCL/LLB’09,
on capital markets, public companies,
was named partner at BLG, where
securities regulation and investment
his practice focuses on all aspects of
products, and public M&A.
privacy law. He was recognized in the
The Hon. Shaun E. Finn, BCL/LLB’02,
2024 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada
was appointed a judge of the Superior
in the Corporate and Commercial
Zachary Davis, BCL/LLB’09, was
Court of Quebec for the district of
Litigation category.
named partner at Pape Salter Teillet
Montréal. Previously a partner at BCF,
Natalka Haras, BCL/LLB’09, senior
LLP. He specializes in Indigenous rights
he created the firm’s class action defence
counsel at ADP Canada, was awarded
law, with an emphasis on litigation and
team. His illustrious practice had earned
the first ADP Chief Legal Officer’s
governance, and is called to the bar of
him membership in the prestigious
Legal Department Social Responsibility
Ontario, Yukon, Quebec, and Alberta.
International Association of Defense
Award. This annual award acknowl-
Counsel (2022) and a Fellowship in the
edges a member of ADP’s global legal
Litigation Counsel of America (2021).
department whose commitment to social responsibility has a positive, measurable impact.
43
ALUMNOTES
Albert Pelletier, BCL’01, LLB’01, joined
Samuel Singer, BCL/LLB’09, LLM’11,
Berger Montague (Canada) PC as
a reçu le Prix du héros (ou de l’héroïne)
Shareholder and CEO. He previously
de la Section de la communauté sur
practiced law at Davies Ward Phillips &
l’orientation et l’identité sexuelles
Vineberg LLP, Bennett Jones LLP, and
(SOGIC) lors du dîner présidentiel
the Ontario Securities Commission,
de l’Association du Barreau du Canada.
and he served as a discipline counsel for the Law Society of Ontario.
The Hon. CHRISTINE MAINVILLE, BCL/LLB’06, was appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice. Prior to her appointment, she was a partner
Eric Ward, BCL’02, LLB’02, was appointed as Special Advisor, Strategic
Sylvia Rich, BCL/LLB’07, won the
Foresight and Law Reform with the
University of Ottawa’s Shirley Greenberg
Information and Privacy Commissioner
Prize for Feminist Research with her
of Ontario. His role focuses on foresight
article “Police Violence as Organiza-
and anticipatory regulation in the service
tional Crime”. Her work argues that
of privacy and transparency rights.
patterns of pervasive police violence can and should be treated as organizational
Laurie-Ann Willett, BCL/LLB’09, was appointed Head of Legal, Canada at
at Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP,
crime in Canada.
where she practiced criminal, penal,
Marie-Pierre Robert, DCL’08, deviendra
New York Bars, she specializes in corpo-
and disciplinary law.
doyenne de la Faculté de droit de
rate law, and was previously Senior Legal
l’Université de Sherbrooke en janvier
Counsel for Joseph Ribkoff Inc.
Chanel. A member of the Quebec and
2024. Elle est professeure à cette faculté Sébastien Lebel-Grenier, DCL’02, was
depuis 2007 et y a été vice-doyenne
appointed Principal and Vice-Chancellor
à l’enseignement de 2015 à 2019.
of Bishop’s University. He was previously a professor at the Faculty of Law of Université de Sherbrooke, where he held many senior leadership positions, including the deanship of the faculty.
Erika Sasson, BCL/LLB’06, received the 2023 David Prize, an award aimed at celebrating New Yorkers with ideas for extraordinary change. She aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of
Pamela L. Marcogliese, BCL’02, LLB’02,
restorative justice for the most difficult
has been named Head of US Corporate
cases, creating a framework for broader
Advisory & Governance at Freshfields
adoption in New York City.
Bruckhaus Deringer. Her work focuses on capital markets transactions and corporate governance matters.
10’s Jordan Altman, BCL/LLB’14, s’est joint à Davies à titre d’associé dans sa pratique Droit des sociétés. En 2020, il avait remporté le prix Avocat de l’année — Droit corporatif du Jeune Barreau de Montréal.
