New Brunswick Judicial Appointments Announced

OTTAWA, December 18, 2013 – The Honourable Peter MacKay, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable Darrell J. Stephenson, a lawyer with Stewart McKelvey in Saint John, is appointed a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick to replace Mr. Justice G.S. Rideout (Moncton), who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of April 2, 2013. This vacancy has been transferred to Saint John.

Mr. Justice Stephenson obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick in 1985 and was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick in 1986. Since that date, he has practised with the law firm of Stewart McKelvey and predecessor law firms. He was the Manager of their Corporate Commercial Practice group in New Brunswick from 2001 to 2004. His main area of practice was corporate and commercial law. This expertise was recognized by Lexpert and the Best Lawyers in Canada directory.

Mr. Justice Stephenson was a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Insolvency Institute of Canada. He was also a member of several civic organisations including the Futures Saint John Advisory Committee and Lord Beaverbrook Scholarship in Law Selection Committee.

The Honourable E. Thomas Christie, a sole practitioner in Fredericton, is appointed a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of New Brunswick in Saint John to replace Mr. Justice B.A. Noble, who was transferred to Woodstock.

Mr. Justice Christie obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick in 1985, a Master of Theological Studies from Queen’s University in 1987 and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2011. He was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick in 1991 and to the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1998. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2007.

Mr. Justice Christie has been a sole practitioner operating as Christie Law Office since 2007. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director of the New Brunswick Nurses’ Union and as legal counsel for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. He also practised with Petrie Richmond from 1990-1993. His main areas of practice were administrative law, labour law, employment law and family law.

 Justice Christie has been actively involved with the Law Society of New Brunswick and, in particular, served as President from 2008-2009. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and a past member of the Canadian Association of Labour lawyers. He was an instructor for the Bar Admission Course and is a former board member and speaker for the New Brunswick Public Legal Education program.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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