Gowling WLG partner receives award for contributions to French law

François Baril, a litigation partner at Gowling WLG in Ottawa, has received the Order of Merit award from the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Ontario (AJEFO).

 

The Order of Merit award is given to one or two AJEFO members annually, recognizing their contributions to the promotion of legal services in French, their support of the development of common law in French, and their leadership within the Franco-Ontarian community. Baril will formally receive the award next month, at AJEFO’s 40th annual conference in Sudbury.

 

Baril began his legal career with Gowling WLG as an articling student in 1996 and has been with the firm ever since, with the exception of a brief hiatus in 2004-05 when he practised in Washington, DC. He has been repeatedly recognized in Benchmark Canada as a leading litigator, as well as in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and in Chambers in the areas of medical negligence and health law.

 

From 2014 to 2016, Baril was president of AJEFO. During his term, he supported the opening of the first Legal Information Centre in Ontario, which provides free bilingual legal information and referral services to Ontario residents. He was also a significant supporter of the “Bilingual Ottawa” initiative, which, in 2017, resulted in the City of Ottawa Act being amended, officially recognizing the bilingual character of the capital.

 

“I am deeply honoured to receive the Order of Merit,” Baril said. “Access to justice, particularly for vulnerable populations, is essential to our social fabric and to the public’s confidence in our justice system. I am proud to be associated with the AJEFO and its important work, and will continue to be an advocate for this important cause.”