sylvie@schirmtremblay.com

Sylvie Schirm is a partner at Schirm & Tremblay Avocats, an author, a coach and a speaker. She holds a law degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal and has practised family law exclusively since 1988.

Me Schirm pleads before the Superior Court and the Court of Appeal and recently argued, with her partner Marie-Elaine Tremblay, before the Supreme Court of Canada in Association de médiation familiale du Québec v. Bisaillon and Bouvier, to protect family mediation process privacy.

She spent the first years of her practice representing women who were victims of domestic violence. When she set up her firm in Laval in 1993, she represented both men and women in family law cases and children involved in custody disputes. She is the co-author of the book La représentation des enfants en matière familiale : leurs droits, leur avenir (‘Representing children in family matters: their rights, their future’), published in 2004 by Éditions Yvon Blais Inc.

Next, Me Schirm turned her attention to the rights of common-law spouses. In January 2009, she published Être conjoints de fait: Pour une vie à deux sans soucis – tout ce qu’il faut (absolument!) savoir sur l’union libre au Québec (‘Being common-law spouses: Living a stress-free life together – everything you (absolutely!) need to know about common-law unions in Quebec’), published by Québec-Amérique, and followed the Eric v. Lola case with interest.

She is also the co-author of Guide de la préparation du témoin (‘Witness Preparation Guide’), published in 2012 by Éditions Yvon Blais Inc.

In 2015, Me Schirm obtained a coaching certificate from Concordia University and now offers her professional services as a witness coach.

Always actively involved in her professional community, Me Schirm has served as President of the Association des avocates et avocats en droit de la famille and on the Comité de la représentation des enfants of the Barreau du Québec.

Me Schirm was awarded the medal of the 125th anniversary of Confederation for her contribution to the Auberge Transition shelter. She has been recognized by her peers, with the Barreau du Québec awarding her the title of Emeritus Lawyer in 2016.

For several years now, faced with the radical transformation of Quebec families in the 21st century, Me Schirm has deemed it critical to inform the public about the new face of Quebec society, raise awareness of the challenges facing young – and not-so-young – couples, and make the law more accessible to the public. She’s appeared as a guest on several radio and television programs, including Paul Arcand’s 98.5FM, Isabelle Maréchal, Denis Lévesque, 24/60, Salut Bonjour, LCN, Journal de Montréal, La Presse and Le Devoir.

Through Éditions Yvon Blais Inc. and the Barreau du Québec, she has also provided legal training to her peers for many years.