Justice and Public Safety
June 12, 2017
Minister Parsons Congratulates New Supreme Court Justice
The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General, is congratulating new Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court Justice, Francis P. O’Brien.
Mr. Justice O’Brien, Director of Legal Education with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, was appointed to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Court of Appeal, on Friday, June 9.
He replaces Mr. Justice M.H. Rowe, who was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on October 28, 2016.
As the Director of Legal Education with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and an Adjunct Professor at Memorial University, Mr. Justice O’Brien has educated more than 500 new lawyers and 3,000 students.
Quote
“On behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, I would like to congratulate Mr. Justice Francis P. O’Brien on his new role. As a teacher and mentor to many young lawyers in this province, including myself, Mr. Justice O’Brien has shown his commitment and dedication to the fair and just practice of law.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Justice and Public Safety
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Learn more
Government of Canada announces judicial appointment in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador - www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2017/06/government_of_canadaannouncesjudicialappointmentsintheprovinceof0.html
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Media contact
Lesley Clarke
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 699-2910
LesleyClarke@gov.nl.ca
Biography
Justice Francis P. O’Brien is a graduate of Memorial University (B.A. in French and political science), Dalhousie University (LL.B.) and the University of Cambridge (LL.M.). As part of the first generation of his family to attend university, Justice O’Brien was designated a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and received numerous academic and professional awards.
Called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 1991, Justice O’Brien first practised civil litigation in St. John’s with a private firm. He later became the Director of Legal Education with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. In this role, he has educated more than 500 new lawyers in the provincial Bar Admission Course. In addition, he has coordinated the development and delivery of more than 150 continuing legal education programs for members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar.
Justice O’Brien has also been an Adjunct Professor at Memorial University since 1994, teaching courses in Canadian constitutional law, international law, governance, and public policy. Over the years, he has taught more than 3,000 students. Justice O’Brien has also served as president of the Association of Canadian Legal Education Directors, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII), the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s Technical Advisory Group for the National Entry to Practice Competency Profile, and the Interdisciplinary Committee on Ethics in Human Research (Memorial University).
2017 06 12 2:15 p.m.