Joydeep Sengupta, BCL/LLB’08, received a Rising Star award in The Legal 500: EMEA 2023. He is head of
Danielle Miller Olofsson, BCL’01,
Compliance and Investigations at
LLB’01, co-authored In the Public Eye:
Mayer Brown in Paris, where his prac-
Privacy, Personal Information, and High
tice focuses on cross-border litigation,
Stakes Litigation in the Canadian Public
investigations, compliance, and
Sector (LexisNexis, 2022). Written with
enforcement matters.
the Hon. Shaun E. Finn, BCL/LLB’02, prior to his judicial appointment,
BENJAMIN PERRIN, LLM’ 07,
this book offers an overview of the
authored Indictment: The Criminal
obligations of public entities in respect
Justice System on Trial (University of
of protecting personal information.
Toronto Press, 2023). The book brings the true stories of survivors and people incarcerated to light, along with the latest research exploring alternatives to the current system.
44
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
Emilie de Haas, BCL/LLB’19, was
Tanya (Toni) De Mello, BCL/LLB’11,
appointed legal communications officer
has been appointed vice president, equity
for the Chambers of Chief Justice
and community inclusion, at Toronto
Richard Wagner at the Supreme
Metropolitan University. In this role,
Court of Canada. She was previously
she provides strategic leadership, vision,
a research fellow at the International
and direction to support the university’s
Council for Commercial Arbitration.
goal to be a leader in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).
RODRIGO A. GARCIA, BCL/LLB’13, est conseiller politique dans le cabinet du ministre des Finances du Québec Éric Girard. À ce titre, il est notamment responsable du projet en économie numérique « Infrastructures et données du Québec » (ID Québec) et il participe aux travaux annuels du cabinet entourant l’élaboration du budget et de la Mise à jour économique et financière du Québec.
Florence Ashley, BCL/LLB’17, LLM’20, joined the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Law as a tenure-track assistant professor. Their work involves using transdisciplinary methods to study issues
Seven BCL/JD graduates for the Supreme Court of Canada This year again, McGill Law BCL/JD graduates fared outstandingly well in the run for Canada’s most coveted judicial clerkships. Six secured clerkships for 2024-2025, and another for 2023-2024. STEPHANIE BELMER, BCL/JD candidate — Clerk to Justice Karakatsanis (2024-2025) EMMETT BISBEE, BCL/JD’22 — Clerk to Justice Martin, BCL’81, LLB’81 (2023-2024) KATRINA BLAND, BCL/JD’22 — Clerk to Justice Jamal, BCL’93, LLB’93 (2024-2025)
faced by transgender people in the legal
GARIMA KARIA, BCL/JD’23
and healthcare systems.
— Clerk to Justice Kasirer, BCL’85, LLB’85 (2024-2025)
The Hon. Alexandre Bien-Aimé, BCL/LLB’10, was appointed judge of the Superior Court of Quebec for the
JEANNE MAYRAND-THIBERT, BCL/JD’23 — Clerk to Justice Rowe (2024-2025)
district of Montreal. Read about his
FÉLIX-ANTOINE PELLETIER, BCL/JD’21
McGill Law Journey on page 14.
— Clerk to Chief Justice Wagner (2024-2025)
Suzanne Bouclin, DCL’11, won the University of Ottawa’s Shirley Greenberg Prize for Feminist Research for her mono-
ANA QARRI, BCL/JD’22 — Clerk to the Hon. Judge Rowe (2024-2025)
graph Women, Film, and Law: Cinematic
La diplômée des cycles supérieures LAURENCE PRUD’HOMME,
Representations of Female Incarceration.
LLM’22, a également choisie comme auxiliaire juridique pour le cabinet
Her work argues that popular fictional
de l’honorable juge Suzanne Côté (2024-2025).
depictions of women’s imprisonment can illuminate the multiple forms of marginalization, social exclusion, and oppression experienced by criminalized women.
45
ALUMNOTES Andrée-Anne Dion, BCL/LLB’18, a été
Amélie T. Gouin, BCL/LLB’12, a été
nommée associée chez Shadley Knerr
nommée associée chez BLG, où elle
(anciennement Shadley Bien-Aimé).
pratique le litige commercial depuis plus
Elle siège au conseil d’administration du
d’une décennie. En 2018, elle a reçu le
Jeune Barreau de Montréal depuis 2020.
prix Administrateur de la Relève, décerné
Adam Drori, BCL/LLB’11, was named
par le Regroupement des jeunes chambres
partner in the Tax Group at Stikeman,
de commerce du Québec.
where he has been practicing since 2013.
