Press Release issued on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 (PDF)
Montréal, November 7, 2017 — Mr. Patrick A. Molinari, Ad. E., FRSC, legal counsel at Lavery Lawyers, was elected to a two-year term as president of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ) at CIAJ’s Annual General Meeting, October 12, 2017.
Members of CIAJ’s Executive are typically sitting judges or practicing lawyers. This is the first time CIAJ’s President is a lawyer from Quebec. “A critical first step in improving the administration of justice is education. Educating stakeholders results in a more efficient justice system and ultimately, improves access.” Mr. Molinari noted. “CIAJ provides a unique type of education that unites all members of the justice system, including judges, lawyers, administrative tribunal members, legislative drafters, police officers, law students and court users.”
A highly regarded law expert and professor
Patrick A. Molinari has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1975 and is professor emeritus at the Université de Montréal where he pursued an academic career from 1977 until 2010. During that time, he was director of the Centre de recherche en droit public (Public Law Research Centre), Associate Dean and then Dean of the Faculty of Law, and later Vice-Principal (administration and finance). Expert in health law and policy, he has authored nearly 80 scientific publications. He was appointed visiting professor by various European universities and has advised national and international organizations on matters related to regulation and management of healthcare systems.
Founding co-president of the Société de médecine et de droit du Québec, he served as expert advisor to the Law Reform Commission of Canada and to the World Bank. He presided over the scientific committee of the Institut international d’éthique biomédicale (IIREB) from 2001 until 2009. He was also a member of the management committee of the international health law network of the Agence universitaire de la francophonie. He was a member of the board of directors of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) from 1996 to 2012 and chaired the same board from 2003 until 2012. Previously vice-president of CIAJ, he has served on its board of directors since 2011.
In 2000, he was accepted as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC), Académie des lettres et des sciences sociales, for his significant contribution to health law in Canada. In 2011, the Université de Montréal appointed him Professor Emeritus in recognition of his academic career. He was awarded the status Advocatus Emeritus (Ad. E.) by the Quebec Bar in 2015.