成人VR视频

The Centre's team

Assistant Directors

ALEXANDRA BAHARY-DIONNE

alexandra.bahary-dionne [at] mcgill.ca (Alexandra Bahary-Dionne) is a doctoral candidate at the Civil Law Section of the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, where she is conducting research on the evolution of the legal framework governing personal debt in the context of economic financialization. Her work examines the interaction between law, economics, and social inequality from an interdisciplinary perspective grounded in the sociology of law, economic sociology, and socio-legal history. She is particularly interested in the role of private law in regulating economic power relations and in the interactions between social law and private law that characterize the transformation of the welfare state.

As part of her doctoral research, Alexandra was a visiting scholar at the Centre for the Sociology of Organizations at Sciences Po Paris (2023鈥2024), and at the Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Social Sciences at Universit茅 Paris-Dauphine (2025). She also coordinated the Pluridisciplinary Observatory on the Evolution of Private Law at the University of Ottawa and has taken part in various collaborative research projects on topics ranging from access to justice and consumer law to postcolonial perspectives on private law, artificial intelligence, and digital cultures.

Her work has been published in several academic journals, including Les Cahiers de droit, Revue de droit de l鈥橴niversit茅 de Sherbrooke, Revue Femmes et droit, European Review of Digital Administration and Law, and Sociologie et soci茅t茅s. She is also the author of L鈥檃cc猫s 脿 la justice au prisme des savoirs profanes (PUL, 2024), a book based on her award-winning master鈥檚 thesis, which received the Minerve Prize. Her doctoral research was also recognized with the Rel猫ve en droit civil award from the Jean-Louis Baudouin Chair at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al.

Her research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec (FRQ), and the Montreal Centre for Research on Social Inequalities (CREMIS), among others.

Since 2022, Alexandra has taught the law of obligations at the University of Ottawa鈥檚 Faculty of Law. In 2026, she will begin postdoctoral research at the 脡cole des hautes 茅tudes en sciences sociales (EHESS), funded by the FRQ, on the impact of pension fund real estate investments on the right to housing.

VAL脡RINE PINEL (on parental leave)

valerine.pinel [at] mcgill.ca (Val茅rine Pinel) became Assistant Director of the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre for Private and Comparative Law in December 2024. Prior to this role, she worked there as a Researcher/Project Coordinator since February 2024.

Trained in civil law in France, Val茅rine has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in private law and a master鈥檚 degree in criminal law from Toulouse Capitole University. Alongside her studies and numerous student jobs, she worked at the Genepi student association for four years. As a volunteer, Val茅rine taught incarcerated women, hosted a radio program, and participated in civil society awareness events on prison issues.

She discovered bijuralism in Quebec in 2018 through a double degree between Laval University and Toulouse Capitole University, which allowed her to obtain two master鈥檚 degrees in law from each country. Her research essay focused on the repercussions of preventive detention on fundamental rights.

Thanks to her experience in Quebec, Val茅rine developed a love for research, which led her to work as a research assistant at Laval University, in criminal and civil law with several professors from the Faculty of Law. She coordinated the Louis-Philippe-Pigeon Chair in Legal Writing for a year, before returning to France during the pandemic. During this transition period in France, Val茅rine worked for the Ministry of Justice as a probation officer. She also worked as a school teacher for a few months before returning to Quebec.

From 2022 to January 2024, Val茅rine was the coordinator of the Antoine-Turmel Research Chair at Laval University. Her research work has mainly focused on gender and age biases during the sentencing trial concerning older women, as well as on end-of-life care in Quebec.


Senior Administrative Coordinator

SONIA DE RIGGI

sonia.deriggi [at] mcgill.ca (Sonia De Riggi) works part-time as Senior Administrative Coordinator for the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre for Private and Comparative since March 2025.

She has worked at 成人VR视频 for 7 years and been at the Faculty of Law for 3 years.


Researchers

KAYLEY LAURA LATA

photo Kayley Laura Lata

kayley.lata [at] mcgill.ca (Kayley Laura Lata) has been a researcher at the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre for Private and Comparative Law since May 2024.

She is interested in the interconnection between law and the humanities. She is also interested in legal exceptionalism, specifically as it applies to pharmaceutical policy. In the past, she has also shown interest in examining the reasons and legal reasoning underpinning administrative and judicial decisions.

