Mtre Aline Quach’s story
Giving back to society
“My participation in various activities at the Bar of Montreal is both gratifying and worthwhile. I’m learning a lot from all the discussions I have with colleagues who are passionate about law. Not only does it help me improve my own practice, but I’ve also learned more about myself. As a result of my involvement, I’m thinking about ambitious and stimulating projects with my Bar, and becoming an agent of change serving the profession. It is a great privilege to be doing what I love, and as a lawyer from a visible minority, I want to help and support young people who haven’t had the same opportunities I’ve had.”
Aline Quach, Lawyer
Mtre Aline Quach is a legal aid lawyer at the Maisonneuve-Mercier office. In gratitude to the mentors who have supported her, she wants to give back to society and help smooth the way for young people, especially from minorities. Her track record at the Bar of Montreal is impressive, or, as she prefers to put it, exciting: a member of the Liaison with Judicial Services Committee for two years and a member of the Youth Conferences Subcommittee for four years, she is now a member of the Ethnocultural Diversity Committee and the Chair of the Mentoring Committee.
Her personal journey is just as remarkable. Born in Vietnam, she found herself at the age of two in a refugee camp in Guam before immigrating to Quebec, which her family had chosen because of its French character. She grew up in Ville Saint-Laurent, in a multicultural neighbourhood, and quickly got involved with youth through her summer jobs. Fascinated by law, her very first oral argument was to convince her parents (for whom a professional was a doctor, pharmacist or dentist) to let her register in the Faculty of Law at the Université de Montréal.
Admitted to the Barreau du Québec in 1996, Mtre Quach chose to complete her articling in legal aid. After a few years at a private law firm, she returned to her first love, legal aid, where she practises mainly in family law, although she has acted in civil and administrative suits, as well as in matters to defend the social rights of the disadvantaged.
Mtre Quach hopes to help break the isolation that surrounds certain lawyers from cultural communities. Armed with a radiant smile, she carries on her chosen mission, acting in turn as a mentor and sharing her knowledge and experience with the next generation.