Canadian Lawyer

REGIONAL WRAP-UP New French initiatives in N.S., mais oui rench is the focus of two legal ini- tiatives in Nova Scotia. Recently, l'Association des juristes d'expression française de la Nouvelle-Écosse announced it is conducting a survey "to evaluate linguistic capabilities throughout [the Nova Scotia] jus- tice system." According to AJEFNE's announcement in the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society's electronic newsletter, "the results of this study will enable us to evaluate French-language services offered in the judicial system of the province of Nova Scotia and better target our future inter- ventions to meet the needs of our citizens." This brief survey is expected to provide important information. Although NSBS has collected language fluency data for years, this is not the same as knowing who can actu- ally practice in French, says executive direc- tor Darrel Pink. "The AJEFNE is much more focused on the latter. We've never dissected [the data] as clearly or as precisely as AJEFNE does." Lawyers in the province who prefer to read F en français are also getting a helping hand, er, main. The dominoes in this case started to drop when the French lawyers' association urged the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia to translate its new procedural rules into French. The court, in turn, asked the Department of Justice to fund the translation. The department agreed, and got some additional funds from the federal government. Then professionals at the Université de Moncton were hired. The result: a French translation of the Civil Procedure Rules. There is a caveat, however. Only the English rules are official. According to an article in the NSBS InForum newsletter, "The translation is for the convenience of those who prefer the French language, but it does not assist in the interpretation of a Rule." — DM 8 A PRIL 2012 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com CENTRAL FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE LANDS AT BCF as senior counsel. "I have been very active over the years and I did not want to stop," says Robert, who will formally mark 50 years in the legal profession this coming July. There will be continuity in change. Part of Robert's new mandate at BCF will be offering advice and insight on S a major reform of the rules of procedure for Quebec's civil law regime now in the public hearings stage and under committee review by the provincial legislature. "There are some important changes in the [Quebec Code of Civil Procedure], if adopted, especially a very strong emphasis on the prevention and settlement of conflict by mediation, and I want to advise and train some of the younger lawyers, and clients (including the chiefs of legal departments) about where we are going and what the challenges are," says Robert. Putting an increased emphasis on conflict resolution instead of the traditional adversarial court system was one of the matters Robert advocated during just over nine years as chief justice of the Quebec Court of Appeal, often working alongside other top Canadian judges looking to make the court system more accessible, faster, and less costly. Robert is also looking forward to coaching young lawyers — or even not- Former top judge J.J. Michel Robert is back in private practice. so-young lawyers — on their strategic approach and arguments for court cases, drawing on 33 years of experience as a litigator and some 3,600 opinions he wrote as a judge. His advice to litigators is to "concentrate on one, two, three points at the most. The best lawyers do it, but younger ones — they don't want to forget or abandon anything, or leave something out — try and cover too much," says Robert. "Make it simple, not stupid, but simple." Robert will work on business development at BCF and assume an ambassadorial role for the firm, a role he is familiar with, having raised the visibility of the Quebec Court of Appeal by promoting exchanges with judges in other countries and jurisdictions. In fact, he says, joining BCF is a bit like returning to his roots as a lawyer practising with a Quebec-anchored firm, with offices in Montreal and Quebec City, and strategic legal alliances outside of Quebec and Canada. Will he miss being a judge? "I enjoyed every minute of it over my 16 years," says Robert. "After a while it is time to do other things." — KATHRYN LEGER kathryn.leger@videotron.ca ix months after retiring as Quebec's top judge, J.J. Michel Robert has no intention of ending his prolific legal career. Instead, Robert, who turned 74 in January, has decided to join Quebec law firm BCF LLP

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