The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General, announced today that Michael King has been appointed Director for the Newfoundland and Labrador Serious Incident Response Team. Mr. King is a lawyer in St. John’s who has worked in private practice since being called to the Bar in 2004. His biography can be found in the backgrounder below.
The appointment of Mr. King is effective September 30, 2019 and is for a term of five years. It will be the director’s responsibility to establish the team and the department will work closely with him to provide the necessary assistance and support during this time.
The team will be independent and will investigate all matters involving death, serious injury, sexual offence, and domestic violence as well as other matters of significant public interest that involve police. Police agencies in the province have indicated their support for a Serious Incident Response Team.
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“Our government is pleased to appoint Mr. King to the role of Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Serious Incident Response Team. I am confident that he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience to effectively lead this new team as we deal with serious incidents that involve our police agencies. This provincial team will provide a high level of transparency and accountability to ensure the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General
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Learn more
Minister Parsons Introduces Legislation to Establish Serious Incident Response Team
Province Government to Establish Stand-Alone Serious Incident Response Team
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Media contact
Lesley Clarke
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 699-2910
LesleyClarke@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biography of Michael King
Michael King
Michael King did his undergraduate studies at Memorial University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English. After graduating from Memorial in 2000, he went on to the University of New Brunswick Law School from where he graduated in 2003.
Mr. King articled with Public Prosecutions until his call to the Bar in 2004. Since that time, he has worked in private practice, most recently with Sullivan Breen King (formerly Simmonds and Partners Defence) in January 2013. His practice has mainly focused on criminal defence and has included some prosecution work.
Mr. King was Chair of the Criminal Justice section of the Canadian Bar Association – Newfoundland and Labrador Branch from 2012 to 2017. He has been an instructor at the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar Admission Course since 2017.
He was selected for inclusion in the 2019 Edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada for his work in criminal defence; one of only four lawyers listed for criminal defence in Newfoundland and Labrador.