INVOLVEMENT AND HONOURS

• Junior Delegate to the National Congress of Italian Canadians (1983-1986)
• First Vice-President of the National Congress of Italo-Canadians (2001-2004)
• President of the Migraine Foundation of Quebec (1987-1989)
• Member of the Board of Directors of CIBPA (1989-2000)
• Chairman of the Committee for the CIBPA Scholarships (1990-1995)
• Member of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of CIBPA (1996-1999)
• President of CIBPA (1996-1998)
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf / Oral School for the Deaf (1990-2007)
• Chair of the Board of Directors of the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf / Oral School for the Deaf-Mute (1994-2007)
• Vice President of the Montreal Oral School for the Deaf Foundation (2002 to present)
• President of “The Friends of Italian Culture” (1998)
• Recipient of the title of “Commendatore” of the Italian Republic granted by the President of Italy, the Honorable Oscar Scalfaro (1998)
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Charitable Foundation Garnierkids.com (2004 to date)
• President of the Board of Trustees of Santa Cabrini Ospedale Hospital

• Nominated by Who’s Who Legal for 2021 as one of the foremost legal practitioners in the field of mining law in Canada (Québec)
• Nominated by Best Lawyers for 2021 in the field of International Trade and Finance
• Governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation (2007-2012)
• Honorary Consul for the Republic of Rwanda and for the Republic of Angola
• Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Council on Africa, the Canada-Algeria Business Alliance, the Canadian Circle for the Development of Senegal and the Canada-Congo Business Business Council.

• Speaker at the Generation Screwed Conference, May 2015, Montreal, Quebec – The Trials and Tribulations of a Municipal Councillor – Putting Principles Before Politics.
• Speaker at the Manning Networking Conference, March 2015, Ottawa, Ontario – What can the federal government and parties do to strengthen the confidence of small business in the economy?
• Speaker at AICJQ – Formation Barreau du Québec et Chambre des notaires du Québec Conference, June 2010, Montreal, Quebec Quebec’s Charter of the French Language: A Closer Look at Key Provisions.
• Speaker at Canadian Association of Paralegals (CAP) Conference, May 2008, Montreal, Quebec
• The ABCs of Amalgamations and Rollovers.
• Speaker at Canadian Association of Paralegals (CAP) Conference, October 2003, Toronto, Ontario – Demystifying Quebec Law.
• “When words mean more than what they say: Quebec’s Charter of the French Language and the Rules of Doing Business in Quebec”, (2003), Canadian Business Franchise Handbook, p.?.
• “It’s not just what you say, but how you say it: Quebec’s Charter of the French Language and the Rules of Doing Business in Quebec”, (2002), Canadian Business Franchise Handbook, p.103.
• “Franchising In Canada: The Top 5 Things You Should Know” (with Norman Issley), (2002), May/June Franchise Canada, 22.
• “Quebec’s Charter of the French Language: Doing Business in Quebec”, (2001), Canadian Business Franchise Handbook, 184.
• “Competing Interests: The Right vs. the Obligation to Work in French”, (1999), 5:4 Canadian Business Franchise, 27.
• “Franchising Developments Around the World: Canada” (with Anne-Marie Gauthier and Lawrence M. Weinberg), (1998), International Bar Association.
• “The Business of Language: Proposed Amendments to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language”, (1996), 2:5 Canadian Business Franchise, 42.
• “The Franchise Network: Rights and Obligations from a Quebec Perspective”, (1996), Canadian Business Franchise Handbook, 96.
• “The Inviolability of the Franchise Relationship”, (1995), 1:9 Canadian Business Franchise, 42.
• “New Civil Code, French Language Charter will Impact on Franchising in Quebec”, (1994), 13:42 The Lawyers Weekly, 8.
• “Moving Forward in Québec – Legal Developments and their impact on the Franchise Business”, (1994), 1:1 Canadian Business Franchise, 36.
• November 2017, Elected Municipal Councillor, Town of Montreal West, Responsible for Public Security & Special Projects Fundraising (mandate completed in November 2021)
• November 2015 to April 2016, President of the Conservative Party of Quebec
• May 2013 to May 2015, President of the National-Italian American Bar Association (NIABA), first Canadian to hold the position since founding of organization in 1983
• March 2011, Appointed Special Advisor to the Leader of the Action Démocratique du Québec for the Island of Montreal
• December 2009 to present, On-Air Radio Guest every Sunday morning on Newstalk Leader CJAD 800 AM with Ken Connors – the Law of Our Land (weekly legal information segment previously ran from September 1999 to June 2006)
• November 2009, Elected Municipal Councillor, Town of Montreal West, Responsible for Administration and Buildings (mandate completed in November 2013)
• June 2006 to June 2008, On-Air Radio Host of the New 940 Montreal (940 AM) weekly legal affairs programme Sidebar with Dino Mazzone
• November 2005, Elected Municipal Councillor, Town of Montreal West, Responsible for Public Security & Buildings (mandate completed until August 2007)
• December 2004, Appointed as a Governor to the Fondation Communautaire Canadienne-Italienne du Quebec Inc., the philanthropic arm of the Italian community in Quebec
• October 2004, Elected member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian-Italian Business & Professional Association (CIBPA)
• June 2003, Co-Founder of the annual “Quintus” Montreal Italian Film Festival (launched in September 2004)
• June 2003, Elected as first Canadian lawyer to sit (and continue to sit) on Board of Directors of the National-Italian American Bar Association (NIABA)
• May 2002, One of founding members of Montreal’s first Canadian-Italian legal association (AICJQ)
• August 2000, First Canadian lawyer to become a member of the National Italian-American Bar Association (NIABA)
• February 1997, Delegate to Harvard Model United Nations, Boston, Massachusetts (Human Rights Committee – Canada)
• September 1994, Elected President of Optimist Club Rossini (Montreal-North) Inc. (Charitable Organization)
• November 1991, Co-Author of Comprehensive Constitutional Policy Paper submitted to Special Joint Committee of Canada’s Senate and House of Commons

• Recipient of the Prix d’excellence en enseignement, University of Montreal (2016)
• Seven time recipient of the prize of professorial excellence André-Morel, Faculty of Law, University of Montreal (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
• Recipient of the Excellence in teaching award – University of McGill (2015)

• Board of Directors , AMCAL Family Services (2010 to present)
• Board of Directors for Santa Cabrini Hospital (2012-2015)
• Crohn’s and Colitis Canada (2011 to 2016)
• AMCAL – Community Organization (2011 to present)
• Montreal Youth Library (2003 to 2008)
• Oral School of Montreal (2005 to 2008)

• Recipient of the Associazione Italo-Canadese del west island Bursary Award 
• Recipient of the Campaign for a New Millennium Student Contribution Scholarship

• Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 
• Kidney Foundation of Canada National, David Ornstein Distinguished Service Award 
• Kidney Foundation of Canada, Quebec Division, President’s Award

See “Associations”