Judicial appointments take effect in Edmonton on June 16 and in Calgary on June 30, respectively
The Alberta government has announced the appointments of two new applications judges to the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta: Stephanie Wanke in Edmonton, effective June 16, and Stephanie Latimer in Calgary, effective June 30.
“Stephanie Wanke is an accomplished lawyer with considerable leadership experience and Stephanie Latimer has held senior roles with Alberta Justice for many years,” said Mickey Amery, Alberta’s justice minister and attorney general, in a news release from the provincial government.
“With congratulations, we welcome Applications Judges Wanke and Latimer and look forward to their contributions to strengthening the Rule of Law in Alberta,” said Kent H. Davidson, chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, in the news release.
“I congratulate them both on their appointments and am confident they will bring value to the administration of justice in Alberta,” Amery added.
The appointments of the two news applications judges seek to enhance the bench’s strength and promote access to justice, the provincial government said in its news release.
“The work of applications judges is essential to the effective and efficient operation of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta,” Davidson said in the news release. “Our two new applications judges will play a pivotal role in enhancing access to justice and ensuring more timely resolution of civil disputes.”
In its news release, the Alberta government shared that Wanke serves as a senior legal editor for the insolvency and restructuring service at Practical Law Canada, a division of Thomson Reuters.
She worked in private practice for a decade, including as a partner at Miller Thomson LLP. As a private practitioner, she advised debtors, creditors, and court officers regarding complex restructuring and bankruptcy matters.
Wanke started working as an articling student at Bennett Jones LLP in 2005. In this position, she dealt with commercial transactions and insolvency law matters.
Wanke received an LLB in 2005 and a BA in political science in 2002, both from the University of Alberta.
According to the provincial government’s news release, Latimer became vice president for law and associate general counsel at the Alberta Energy Regulator in 2022. In this role, she headed the law branch and offered strategic legal advice to the regulator’s leaders.
She worked at Alberta’s justice department for 13 years. There, she served as director of the constitutional and Aboriginal law team and held other leadership positions.
Latimer also worked as legal counsel for Canada’s justice department and as a presiding justice of the peace.
She earned an LLB from the University of Alberta in 1992 and a BA (honours) from the University of Saskatchewan in 1989.
