Quebec Superior Court and Manitoba Court of Kings Bench welcome new judges

The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Arif Virani, announced several judicial appointments in Quebec and Manitoba.

Among the appointees are Bernard Larocque, Catherine Martel, Patrick Ferland, and Luc Morin to the Superior Court of Quebec for the district of Montreal, and Robynne B. Kazina to the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba (Family Division).

Superior Court of Quebec

Bernard Larocque has a diverse background in civil litigation. His career began after obtaining a Bachelor of Law from Université Laval and joining Lavery, de Billy, LLP, where he became a partner. His expertise spans several areas, including defamation, insurance law, class actions, and professional liability.

Catherine Martel's holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal and has a longstanding career at Langlois Lawyers, LLP. She has extensive experience in Quebec civil law, commercial law, class actions, administrative and constitutional law, and energy law. She has appeared before all levels of Quebec courts, the Régie de l’énergie du Québec, and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Patrick Ferland was a founding partner of the law firm LCM Attorneys Inc. His practice encompasses many aspects of civil and commercial litigation, as well as public and administrative law. He has extensive expertise in international law, including issues of conflict of laws, jurisdiction of judicial authorities, and recognition of foreign arbitral awards and judgments. Ferland taught evidence law at the Faculty of Law of McGill University for many years, and is co-author of the “Droit international privé” chapter of the Collection de droit de l’École du Barreau du Québec.

Luc Morin spent the first 17 years of his career at Fasken. He joined Norton Rose Fulbright in 2017, where he was appointed as managing partner of the Montreal office and national leader of the restructuring and insolvency practice. Morin was a member of the Insolvency Institute of Canada (IIC) and is the author of numerous articles cited by courts of all levels.

Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba (Family Division)

Robynne B. Kazina is appointed a judge of the Court of King’s Bench of Manitoba (Family Division) in Winnipeg. She worked in private practice at Taylor McCaffrey LLP, where she became a partner in 2013. She was an instructor of Advanced Family Law at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law.

Kazine was involved in numerous educational initiatives for both the legal profession and the community and was a frequent lecturer in family law. She also served as chair of the family law section and Women Lawyers’ Forum for the Manitoba Bar Association.