The Advisory Committee on King’s Counsel Appointments, chaired by the Honourable Justice Cindy A. Bourgeois, will convene in the fall to consider candidates for the next King’s Counsel appointments.
The criteria for these appointments are:
- fifteen years or more as a member of the Bar of Nova Scotia as of September 30, 2023 and eligible to practice law in Nova Scotia;
- demonstrated professional integrity, good character and outstanding contributions to the practice of law through one or more of:
- recognition by other members of the profession as an exceptional barrister or solicitor,
- exceptional contributions through legal scholarship, teaching or continuing legal education,
- demonstration of exceptional qualities of leadership in the profession, and
- engaging in activities of a public or charitable nature in such a way as to raise the esteem in which the legal profession is held by the public;
The Advisory Committee also considers regional, gender, race, sexual orientation and representation from other diverse groups among the persons recommended for appointment as King’s Counsel.
In order to be considered as a candidate for a King’s Counsel appointment, you must apply or be nominated pursuant to this request. Applications and nominations from previous years will not be considered. Applications and nominations must be submitted as a single email to KCSubmissions@novascotia.ca no later than 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 3, 2023 and include all of the following:
- A signed Authorization for Disclosure of Information and Release Form;
- A signed Application or Nomination Form;
- A completed Information Form (The form is three pages and provides for an additional two pages if required); and
- Two Letters of Reference. (One letter is to come from within the Bar or Judiciary. The second letter is to come from outside the Bar and Judiciary.)
The forms are available as fillable PDF documents on the King’s Counsel process page of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society website, here. Please note that the Adobe Acrobat settings may need to be adjusted to highlight the fillable boxes. You can find those settings in Edit>Preferences>Forms. Text is to be confined to the fillable boxes which have a fixed font size.
Persons may either apply personally or nominate another member of the Bar. All applicants will be treated equally by the Advisory Committee whether they are nominated or apply personally.
The above email address is for submissions only. Please direct any inquiries to Glenn Anderson, K.C., Secretary to the Advisory Committee on King’s Counsel Appointments, at glenn.r.anderson@novascotia.ca.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
for: Candace L. Thomas, K.C.
Deputy Minister of Justice
and Deputy Attorney General