Kathleen Hammond, BCL/JD’19, won the
Annamaria Enenajor, BCL/LLB’12,
Toronto Metropolitan University Dean’s Scholarly, Research and Creative Activity
a partner at Ruby Shiller Enenajor
Award (2022) and the Lincoln Alexander
DiGiuseppe in Toronto, was elected a
Law Students’ Society Professor of the
bencher of the Law Society of Ontario.
CHARLOTTE-ANNE MALISCHEWSKI,
Her election platform focused on
BCL/LLB’15, was appointed Deputy
enhancing professional competence,
Chief Commissioner of the Canadian
encouraging responsible governance,
Human Rights Commission. She
School of Law.
and reducing barriers to an inclusive bar.
previously practiced civil litigation
Max Jarvie, BCL/LLB’15, s’est joint
Melissa Gaul, BCL/LLB’11, was named
in Toronto, with an emphasis on civil
à Davies comme associé au sein de la
and professional liability, administra-
pratique Technologie. Il détient une
tive, and public law.
expertise spécialisée en respect de la vie
partner at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada. Her practice is focused on
professor at the Lincoln Alexander
privée, en protection des données et
mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and corporate and commercial law.
Year Award (2022). She is an assistant
Antoine Godin-Landry, BCL/LLB’19,
Catherine Gleason-Mercier, BCL/
s’est joint à l’équipe de direction du
LLB’12, was made partner in the
Camp Bruchési. Il gère en parallèle
Construction and Infrastructure Group
une pratique juridique solo à temps
at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel.
partiel et complète un diplôme d’études
In 2023, she was recognized as a “Future
supérieures spécialisées (DESS) en
Star” by Benchmark Litigation.
administration des affaires.
en intelligence artificielle. Kristina Kékesi-Lafrance, LLM’22, a remporté le prix de l’Association des professeures et professeurs de droit du Québec pour le meilleur mémoire de maîtrise. Son mémoire, intitulé In the Context of Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy, Does Genetic Manipulation Produce Triparental Children in the Eyes of the Law?, a été rédigé sous la direction de la professeure Lara Khoury.
Grammaire pour un français inclusif
Rosel Kim, BCL/LLB’15, received the Young Lawyer of the Year award from the Federation of Asian Canadian
SUZANNE ZACCOUR, BCL/LLB’16, et MICHAËL LESSARD,
Lawyers — Ontario chapter. She is one
BCL/LLB’15, ont publié une nouvelle édition de leur ouvrage
of the founding members of the Asian
Grammaire pour un français inclusif. Le recueil a été mis à jour pour
Canadian Women’s Alliance — a coalition
rendre compte des débats passionnés qui ont eu cours dans
of Asian Canadian-identifying women
les communautés francophones depuis la première édition en 2017.
advocating for systemic change through a feminist and anti-oppressive lens. Guillaume Lavoie Ste-Marie, BCL/ LLB’13, was named a Principal at Smart & Biggar. He is a litigator and trademark agent with extensive experience in copyright, patent, and trademark-related matters.
46
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
Michaël Lessard, BCL/LLB’15, s’est
Zain Naqi, BCL/LLB’14, was made
joint au corps professoral de la Faculté
partner at Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb.
de droit de l’Université de Sherbrooke.
His practice covers all aspects of business
Dans ses recherches, il s’intéresse
litigation, and he has represented clients
particulièrement à la manière dont le
at all levels of court in Ontario, at the
droit privé appréhende les individus
Federal Court, and at the Supreme Court
vulnérables ou marginalisés.
of Canada.
Zachary Masoud, BCL/LLB’14, was
François Nolet-Lévesque, BCL/LLB’16,
named partner at McCarthy Tétrault.
was named partner at BLG, where he has
He regularly represents Canadian
worked since 2018. His practice focuses
and foreign banks, private equity
mainly on transactional, banking and
firms, and domestic and international
technology law.
corporations.
