Marie-Josée Poirier has been a member of the Barreau du Québec since 1998. She worked for the Outaouais region’s legal aid organization (Centre communautaire juridique de l’Outaouais) , where she practiced family law and youth law (1998– 2004). She also served as legal counsel for Outaouais youth services (Centre jeunesse de l’Outaouais) (2004 -2006).

From 2007 to 2023, Marie-Josée worked with the Family and Children’s Law team in the Family Law and Youth Justice Section at the Department of Justice Canada. She worked on the 2021 amendments to the Divorce Act, notably on the addition of the linguistic rights provision. Following the amendments made to the Divorce Act in 2021, she provided training to members of the judiciary and lawyers across several provinces on the changes made to the Act.

Since 2023, Marie-Josée has worked in the Judicial Affairs Section of the Department of Justice Canada, which provides litigation and policy expertise in support of the Minister of Justice, particularly with respect to the judicial appointments process, judicial compensation, judicial resource requirements, and the overall management and conduct of relations between the executive and the judiciary.

Alongside her professional responsibilities, Marie-Josée serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Centre communautaire juridique de l’Outaouais and is also actively involved with various community organizations.