Marie-Anne Paquette was named chief justice of the Superior Court of Quebec on Monday.
The one who was a magistrate in the district of Montreal was chosen by the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau to replace Jacques Fournier, who retired after seven years in office. However, he remains a supernumerary judge.
Prime Minister Trudeau underlined Monday her vast experience, while she notably sat for more than 10 years on the Superior Court of Quebec.
Justice Paquette was appointed to the bench in 2010, and she became coordinating judge of the Chamber of Commerce in 2020.
Before becoming a magistrate, she had been a civil litigation lawyer with McCarthy Tétrault, then at Woods, where she had become a partner before her appointment to the Court. She had also clerked for Beverly McLachlin, when the latter was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.
She became a lawyer in 1994, after studying law at the University of Montreal.
Justice Paquette is not the first woman to hold this prestigious position, as Lyse Lemieux served as head of the Superior Court from 1996 to 2004.
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