Seven judges were appointed across these provinces
Minister of Justice and Attorney General Arif Virani has announced seven judicial appointments in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.
New Brunswick
The NB Court of King’s Bench has welcomed Stephen J. Doucet and Maya Hamou as new judges in Miramichi and Moncton, respectively.
Doucet worked as a sole practitioner in Bouctouche. He earned his law degree from the University of Moncton and was called to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 1994. He specializes in family law, estate law and real estate law. He has appeared as counsel before all levels of the NB courts and before various administrative tribunals. He also served as the chairperson for the Mental Health Review Board of New Brunswick and a member of the New Brunswick Assessment and Planning Appeal Board.
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Hamou was a hearing officer with the Department of Justice and Public Safety in Fredericton. Her law career began when she worked as a commission counsel for the Cornwall Public Inquiry in 2006. She served as an agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada following her admission to the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2009. She worked with the Civil Litigation Group of the Office of the Attorney General of New Brunswick for almost a decade.
Newfoundland and Labrador
David Conway and Stephanie Hickman were named as judges of the NL Supreme Court.
Conway was a sole practitioner in St. John’s. He earned his law degree from the University of New Brunswick and articled with Lerners LLP before he was called to the Ontario Bar and NL Bar. He worked in-house as a labour lawyer with the Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2017, he was appointed chairperson of the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board. He had acted as a labour arbitrator, adjudicator, and independent legal counsel. He had also conducted statutory reviews for the NL government.
Hickman was a partner at Cox & Palmer in St. John’s. She specializes in construction, commercial, and energy practice. She is a fellow of the Canadian College of Construction Lawyers. She participated in multiple mediations, acted as counsel in the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry, and appeared before all levels of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2019.
Prince Edward Island
Minister Virani has named Sophie MacDonald as the PEI Supreme Court judge in Charlottetown. MacDonald earned her civil law degree at the Université de Montréal in 1998 and her common law degree at the Université de Moncton in 1999. She was called to the PEI bar in 2000 and the Ontario bar in 2003. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2020.
MacDonald articled and practiced with the Charlottetown office of Cox Hanson O’Reilly Matheson (later Matheson & Murray and Key Murray Law). In 2016, she joined the law firm of Stewart McKelvey and joined the partnership in 2020. She specializes in family law.
Quebec
Minister Virani has announced the appointments of Éric Hardy as a puisne judge of the Quebec Court of Appeal and Maxime Roy as a judge of the Superior Court for the district of Quebec.
Hardy was appointed to the Superior Court in 2018. Before his appointment to the bench, he was a litigator with Ogilvy Renault (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in Québec City. Hardy began his career in litigation with Phillips & Vineberg (now Davies). He has practised in insurance, civil and professional liability, commercial and business, and environmental law.
Roy was a partner at Roy & Charbonneau Avocats. He earned his law degree from Laval University and was called to the Quebec bar in 2006. Roy specializes in criminal law. He has appeared before all levels of the courts and has argued several landmark cases. He has also advised and accompanied numerous victims of crime.
Minister Virani extended his congratulations to all the recently appointed judges, wishing them success as they take on their new roles.