SIMON BOUTHILLIER, LLM’20,
Marie-Andrée Plante, BCL/LLB’12, s’est
Pascal Mayer, BCL/LLB’13, was
jointe à la Faculté de droit de l’Université
named partner at Ropes & Gray. Based
de Sherbrooke. Candidate au doctorat
in New York, he is an executive com-
en droit à McGill, elle s’intéresse à la
pensation attorney primarily focused
construction et les mutations de la figure
on transactional work, with a robust
de la victime dans les discours juridiques
ancillary executive representation
canadiens et québécois contemporains.
practice.
Jessica Sudbury, BCL/LLB’16, s’est jointe à Bereskin & Parr. Sa pratique est
areas of public, private and family law.
axée sur la propriété intellectuelle et les
20’s
demandes de brevet dans le domaine
Camila Franco, BCL/JD’23, received the
des sciences de la vie.
2023 Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella
Hélia Taheri, BCL/LLB’14, was named
Award of the Royal Society of Canada.
partner in the Corporate Group at Stikeman. She was recognized as one of the country’s best in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in Canada (Corporate category). Anne-Sophie Villeneuve, BCL/LLB’16, was named partner at Davies. SpecializCAMILLE MARCEAU, BCL/LLB’18,
a été sélectionné comme une des The Honourable ALISON HARVISON 100 personnalités excellentes du YOUNG, BC’83, LLB’83, a judge of the Québec par le magazine Entreprendre. Ontario Superior Court of Justice, was Il pratique le litige chez McCarthy appointed to the Court of Appeal for Tétrault à Montréal et il a représenté Ontario. Justice Harvison Young was a plusieurs clients devant la Cour member of the Faculty of Law of McGill suprême du Canada. University from 1988-1998, teaching in the
ing in tax disputes, she represents clients
This prize is presented annually to a graduating law student in every law school in Canada who is most likely to positively influence equity and social justice in Canada or globally. David Gelles, BCL/JD’21, has joined Scarborough Community Legal Services
before the Tax Court of Canada, the
as a staff lawyer.
Federal Court of Appeal, the Court of
Laura Hamdan, BCL/JD’22, won the
Quebec, and the Quebec Court of Appeal.
James H. Bocking Memorial Award of
est orientée sur les fusions et
David Wilson, BCL/LLB’14, was made
the Canadian Bar Association for her
acquisitions, les réorganisations
partner at Osler, where he is a member
corporatives, les émissions privées
of the taxation group.
et les projets d’infrastructure,
Alyssa Wiseman, BCL/LLB’16, was
tant du secteur public que privé.
named partner at Davies. She works with
s’est jointe au groupe Droit des sociétés et droit commercial de Fasken à Montréal. Sa pratique
clients across a broad range of industries, including aerospace, retail, communications, and media.
47
paper titled “Algorithmic Collusion: From Smokeroom to Code Lines? How Collusion Can Evolve & Are We Prepared.” This prize is awarded to the best scholarly paper submitted on a subject relating to Canadian competition law or policy.
ALUMNOTES Kevin Nicholls-Dempsey, BCL/JD’21,
Balarama Holness, BCL/JD’21,
s’est joint au cabinet Blake, Cassels &
published his autobiography Eyes on
Graydon. Sa pratique est axée sur le droit
the Horizon — My Journey Toward Justice
commercial et des sociétés, notamment
(HarperCollins, 2023). A former Grey
les opérations de fusions et acquisitions.
Cup champion, he founded Montreal in Action, a grassroots organization advocating against systemic racism, and ran for mayor in the 2021 Montreal municipal elections. Anne Iavarone-Turcotte, LLM’15, DCL’21, a reçu une mention d’honneur dans la catégorie de la meilleure thèse doctorale durant le congrès de l’Association des professeures et professeurs de droit du Québec. Sa thèse, intitulée Le choix : un paradigme, ses problèmes et des solutions pour penser le multiculturalisme et
AMÉLIA SOUFFRANT, BCL/JD’23, was one of the recipients of the 2023 Lieutenant Governor of Quebec’s Youth Medal. She was honoured for her involvement in tackling issues faced by BIPOC communities.
