ONTARIO 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 Geoffrey B. Morawetz, a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, is appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Toronto Region to replace Mr. Justice E.F. Then, who resigned as Regional Senior Judge, effective November 1, 2013.

Mr. Justice Morawetz was appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2005. He is currently the Team Leader of the Commercial List. Following his call to the Bar of Ontario, Justice Morawetz practised with Borden and Elliot, then joined Goodmans LLP in 1999. His main areas of practice were corporate restructuring, insolvency litigation, and secured transactions.

Justice Morawetz received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario in 1978 and was admitted to the Bar of Ontario in 1980. He is widely viewed as an expert in bankruptcy and insolvency law. He was the co-author of Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law in Canada (1996-2003) and is an editor of the Canadian Bankruptcy Report.

The Honourable Robbie D. Gordon, a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Sudbury, is appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Northeast Region to replace Madam Justice L.L. Gauthier, who resigned as Regional Senior Judge effective January 22, 2014. This appointment is effective January 22, 2014.

Mr. Justice Gordon was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2006. Prior to that, he had practised with Gordon & Gordon from 1987 to 1992 and as a sole practitioner until the date of his appointment. His main areas of practice were family law, real estate, criminal law, municipal law, and general litigation.

Mr. Justice Gordon received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1985 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1987. He is a past Trustee of the Temiskaming Board of Education and a past Director of the Temiskaming Hospital Foundation.  

The Honourable George Czutrin, a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto, is appointed Senior Family Judge of the Family Court to replace Mr. Justice R. J. Harper, who resigned as Senior Family Judge effective November 25, 2013.

Mr. Justice Czutrin was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice, Unified Family Court, in Hamilton in 1993, where he served as the local administrative judge of the Family Court Division from 1995 to 2006. He was transferred to the Toronto Region in 2006 and is currently serving as Family Team Leader. He has served as a judicial member of the Rules Committee of the Unified Family Court, and is a former director of the Ontario Superior Court Judge’s Association.

Mr. Justice Czutrin received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1976 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1978. He was in private practice in Hamilton from 1978 to 1993, where he specialized in family law. He is recognized as a Certified Specialist in Family Law.  He has served on several professional organizations, including the Hamilton Law Association, the Unified Family Court Rules Committee, and the Court Liaison Committee, as well as the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario) Family Law Steering Committee and Joint Committee on Court Reform. 

The Honourable Edward F. Then, Regional Senior Judge of the Toronto Region, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to replace Mr. Justice Morawetz, who was appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Toronto Region.

Mr. Justice Then served as Regional Senior Judge of the Toronto Region from2007. He was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Ontario, Trial Division (High Court), in 1989 and a justice of the Ontario Court of Justice (General Division) in 1990. Prior to his appointment to the judiciary, he served in the Crown Law Office (Criminal) for the Ministry of the Attorney General from 1972 to 1989. His main area of practice was criminal law.

Mr. Justice Then received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Toronto in 1970, and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1972. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1982. He is the author of numerous articles on civil and criminal law and a frequent speaker in Continuing Legal Education Programs for both lawyers and judges.

The Honourable Louise L. Gauthier, Regional Senior Judge of the Northeast Region, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to replace Mr. Justice Gordon, who has been appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Northeast Region effective January 22, 2014. This appointment is effective January 22, 2014.

Madam Justice Gauthier was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 1999, and served as Regional Senior Judge of the Northeast Region from 2009. Prior to that, she served as a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice from 1992 to 1999 and was appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Northeast Region in 1995.

Madam Justice Gauthier received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa in 1979 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1981. Prior to her appointment to the provincial court in 1992, she had practised with the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario and the law firm of Racicot, Bonney, Aubé, Gauthier.

The Honourable R. John Harper, Senior Family Judge of the Family Court, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brantford to replace Mr. Justice H. Arrell, who has been transferred to Hamilton to replace Mr. Justice A. Whitten, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of November 24, 2013

Mr. Justice Harper was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in 2006 and has served as Senior Family Judge of the Family Court since 2010. He received a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie Law School in 1972 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1974. 

Prior to his appointment, he practised with Harper Jaskot in Hamilton. He was recognized as a Certified Specialist in family law in 1996. He has served on several professional and community organizations, including the Community Child Abuse Council and Association of Family and Conciliation Courts. He is also past president of the Hamilton Law Association. 

The Honourable Stephen T. Bale, a sole practitioner in Cobourg, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Oshawa to replace Mr. Justice J. B. Shaughnessy, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of January 1, 2014. This appointment is effective January 1, 2014.

Mr. Justice Bale received a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in 1978 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1980. He practised with various law firms in Toronto and with Stewart, Mitchell and Macklin in Cobourg from 1989 to 2001. He has been a sole practitioner ever since. His main area of practice was general litigation, including estates litigation, construction law, and corporate and commercial litigation. He was appointed a Deputy Judge of the Small Claims Court, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, in 2007.

Justice Bale has been active in several professional organisations, including  the board of directors of the Advocate’s Society, Pro Bono Law Ontario, the County and District Law Presidents’ Association, and the Northumberland County Law Association.

The Honourable Michael G. Emery, a lawyer with the firm SimpsonWigle LAW LLP in Burlington, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brampton to replace Mr. Justice S. B. Durno, who elected to become a supernumerary judge as of July 31, 2013.

Mr. Justice Emery received a Bachelor of Laws from Queen’s University in 1980 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1985.  He was also a member of the British Columbia Bar from 1981 to 1984.

Mr. Justice Emery practised with Mitchell, Schuller & Company in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, from 1981 to 1984 before moving to the Toronto area, where he practised with Emery, Rekai & Johnston and later with Ralfe, Green, Germann & Forsyth. In 1991, he joined Simpson Wigle LAW, LLP in Burlington. His main areas of practice were commercial litigation, estate litigation, and insurance litigation.

Mr. Justice Emery has served on several professional organisations, including the boards of the Advocates Society, the Ontario Bar Association, and the Hamilton Law Association, where he co-chaired the Annual Commercial Litigation Program.

The Honourable Jamie K. Trimble, a lawyer with the firm Hughes Amys LLP in Hamilton, is appointed a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Milton to replace Mr. Justice C.W. Hourigan, who has been appointed to the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Mr. Justice Trimble received a Bachelor of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1987 and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1989. He has since practised with Hughes Amys LLP in Hamilton. His practice focus is insurance defence litigation.

Mr. Justice Trimble received the Ontario Bar Association Award for Distinguished Service in 2012. He is a member of the Hamilton Law Association, the Toronto Lawyers’ Association, and the International Association of Defence Counsel. He is also a Certified Risk Manager by the Global Risk Management Society, a Certified Specialist in Civil Litigation, and a board member of the Canadian Bar Insurance Association. In 2012, he was recognized by LExpert as a leading practitioner in commercial insurance.

Unless otherwise stated, these appointments are effective immediately.

 

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