Born in Trois-Rivières on July 3, 1945, Justice Giroux attended the Séminaire de Trois-Rivières. In 1968, he completed an LL.L. (Summa cum laude) at Laval University, where he received the Governor General's Gold Medal. He obtained a master degree in Urban Legal Studies (LL.M.) from Harvard in 1970, and a doctorate in law (Ph.D.) from Laval University in 1976.
From 1970 until his appointment to the Court of Appeal on February 25, 2005, he went on to teach at the Laval University Faculty of Law, particularly in Administrative, Municipal, and Urban Development Law. In 1989, he created the first course in Environmental Law. He also taught Property and Judicial Law. While his academic career, he was invited professor at Sherbrooke and Ottawa Faculties of Law. In 1992, he was invited to the University of Calgary Faculty of Law, where he held the Chair of Natural Ressources, and taught Advanced Environmental Law.
Justice Giroux is the author of a monograph studying legal issues of the zoning regulation in Quebec. He also wrote about sixty articles published in legal journals, and chapters in collective works. In 1996, he conducted a research team in charge of the legal chapter for the Commission Nicolet (Scientific and Technical Commission for Barrage Management). This study became the fifth chapter of the Commission's Final Report. Still today, he is the co-author of the chapter about municipal powers as regards town planning in the Public and Administrative Law volume of the Collection de droit de l’École du Barreau.
Called to the Bar in 1969, Justice Giroux practised in the chambers of Grondin, Poudrier and Bernier, from 1972 to 2002, and Lavery, de Billy from 2002 to 2005. He pleaded in all legal authorities, including the Supreme Court of Canada. In the Quebec Bar, he is actively involved in the continuing formation activities as a lecturer and author, particularly in Municipal and Environmental Law. In addition to have taught Municipal Law for several years at the Quebec Bar school, he was founding member of the Quebec Bar Permanent Committee in Environmental Law from 1992 to 2005. From 1996 to 2005, he was special legal advisor to the Board of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation created by the North-American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.
Since 1979, Justice Giroux is an active member of the Quebec city's Yacht-Club, where he sails. He was secretary of the Club for four years, and commodore in 1988. He is still member of the Board of governors.
