Book Review: Madam Justice: An Inside Look

Several times each month, we are pleased to republish a recent book review from the Canadian Law Library Review (CLLR). CLLR is the official journal of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL/ACBD), and its reviews cover both practice-oriented and academic publications related to the law.

Madam Justice: An Inside Look. By Suzanne Handman. Toronto: Irwin Law, 2025. xviii, 267 p. Includes index. ISBN 9781487569464 (softcover) $35.00; ISBN 9781487569471 (PDF) $35.00; ISBN 9781487569488 (ePUB) $35.00.

Reviewed by Jennifer Walker
Head Librarian
County of Carleton Law Association

In Madam Justice: An Inside Look, Judge Suzanne Handman (retired) recalls her decades-long career, starting with a pivot from audiology to law and moving through her time in a Montreal labour firm, with the Canada Labour Relations Board (now Canada Industrial Relations Board) and Québec Labour Tribunal (now defunct), and on to her work as a judge of the Court of Québec and, finally, her work as a mediator. Not only is Madam Justice a rare autobiographical look at the life of a judge, but it is the life of a judge spent exclusively in provincial court and other courts of first instance.

Reading this book, I was struck by the candor with which Handman discusses her experiences as a lawyer and judge. She presents an honest representation of the study and determination necessary to be a judge, as well as the immense and ongoing effort it takes to succeed. Her honesty ultimately results in a refreshing look at the work and inner life of a judge. Members of the judiciary are typically held in very high regard; however, like anyone else, they can still experience self-doubt and feelings of being overwhelmed or unprepared, and so they must work incredibly hard to ensure that justice is done.

Throughout the book, Handman intersperses her life story and memories from the bench with retellings of cases over which she presided. These cases are not grand precedent-setting matters of national importance, but they are deeply relatable: home construction horror stories, mental health crises, business deals gone wrong, and much more. The core matters of the Civil Division of the Court of Québec are ones any reader will be able to follow and identify with.

Perhaps two of the best chapters come toward the end. One of these is on mediation, clearly a topic of great interest to Handman. In it, she notes how mediation was incorporated into her work as a judge, even when it wasn’t officially performed by judges in her court. She recounts a touching story about a mediation between a father and his daughter, very effectively highlighting the potential of alternative modes of dispute resolution on both a legal and personal level. Her long history with mediation while at the court eventually led to her work as a mediation educator and author, and her writings on the subject truly relay her passion for this important area of the law.

The final chapter, on retiring as a judge, was also very interesting. She is honest with her feelings about losing the status of being a judge, something that must be a little daunting to say out loud. As with many people nearing or entering retirement, Handman needed to reimagine her life outside of the courtroom. From everything we can read here, however, she seems to be thriving in this new chapter of her life as well.

Madam Justice: An Inside Look is a fine addition to any legal history and biography collection, and it would be an illuminating read for those considering applying for a judicial appointment.