Nearly a dozen lawyers have become judges in the past week, after Justice Minister Peter MacKay made a series of judicial appointments across Canada.
On Friday,
Graeme Mew, a lawyer with Clyde & Co. Canada LLP in Toronto, was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto. Mew’s main areas of practice were civil litigation, insurance law, sports law, arbitration and mediation.
On Dec. 18,
Jamie K. Trimble, a lawyer with the firm Hughes Amys LLP in Hamilton, Ont. was appointed to the Superior Court bench in Milton to replace
Justice C.W. Hourigan, who has been appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.
Stephen T. Bale, a sole practitioner in Cobourg, Ont. is appointed to sit in Oshawa to replace Justice J. B. Shaughnessy, who goes supernumeray in January. Bale practised with various law firms in Toronto and with Stewart, Mitchell and Macklin in Cobourg from 1989 to 2001. He has been a sole practitioner ever since. His main area of practice was general litigation, including estates litigation, construction law, and corporate and commercial litigation. He was appointed a deputy judge of the Small Claims Court in 2007.
A number of other Ontario judicial annoucements were also made Dec. 18.
Justice Geoffrey B. Morawetz was appointed regional senior judge of the Toronto Region to replace
Justice Edward F. Then, who resigned from the position in November. Sudbury J
ustice Robbie D. Gordon, will become regional senior judge of the Northeast Region on Jan. 22, 2014, taking over from
Justice Louise L. Gauthier, who will be giving up the position. Both Then and Gauthier will return to regular judicial duties.
Superior Court Justice George Czutrin has been appointed senior family judge of the Family Court to replace
Justice R. John Harper, who resigned the position in November. Harper will move to Brantford to replace
Justice H. Arrell, who has been transferred to Hamilton to replace
Justice A. Whitten, who elected to become a supernumerary judge.
Jerome Tholl, counsel with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice and attorney general in Regina, was last Wednesday appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Saskatchewan, family division. Admitted to the Saskatchewan bar in 2001, Tholl’s main areas of practice were criminal law, civil litigation, family law, and mediation.
In Quebec, four judicial appointments were announced last Wednesday. They included Superior Court of Quebec
Justice Martin Vauclair who was appointed to the Court of Appeal of Quebec and Quebec Court
Justice Michel Pinsonnault who was elevated to the Superior Court.
Éliane Perreault, a Crown attorney with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions of Quebec in Montreal, was appointed to the Superior Court. Perreault was admitted to the Barreau du Québec in 1986 and has focused on criminal law.
Manon Lavoie, a Crown with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Montréal, was also appointed to the Superior Court. Lavoie was admitted to the Barreau in 1991 and her main area of practice is criminal law.
On the east coast,
Denise Boudreau, a lawyer with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada in Halifax, was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. Boudreau was called to the bar of Nova Scotia in 1994, and in 2011 completed an LLM in criminal law and procedure from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Fredericton-based sole practitioner
Thomas Christie has been appointed atothe Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick in Saint John. Christie, who has practised in administrative law, labour law, employment law, and family law, served as Law Society of New Brunswick president from 2008 to 2009.
Darrell Stephenson, a lawyer with Stewart McKelvey in Saint John, was also appointed to the N.B. Court of Queen’s Bench. He was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick in 1986 and his main area of practice was corporate and commercial law.
Four lawyers were appointed Supreme Court of British Columbia judges. They included
George Macintosh, a lawyer with Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy LLP in Vancouver whose main areas of practice were civil litigation, administrative law, constitutional law, and arbitration.
Nigel Kent, a lawyer with Clark Wilson LLP in Vancouver, was also appointed to the judiciary. His main area of practice was civil litigation including insurance law, corporate and commercial law, personal injury, and professional liability law.
He is joined by
Jennifer Duncan, Crown counsel with the Ministry of Justice, criminal justice branch, in Vancouver. Duncan’s main area of practice was criminal law and, more recently, criminal appellate advocacy.
Another Ministry of Justice lawyer,
Neena Sharma, was also appointed to the bench. She has particular experience in civil litigation with a focus on constitutional and administrative law, and labour relations.
Update Dec. 24: Add some Ontario appointments left off initially.
