British Columbia Judicial Appointments Announced

OTTAWA, June 7, 2013 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable Sunni Stromberg-Stein, a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia and a judge of the Court of Appeal of Yukon, to replace Madam Justice P. Kirkpatrick, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of January 1, 2012.

Madam Justice Stromberg-Stein has been a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia since 1996. Prior to that, she served as a judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia from 1989 to 1996, where she sat in the Criminal Division.

Madam Justice Stromberg-Stein completed a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1975 and was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1976. From 1976 to 1989, she served as a Crown prosecutor for the Attorney General of British Columbia.

The Honourable Peter M. Willcock, a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia and a judge of the Court of Appeal of Yukon, to replace Madam Justice R. E. Levine, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of January 8, 2012.

Mr. Justice Willcock was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 2009. He completed a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in 1979, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University in 1982 and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University in 2002. He was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1983.

Mr. Justice Willcock was an associate with Harper Grey LLP from 1983 to 1990 and a partner from 1990 to 2009. His main areas of practice were administrative law, constitutional law, commercial law and insurance law.

Mr. Justice Willcock was actively involved in the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, acting as a Director and a member of the Executive and the Finance Committees. He was also a frequent guest lecturer.

The Honourable Sheri Ann Donegan, a judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia in Surrey, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia (Kamloops), to replace Mr. Justice R. E. Powers, who resigned effective January 7, 2013.

Madam Justice Donegan completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Saskatchewan in 1989, as well as a Bachelor of Laws with distinction in 1992. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1993.

Madam Justice Donegan was appointed a judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia in 2010. Prior to her appointment, she served as Crown counsel for the Attorney General of British Columbia in Kamloops and New Westminster from 1998 to 2010. She also practised at Mair Jensen Blair in Kamloops from 1992 to 1998.

Madam Justice Donegan has been a member of the Canadian Bar Association since 1991. She is a frequent lecturer on child protection issues and was recently a guest lecturer at the International Mental Health and the Law Conference held at Thompson Rivers University.

The Honourable Wendy J. Harris, a lawyer with Harris & Company, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to replace Madam Justice C. L. Smith, who resigned effective September 7, 2012.

Madam Justice Harris completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of British Columbia in 1973, as well as a Bachelor of Laws in 1979. She also attended the University of Toronto and completed a Master of Arts in 1974. She was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1980 and the Bar of the Northwest Territories in 2010. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2008.

Madam Justice Harris has practised with Harris & Company in Vancouver since 1992. Prior to that, she practised with Campney & Murphy from 1979 to 1992. Her main areas of practice are labour and employment law, administrative law and education law.

Madam Justice Harris was a sessional instructor at the University of British Columbia from 2004 to 2011. She has been a frequent speaker at provincial and national conferences and has published numerous articles on various topics related to the area of education law. She was an executive board member and served as President of the Canadian Association for the Practical Studies of Law in Education from 1999 to 2004. She also served on the advisory board for the Commission of Inquiry into the Public Service and Public Sector (1992-1993) and on the B.C. School Trustees Association Task Force on Child Abuse in 1986.

The Honourable Ronald A. Skolrood, a lawyer with Lawson Lundell LLP, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to replace Mr. Justice Willcock, who has been appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia and Court of Appeal of Yukon.

Mr. Justice Skolrood attended the University of Lethbridge and earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1983 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Victoria in 1986. He also completed a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge in 1989. He was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1988 and to the Bar of the Northwest Territories in 2010. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2012.

Mr. Justice Skolrood has practised with the law firm of Lawson Lundell LLP in Vancouver since 1987. His main areas of practice were civil and commercial litigation.

Mr. Justice Skolrood was a board member of the B.C. Law Institute, acting as the Chair from 2007 to 2012. He was also a member of the Canadian Bar Association, National Constitutional and Human Rights Law Section, and a member of the Law Society of British Columbia Special Compensation Fund Committee. He has been a sessional lecturer at the University of Victoria and a course group leader at the University of British Columbia.

The Honourable Lisa A. Warren, a lawyer with the Health Employers Association of British Columbia, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to replace Madam Justice Stromberg-Stein, who has been appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia and the Court of Appeal of Yukon.

Madam Justice Warren attended the University of British Columbia where she earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1990. She was admitted to the Bar of British Columbia in 1991.

Madam Justice Warren has been the Director of Legal Services, Physician Services Secretariat, with the Health Employers Association of British Columbia since 2007. Prior to that, she practised with Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy as an associate from 1993 to 1999 and as a partner from 1999 to 2007. Her practice focused on civil litigation and she appeared before the various courts in British Columbia as well as the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Canada and various administrative tribunals. She also practised with Dumont & Reif from 1992 to 1993 and with Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP from 1991 to 1992.

Madam Justice Warren has been a member of the Canadian Bar Association since 1991.

The Honourable Margot L. Fleming, a lawyer with Somers & Company, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, to replace Mr. Justice R. N. Brown, who was transferred to Chilliwack to replace Mr. Justice W. Grist, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of September 6, 2012.

Madam Justice Fleming earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of British Columbia in 1987. She also earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1994 and a Master of Social Work in 1995, both from McGill University. She was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1996.

Madam Justice Fleming has been an associate at Somers & Company since 1996. Prior to that, she was an associate with Alexander Holburn Beaudin, and Lang from 1995 to 1996. Her main areas of practice were family law, child protection and labour law.

She has been a guest speaker on children and the law at the University of British Columbia, as well as at several Continuing Legal Education Conferences on the topic of child protection.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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