Interview at UdeS: “Studying, practicing, teaching: a career in law”

On April 16th, 2017, the L'Obiter Journal of the University of Sherbrooke’s Faculty of Law published an interview with me. One of the goals of this interview was to motivate future lawyers from the Faculty to explore criminal and penal law, and perhaps even to pursue more than one career at the same time in the legal field.

On April 16th, 2025, to celebrate its 8th anniversary, I'm sharing this article here, translated from French :

Studying, practicing, teaching: a career in law

Claudiu Popa holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws from the University of Sherbrooke. He is currently a university lecturer and PhD student at the University of Sherbrooke. Mr. Popa is also the founder of the firm ACP | Lawyers, specializing in criminal and penal law. We present his interesting and complex professional career to inspire young students and show them that there is no single path to a career in law.

We met at the Faculty to discuss his entire career and see what he has to say to future lawyers.

Q&A

Question: Why did you choose the University of Sherbrooke?
Answer: Firstly because it is one of the best French-speaking law schools in North America. I have excellent memories of my time as a law student. One of the aspects that I really appreciated is the Faculty’s teaching staff, which stands out as competent and available, close to the students and who teaches in small groups, thus allowing a more cordial, direct and rapid relationship with the students. Another striking element is the numerous practical activities offered within the Faculty, both at the academic level and at the social level: practical legal communication activities, mock trials, clinical activities, internships at different Courts of justice, summer schools, pro bono projects, intra-faculty and extra-faculty competitions, etc. Added to this is the possibility of getting involved in the student association, in different clubs or student newspapers such as L'Obiter or the editorial committee of the R.D.U.S., etc. It is this type of practical activities which, combined with traditional learning activities, helps building the identity of the future lawyer.

Question: Why did you choose criminal law as a field of activity?
Answer: Criminal law is both a very exciting and very important branch of law since it traditionally ensures several functions considered essential in Western societies: the maintenance of public order, social conformity, the protection of victims, the dissuasive and punitive aspect of what society has defined as a crime, etc. Very invasive and fraught with consequences, this domain sometimes has the effect of significantly restricting the fundamental rights and freedoms of the targeted citizens. On the other hand, in the absence of adequate investigations by the police authorities and ethical work from the institutions providing the legal prosecution service, the crime could hardly be combated. It is a very fine balance, of a legal, philosophical, sociological and ideological nature, that the sphere of criminal law as a whole (police authorities, practitioners, judges, professors, researchers, etc.) must constantly strive to maintain. It is a difficult task, but highly exciting and empowering.

Question: What from your legal experience led you to become a PhD student, a lawyer in private practice and a university lecturer today?
Answer: My professional career in law really began when my application was accepted on a law intern position by a regional office of the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions. I worked in particular with the appeals team on very interesting cases filed with the Court of Appeal of Quebec and the Supreme Court of Canada. After finishing my university education and the Bar School, I completed the professional training internship with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions. A very enriching experience which allowed me to acquire, in a very short time, all the skills required to become a litigator. I am now focusing my professional efforts on ACP | Lawyers, a very dynamic and modern law firm which emphasizes a relationship of trust, empathy and respect towards its clients, offering at the same time high quality services. Alongside professional development, I pursued two other passions that I am very fond of: higher education and university teaching.

Question: What do you think about the training offered to future lawyers?
Answer: The Bachelor of Laws and the Bar School offer future lawyers a very important set of skills, focused primarily on legal practice. On the other hand, for me, it has always been very important to broaden my knowledge, my skills and my intellectual abilities beyond the standard of the profession. This is where came the need to develop additional skills, which was made possible through the scientific sphere of law such as applied research at the graduate level, first at the master's degree level and now at the doctorate level, through the understanding and appropriate integration of other important disciplines such as sociology, psychology and philosophy in an effort to clarify legal knowledge or even increased synthesis and analysis skills in the scientific writing process. These additional skills can then be used not only in the pursuit of an academic career, but also in the daily practice as a lawyer, who then has more professional tools in his argumentative and logical arsenal, elements which ultimately provide him with more adequacy, relevance and assurance in the comments and positions addressed to the courts. In my opinion, more and more law students are seeing the benefits of legal erudition through multidisciplinarity and the deepening of knowledge in general, a reality which delights me and which I encourage.

Question: You are now a university lecturer at the University of Sherbrooke’s Faculty of Law. Why did you choose teaching?
For me, it is the most pleasant professional activity. It is also the most logical consequence that arises from the knowledge acquired over the years of study. The more information the researcher in me gathers, the more he is driven by the desire to share this knowledge with students who are now in the same place I was some time ago. As is often the case with professional activities that are truly worth pursuing, I started at the bottom of the academic ladder and, through a combination of perseverance, passion and hard work, I was given more and more responsibilities: exam reviewer for several professors, researcher, research assistant, teaching assistant and university lecturer. Furthermore, teaching is for me a real privilege which allows me to have another kind of impact, direct and personal, on the future of the profession.

Question: What is your message for students and future lawyers regarding the profession?
I hope that future lawyers will remember from this interview the importance of academic and professional involvement and the importance of striving to acquire more and more relevant and diverse knowledge, both specific and general, and putting it at the service of their clients, their profession and society as a whole. Also, a word of encouragement for students who are doubting their choice: there is no single path in your career when studying law. Be resilient and well intentioned, and doors will ultimately open for you.

This post was written by Katharine Hsu. She is now a lawyer, currently working for the Department of Justice Canada.