Judge Jean-Louis Baudouin, an eminent lawyer and an inspiration to the legal profession, is one of the great humanists of contemporary law. In 1999, a journalist wrote that he was "a star in the sky of Quebec justice, an intellectual landmark invaluable in the face of an uncertain future."
Justice Baudouin has never been afraid to face uncharted territory. He is eager to explore the latest and most controversial developments, for example, the commercialization of DNA and genetic manipulation. He has devoted his life to defending the values which define society — as a professor for 26 years, as a judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal for 12 years, architect of the civil code reform in Quebec, active member of the national law reform committee and expert on complicated ethical issues.
It is said that Justice Baudouin was born a lawyer, into a family that spans 10 generations of attorneys. Although he has primarily pursued his career in Montreal, he has also taught in Addis-Ababa, Strasbourg, Pescara, Warsaw, Fribourg, Paris, Louisiana and Toronto. An internationally renowned authority, over the past decade he has given more than 100 public lectures and conferences.