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Mtre M\u00e9lanie Dugr\u00e9: Getting involved for others… and for yourself!<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n By Pierre-Luc Beauchesne, lawyer<\/em> Admitted to the Bar in 2001, M\u00e9lanie has always practised in litigation. After studying law at McGill University, she began her career at McCarthy T\u00e9trault, first as a student, then as an articling student and finally as a lawyer. In 2007, she left private practice, where she had worked primarily in medical liability, to join the Legal Affairs team at The Canada Life Assurance Company, where she gradually rose through the ranks to the position of Assistant Vice-President and Senior Legal Counsel, which she has held since January 2020. For Mtre Dugr\u00e9, it is clear that the transition from private to in-house practice has allowed her to devote more time to her family and to be the kind mother she wanted to be. The mother of three \u2013 Alexandre (15), \u00c9tienne (12) and Laurence (9) \u2013 feels fulfilled both personally and professionally.<\/p>\n Within Canada Life’s Legal Affairs team, her practice remains focused primarily on litigation, but extends to other areas, including managing the team of legal assistants and paralegals. In addition to acting in insurance law cases, Melanie provides legal support for human resources, which also allows her to practise in labour law. After more than 13 years, she still enjoys the collaboration between the different specialized teams and feels that she can make things happen by putting together everyone’s areas of expertise. More than anything, she appreciates the fact that senior management respects the opinions of her lawyers and recognizes the added value they bring to the company.<\/p>\n In 2010, a colleague told her about the \u201cWrite for Justice\u201d contest committee and encouraged her to join. The Bar of Montreal therefore owes the recruitment of this extraordinary volunteer to the Honourable Suzanne Courchesne, now a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec. M\u00e9lanie jumped at this opportunity, which allowed her to combine her strong interest in writing with her desire to contribute to her Bar. She still sits on this committee, which has since merged with the public speaking competition, an activity for which, unsurprisingly, M\u00e9lanie agreed to use her talents to help CEGEP students by acting for a few years as moderator.<\/p>\n As the Chair of the Member Relations Committee, M\u00e9lanie is particularly proud of having headed up unifying projects, such as the \u201cC\u2019est mon barreau<\/em>\u201d campaign, which introduced lawyers from various backgrounds who were all committed to the activities of their Bar, and the \u201cEN-T\u00caTE pour un juste \u00e9quilibre<\/em>\u201d campaign to break the taboos surrounding mental health and raise lawyers\u2019 awareness about the importance of living a balanced life. For her, these two Bar of Montreal initiatives send a clear message: The Bar of Montreal serves all the members of the section, and it is committed to their well-being.<\/p>\n However, this dynamic lawyer\u2019s involvement does not end there. In collaboration with Dr. Martin Juneau, cardiologist and Director of Prevention at the Montreal Heart Institute, M\u00e9lanie and the Member Relations Committee will launch a new campaign in the coming months. As she points out: \u201cAfter our EN-T\u00caTE<\/em> campaign on mental health, the EN-CORPS<\/em> campaign will raise lawyers\u2019 awareness about the importance of being physically fit, especially during the difficult time we are now experiencing\u201d. M\u00e9lanie invites members to participate in their Bar\u2019s activities, but especially to share their ideas: \u201cWe want a unifying barreau, which backs projects that make sense for its members. Hence the importance of their sharing their ideas with us.\u201d<\/p>\n If M\u00e9lanie is so committed, it\u2019s to give back a little of what she has received. Prominent figures have crossed her path: her parents, the Honourable David Lametti who, while teaching at McGill University, convinced her that her place was in the Faculty of Law, and former colleagues at McCarthy T\u00e9trault, Mtre Julie Chenette and the Honourable Catherine Mandeville and the Honourable Marie Anne Paquette, who were a great source of inspiration to her, as well as Mtre Sylvia Reiter, the founder of the Legal Affairs Department at Canada Life, a demanding manager and an invaluable mentor.<\/p>\n From 2011 to 2016, Mtre Dugr\u00e9 also worked with the \u201cD\u00e9bats\u201d section of the daily newspaper La Presse<\/em> and published a collection of writings entitled Lumi\u00e8res du Phare<\/em>, benefiting the pediatric palliative care centre, the Lighthouse, Children and Families. It is obvious that writing is central to Mtre Dugr\u00e9\u2019s commitment, and is a perfect example of a person contributing to society while following her passion. For M\u00e9lanie, being involved must be done wholeheartedly and be beneficial to oneself as well as others.<\/p>\n For the Bar of Montreal, this volunteer has contributed immeasurably to it. Moreover, Mrs. Gislaine Dufault, Communications Director and Special Advisor, who has been on the receiving end of M\u00e9lanie\u2019s dedicated efforts since 2010, told the writer of this article that she was impatiently awaiting the legalization of human cloning for worthwhile endeavours, so that multiple copies could be made of M\u00e9lanie!<\/p>\n Congratulations, Mtre Dugr\u00e9, and thank you for showcasing our profession.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mtre M\u00e9lanie Dugr\u00e9: Getting involved for others… and for yourself!<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":153,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","inline_featured_image":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3617","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
(Article published on June 9, 2020)<\/span><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.barreaudemontreal.qc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/dugre_melanie.jpg\")
<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Each year, the Prix Pierre-Fournier<\/em> is awarded to an individual who has distinguished him- or herself by making an outstanding contribution to the Bar and its activities. This year, the outgoing B\u00e2tonnier, Mtre Alexandre Forest, should have presented the award at the annual general meeting, but the pandemic thwarted his plans. Nevertheless, he was pleased to announce that the Council, with the support of the Conference of Former B\u00e2tonniers, had decided to give the award to Mtre M\u00e9lanie Dugr\u00e9, who, among other things, has chaired the Member Relations Committee since 2013 and has introduced us to some lawyers with remarkable profiles thanks to the numerous Figure de ma\u00eetre <\/em>features she has written. Today, it is her turn to step into the spotlight.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.barreaudemontreal.qc.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/default\/files\/bann_figuredemaitre_500.jpg\")
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