Tommy Tremblay named president of the Quebec Branch of CBA

Tommy Tremblay of Langlois lawyers has been named branch president of the Quebec division of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) for 2020-2021. CBA-Quebec represents some 2,200 lawyers, judges, notaries, law professors, law students from across the province.

The Montreal-based civil litigator and partner has been a member of CBA-Quebec for twenty years, becoming active in the Quebec Business Law section in 2012. Last year, Tremblay served as president of the national Business Law section.

“It was very exciting,” Tremblay told Canadian Lawyer of being named president of CBA-Quebec; his one-year term began on July 1.

As a commercial litigator, and a certified corporate director, Tremblay says he is often involved in management issues that have a legal impact; “I enjoy that aspect of my practice, of being close to management, the boards of directors of companies, and I have a clear understanding of what’s going on, their issues and challenges, in order to become a better advisor, to meet their needs and help them … “

Particular challenges have arisen during the current COVID-19 pandemic that makes that help all the more critical, and Tremblay says he’s looking forward to that challenge.

“We need to be very aware of the challenges” because of their impact on businesses in Quebec and elsewhere, but also on lawyers’ practices, he says. “I’m a partner in my law firm, [and] we’ve had to react to this crisis, as a business and for the benefit of our clients,” and the way his own firm has managed the crisis has provided useful guidance.

“Challenges will remain, and we don’t know when this pandemic will end; we need to be flexible, but also make sure that our base is strong, so that we can face the difficult choices or situations that may arise. “

The CBA as a whole is a very strong organization, he says, and supports its members, many of whom volunteer their time in leadership positions. “I believe we have very good strength to meet these challenges. I’m confident we’ll get through, but we need to work together,” internally as well as with law firms, in-house counsel and the judiciary, “so that the whole system will continue to work properly, and even work more efficiently than it does now. The pandemic can give a very good lesson [in efficiency], and we need to learn from it.”

Tremblay also credits Pascale Pageau, his predecessor as CBA-Quebec president, who went through the first impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the spring. “I believe under the leadership of Pascale, we took the right decisions and moved to more technological tools in order to better serve our members.” CBA-Quebec began to offer webinars and training on the legal impact of COVID-19, offering activities that were free for all members. It also developed an online service called “Onregle,” developed with a company called LegalTech, by which members could provide online legal services that were more affordable for clients, including alternative dispute resolution and arbitration, and which they could pay with a “predetermined lump sum amount. It’s an interesting tool, and for clients to have access to affordable legal services, it serves the need of society as a whole. We’ll continue to work on and develop similar products.”

Other goals of his mandate include focussing on effective deployment of virtual court hearings, and by supporting law students and young lawyers in the early stages of their careers.

“We’re honoured that Tommy Tremblay, partner at Langlois, has been chosen to chair CBA-Quebec. His commitment, his vast experience and his dedication will be crucial to carrying out his duties,” Jean-François Gagnon, chief executive officer of Langlois lawyers, said in the firm’s news release of Tremblay’s appointment.