-Me Caroline Biron. Photo : Archives
–
–
–
Me Caroline Biron de Woods received his invitation to join the Litigation Counsel of America. This very select club has only 3,500 members, less than half of the 1 percent of North American litigation lawyers. Droit-inc spoke with her about this honor, but also about the practice of litigation in general.
How did you know you were going to be an ACL Fellows?
They are my two associates, James Woods and Patrick Ouellet, who told me about it in early January. Since they are both fellows too, the LCA wrote to them to confirm with them that I had what it takes to be admitted. What they did, of course!
I received my official invitation in the mail on March 8, right on International Women’s Day. I was so happy! It is quite an honor, especially since it is very masculine as a circle. I find that often women are less recognized, especially in these American designations. However, we have our place.
What will it change for you, more concretely?
As a Fellow, I will be able to propose new appointments, which I intend to do. I will submit female nominations, that’s for sure. I have associates who would be excellent fellows.
Apart from this opportunity, it will above all be a great opportunity to network in their events, once the pandemic is over. There is also an SEO tool. If, for example, a large company that does not usually do business in Quebec has a dispute here, they will try to find an LCA Fellow to represent them. It is a way of attracting very interesting mandates.
You have pleaded before the highest courts in the country. Was this an important criterion to obtain this title?
I think so. Having argued before the Supreme Court certainly worked in my favor. In commercial litigation, it is very rare that we have this opportunity since the court must first agree to hear us. And for it to accept, we must demonstrate that our cause has a national interest, which goes beyond the interest of our case. It is not easy to have a file that meets this criterion.
We talk a lot about the qualities of a litigator. Is this the mark of a great litigation lawyer to excel at the art of advocacy?
In fact, we go to court less and less often. Personally, I have always thought that a case could be won even before going to trial. In the way we set it up, in the way we conducted our interrogations, in the way we used strategy.
I’m glad I litigated a lot during my career, but the primary role of a good lawyer is to give the client the right facts and to present them with out-of-court settlement opportunities when they exist. This is the case for most cases. Often, the best interests of the company are to find a solution, not to have a judgment.
This is what sets great lawyers apart from others. A great lawyer is always able to have an honest discussion with his client, to present to him the costs and the risks of a lawsuit.
What qualities do you consider essential to become an excellent litigation lawyer and possibly have the chance to be admitted to the LCA?
We often use the word passion and it is a bit overused, but you have to really love what you do. In litigation, you have to love people, our clients, their stories. And take an interest in the facts. When we are really interested in people’s stories, we manage to better appropriate them and therefore to better represent them. The judges appreciate that we have good control over our cases. It is a guarantee of success.
You have to be resilient and understand that both wins and losses are part of the life of litigation. To get a good night’s sleep, you have to be able to tell yourself that you gave your all and that the outcome belongs to the Court.
– .