Kayley Laura completed her LL.M. at 成人VR视频 under the supervision of Professor Daniel Weinstock. She wrote her master's thesis on the notion of medical necessity underlying the coverage of health care services in Quebec and Canada. Her thesis traces the genealogy of medical necessity while inquiring into the methods and epistemology of law.

During her studies, she was a fellow of the Department of Equity, Ethics and Policy at 成人VR视频's School of Population and Global Health.

She also completed her Quebec Bar exams.

ATAG脺N MERT听KEJANLIO臑LU

atagun.kejanlioglu [at] mcgill.ca (Atag眉n Mert Kejanl谋o臒lu)听works part-time at the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre for Private and Comparative Law. He is a DCL candidate at 成人VR视频鈥檚 Faculty of Law. He holds an undergraduate degree in law and a master鈥檚 degree in Public Law from Galatasaray University (Istanbul, Turkey). He obtained another master鈥檚 degree in Fundamental Public Law from University Paris 1 Panth茅on-Sorbonne in 2016 with his dissertation on Turkish and French presidency. He also worked as a research and teaching assistant in the constitutional law department at MEF University Faculty of Law (Istanbul, Turkey). For his doctoral studies, he received a research grant from the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec - Soci茅t茅 et culture (FQRSC). His research interests include comparative constitutional law, constitutional theory, and European human rights law.

EDITH PERRAULT

edith.perraulthebert [at] mcgill.ca (Edith Perrault) is a lawyer, doctoral student in law at the University of Ottawa, and lecturer at the University of Quebec in Montreal.

GHYSLAIN RAZA

ghyslain.raza [at] mail.mcgill.ca (Ghyslain Raza) is a Ph.D. candidate in law at Queen鈥檚 University. His dissertation, Cycles of Law: The Problem of the Duality of Law, supervised by Professor Gr茅goire Webber, explores the tension between the concepts of ius and lex, and the need for their reconciliation within legal theory.

He holds an LL.M. in Comparative Law from the Faculty of Law at 成人VR视频, where his thesis, Fran莽ois-Joseph Cugnet and the Formation of the Quebec Legal Tradition, was awarded the Henri-Capitant Prize for the best master鈥檚 thesis in law. He also completed at 成人VR视频 his degrees in civil law and common law (B.C.L., LL.B.), and was awarded the Wainwright Essay Prize for the best contribution to civil law by an undergraduate student.

His research interests include legal philosophy, the history of legal traditions, constitutional law, comparative law, and Quebec鈥檚 civil law. He also teaches at the Faculty of Law at Universit茅 de Montr茅al, including courses such as Foundations of Law, Constitutional Law, Legal Theory, Statutory Interpretation and Legal Reasoning, and Civil Law and Common Law. He also worked as a research assistant on various projects in private law, comparative law, and the philosophy of law.

A recipient of several awards and scholarships, including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Pilarczyk Graduate Award, and the Soberman Doctoral Scholarship in Constitutional and Federalism Studies, Ghyslain pursues his research from both historical and theoretical perspectives, seeking to bring legal traditions into dialogue to illuminate contemporary understandings of law.

NATACHA TRAUTMANN

natacha.trautmann [at] mcgill.ca (Natacha Trautmann) is a researcher responsible for event coordination and communications at the Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre for Private and Comparative Law.

After a bachelor's degree in law and a bachelor's degree in modern literature from Aix-Marseille University in France, Natacha continued her studies at the Institute of Public Management in Aix-en-Provence. There, she obtained a master's degree in cultural project management, specializing in management and law. This training allowed her to combine her interest in law and her appetite for the cultural field by giving her the skills necessary to create projects and the legal knowledge required to protect artists.

Before arriving in Montreal in 2024, Natacha worked for two years as a project manager at a community center in Arles, where she had the opportunity to participate in the creation and development of its activities.

Once in Montreal, she joined the Survenants team as a logistics project coordinator for cultural and gastronomic events. This experience greatly helped her discover Montreal and Quebec culture in its most gourmet aspects.

Natacha has a keen interest in the legal field and is delighted to be able to combine all the different facets of her training at the Centre Cr茅peau and learn more about Quebec's bijural context.