KANGNI HAN, BCL/JD’22, s’est
les femmes, a été réalisée sous la direction
jointe au groupe de Droit des affaires
du professeur Daniel Weinstock.
de Stikeman Elliott comme avocate,
Marc-Antoine Jutras, LLM’22, s’est joint
Jennifer Rogers, BCL/JD’21, joined the
à Norton Rose Fulbright, où il pratique
Department of Justice Tax Law Services
le litige civil et commercial.
in Vancouver as counsel.
après y avoir réalisé son stage.
McGill Law News, all year round Send us your updates and alumnotes at comms.law@mcgill.ca Read the web version of Focus Law/Droit at focuslaw.mcgill.ca Joignez-nous sur les réseaux sociaux : McGill University - Faculty of Law mcgill.ca/x/U2t
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Dean Robert Leckey mcgill.ca/x/UX9
@LawMcGill
48
FOCU S LAW / 2 02 3 -2 02 4 / M C G IL L UN IVE RS ITY
The Chancellor Day Circle Charles Dewey Day fut le premier chancelier de l’Université McGill et, en tant que l’un des trois codificateurs du Code civil du Bas-Canada, une éminence dans l’histoire du droit civil au Québec. Named in his honour, the Chancellor Day Circle was founded in 2017 to celebrate the Faculty of Law’s most significant donors. Admission to the Circle is bestowed on donors who have given $100,000 or more to the Faculty of Law. La Faculté de droit remercie les membres du Cercle Chancellor-Day pour leur soutien inestimable :
Alex Kam-Wah Woo
Hillel Rosen & Liane Feldman
Mitch Garber, CM, & Anne-Marie Boucher
The Amiel Foundation
Ian Cuillerier
Mitzi and Mel Dobrin Family
Anna Loparco
Ian C. Pilarczyk
Nahum Gelber, CM, KC
Anne-France Goldwater
IMK LLP/S.E.N.C.R.L.
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Anna Yang & Joseph Schull
Isabelle Marcoux, CM
Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Ariel & Catherine Deckelbaum
James A. Robb, KC, Ad E
Penny & Gordon Echenberg
Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation
James A. Woods, Ad E
Peter D. Nesgos
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
The Hon. James C. K.-Hugessen, CM
Philippe Lette, CM
The Blema & Arnold Steinberg Foundation
Jordan & Caren Waxman
Québecor inc
BMO Financial Group
Kenneth Burke & Richard Adams
Richard Aftanas
The Boeing Company
Kugler Kandestin LLP
Richard Bogoroch
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
LGBT Purge Fund
Rio Tinto
Christopher Hoffmann & Joan Eakin
The Hon. L. Yves Fortier, PC, CC, OQ, KC
Robert L. Katz & Christina H. Otto
Clive & Barbara Allen & Family
Li Ka-Shing (Canada) Foundation
Robert L. Raich & Marlene Raich
The Chawkers Foundation
Robert Raizenne
Colin Stephen Baxter & Rachel Ralston Baxter
Marcel J. Arsenault & Cynda Collins-Arsenault
David P. O’Brien, OC
Mark A. Godsy
Scott Henderson
David W. Binet
Marlene & Joel King
Sophie Nappert
Davies Ward Phillips and Vineberg LLP
Maryse D. Bertrand, Ad E, & M. William Brock, Ad E
Stephen Allan Scott
Donald E. Meehan Donner Canadian Foundation Éric St-Pierre Fasken Fondation J. A. DeSève Gregory J. David
Masao Sekiguchi McCarthy Tétrault LLP The McConnell Foundation McMillan S.E.N.C.R.L., s.r.l./LLP Merle Wertheimer & Sam Hornstein
Roderick A. Macdonald & Shelley Freeman
Stephen Halperin & Andrea Morris Halperin Stikeman Elliott LLP Susan Wells Tunnell & David Tunnell William Friedman
Le futur du droit des affaires Forgé par vous Forgé par McGill
$4.5M raised to establish the Elizabeth Carmichael Monk, QC, Chair in Business Law – thank you! Funded by engaged alumni, this chair will serve as the centre for a hub of excellence in business law, bolster teaching and research activities, strengthen connections with alumni in practice, and inspire generations of future leaders in business. Our heartfelt thanks to campaign leaders David Binet, LLB’85, and Marc Barbeau, BCL’84, LLB’84, and to all donors who have contributed to this success!
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