Scholars

Students

Thomas Lessard

Photo Thomas Lessard1. What prompted you to become a researcher at the Cr茅peau Centre?

In my first year of law school, I had the opportunity to participate in multiple workshops and seminars, explore numerous doctrinal texts, and engage in a variety of discussions with professionals from different fields. Every time I found myself interested in a particular assignment or project, the Centre was involved in one way or another. I recall reading family law texts by Professor Christine Morin and attending a conference by Professor Micha毛l Lessard, and noticing that all these experts who interested me were either directly or indirectly involved with the Centre's activities. Consequently, I too wanted to get involved in this "epicentre" for private and comparative law research.

2. How does bilingualism influence your approach and understanding of the law and its issues?

"To imagine a language means to imagine a form of life," said Wittgenstein. Some see bilingualism as a simple tool for translation. However, a word represents much more than its letters and pronunciation, which is why words evolve and definitions change. Between French and English, one realizes the influence that human "creations," like forms of law or types of languages, have on their own "creators." It is through this lens that law and its issues must be considered鈥攏ot as a simple tool for justice, but as one of those living machines, whose parts have been assembled through trial and error. Certainly, some of these parts are rusted or broken, but we will continue to change and improve them, for鈥攍ike our language鈥攖his machine needs us as much as we need it.

3. What are the qualities or shortcomings of a good legal researcher?

In my view, the foremost quality of a good legal researcher is an awareness of their interests. Identifying what sparks our curiosity and drives us to delve deeper transforms a simple research topic into a personal quest for knowledge. Whether through the perspective from which one addresses a legal issue or through the choice of approach, a good legal researcher will find a way to become passionate. This not only makes the process more personal and enriching but also results in a final product of superior quality. However, this attribute can become a drawback when our interest causes us to lose track of time and overlook the typically demanding schedule of legal research.


Michelle Lewis

Michelle Lewis is entering her second year of the B.C.L./J.D. program at 成人VR视频鈥檚 Faculty of Law. During her first year of law school, she developed a keen interest in the differences between civil law and common law, particularly in how private law can influence broader public policy questions and the exercise of rights. This interest drew her to the Centre Cr茅peau. Raised as an anglophone with Franco-Ontarian roots, Michelle has always been fascinated by the relationship between language and identity, particularly how differences in language can shape people鈥檚 understanding of and interaction with legal systems. She is especially interested in the Dictionary project for its role in bridging the French and English expressions of Quebec civil law, particularly in situations where direct translation fails to capture the historical, cultural, and legal contexts surrounding specific concepts. Michelle sees the project as a unique opportunity to contribute to improving access to justice while supporting continued exchange and innovation within Canada鈥檚 transsystemic legal landscape.

Before starting law school, Michelle earned an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Science with an Advanced Minor in French as a Second Language from the University of Ottawa. She also worked as a Parliamentary Intern with the Canadian Political Science Association, where she collaborated with Members of Parliament, travelled on legislative study tours, and researched the impact of short social media clips on parliamentary behaviour. Additionally, through her experience with the House of Commons Page Program and various parliamentary clerks, Michelle contributed to research examining the potential implementation of gender-neutral language in parliamentary procedures and drafting, which she is keen to explore in the context of the Civil Code.

Her broader interests include the Quebec Charter and the Canadian Charter, especially how they each define and articulate rights, differ, and interact, as well as federalism and constitutional amendment procedures.


L茅onard Ouellette

L茅onard Ouellette is a student in the B.C.L./J.D. program at 成人VR视频鈥檚 Faculty of Law, where he is also pursuing a minor in political science. Passionate about issues of access to justice, his involvement with the Mobile Legal Clinic has allowed him to see, firsthand, the impact that private law can have on the lives of vulnerable populations. The Paul-Andr茅 Cr茅peau Centre鈥檚 project to develop bilingual private law dictionaries and glossaries therefore naturally aligns with his interest in making legal vocabulary more accessible to the general public. He joins the Centre with the goal of combining the rigor of legal theory with the practical realities faced by those seeking justice.


In the summer of 2025, L茅onard completed a three-month internship with the NGO Inclusiva in Chile, an organization that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities in the context of climate risk adaptation and climate change. There, he produced a podcast featuring 10 interviews in Spanish and forged valuable connections with various stakeholders in academia and civil society. These encounters inspired him to draft a research project on intercultural conceptions of disability as a tool for rethinking the universalist framework that protects the rights of people with disabilities. He emerged from this internship with a deep conviction that enhanced dialogue between different languages and legal traditions can advance legal thinking, and he is eager to build on this momentum at the Cr茅peau Centre.


As president of the 成人VR视频 Law Students鈥 Association, L茅onard firmly believes in the power of a close-knit community. He is therefore thrilled to join the wonderful team at the Cr茅peau Centre, where, for over 50 years, a community of young and brilliant minds has thrived, driven by a shared mission to promote our Canadian civil law tradition from a comparative perspective.


Erin Porter

Erin is a J.D./B.C.L. candidate at 成人VR视频 Faculty of Law. Prior to beginning law school, she received her B.A. from the University of Toronto, specializing in Quebec history and European affairs, where she graduated as a Provost Scholar. She continues to pursue her interest in Quebec-related history as a research assistant with the University of Toronto.

Erin鈥檚 research interests include comparative law, privacy, and health law. As a researcher at the Centre of Genomics and Policy, she contributed to work on genetic discrimination, and has published two articles in the area of health law and genetic discrimination. Erin is also the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Quid, the 成人VR视频 Faculty of Law鈥檚 student newspaper.
This summer, Erin is especially excited to bring her interest in Quebec history, language, and law together at the Centre. The impact that Qu茅b茅cois culture has had on Canada鈥檚 social, political, and legal landscape has occupied her interest for many years, and studying law at 成人VR视频 has provided Erin with the opportunity to explore this impact in a bilingual and bijuridical environment.


Charlotte Ruffo听

Charlotte Ruffo1. What prompted you to become a researcher at the Cr茅peau Centre?听

When you study law, you learn a new language. As I have always loved words, writing, and reading, I must admit that this year, more than ever, I have discovered their power. I wanted to work at the Centre because I think that the work being done there is essential. Legal dictionaries are invaluable tools that enable a dialogue between French and English within the same legal tradition. I believe that this project contributes to dismantling certain barriers that language creates for law students, legal experts and citizens.听

2. How does bilingualism influence your approach and听understanding of the law and its issues?听

Issues of translation and linguistics deeply resonate with me as a Francophone who doesn't want to see French disappear from the 成人VR视频 community, and who certainly does not want to see English-speaking colleagues hindered in their study of Quebec civil law due to a lack of resources in English. In this sense, bilingualism is a real advantage in my eyes. It is very rewarding to work with a team of people whose mother tongue is either French or English. The Centre's researchers are always helping each other out, which I think encourages wonderful exchanges! I learn tremendously from my colleagues.听


Nancy Tang Chen

Nancy Tang Chen is a law student entering her second year of the BCL/JD program at 成人VR视频鈥檚 Faculty of Law. Her interest in the Centre began with a growing curiosity about the omnipresent ambiguity within Law: its societal role where hope that 鈥渏ustice is blind鈥 often turns into frustration towards rigid institutions blind to human realities; its legal interpretation at the whims of changing circumstances; and its semantics vulnerable to judicial ideologies. If an answer to these tensions exist, they surely lie within the Dictionary of Persons, born from the critical intersection between the rigor of legal terminology and the lived human experience it seeks to structure. An entire legal language then takes shape.

Nancy鈥檚 fascination with linguistic expression across various mediums, such as poetry recitation, acting, and literature, leads her to constantly question the stories hidden behind every word. The meticulous work of the Dictionary project at the Centre provides the ideal setting to nourish this curiosity. Nancy is particularly interested in comparative law and pluralism that is manifested in the historical, social, and political contexts at the margins of legal traditions. She developed this interest through her work as an editor for the law journals Inter Gentes: Journal of International Law and Legal Pluralism and Rooted: Indigenous Legal Traditions. She continues to pursue these interests as a Research Assistant to Professor Rosalie Jukier, collaborating on comparative law projects focused on mixed jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom and Scotland, as well as colonial and customary law in South Africa. Her desire to use law to serve her community is reflected in her volunteer commitments with organizations such as Juripop, the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) as a Co-Director, and the Compass Legal Clinic as a caseworker.

The Cr茅peau Centre thanks the听 and the听听for their financial support.

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