John Keith, KC appointed to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court
Cox & Palmer is proud to announce that John Keith, Q.C., a partner in the Halifax office, has been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and a judge ex officio of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.
The Government of Canada announced the judicial appointment in the following press release:
OTTAWA, March 26, 2019 /CNW/ – The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the new judicial application process introduced on October 20, 2016. The new process emphasizes transparency, merit, and diversity, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.
John A. Keith, Q.C., a Partner at Cox & Palmer in Halifax, is appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and a judge ex officio of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. He replaces Justice G.M. Warner (Kentville), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective January 1, 2019.
Biography
Justice Keith was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Berwick, located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley. After graduating from Mount Allison University, he studied law at Queen’s University Faculty of Law where he received an LL. B. in 1991. He articled with WeirFoulds in Toronto, Ontario and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993.
In 1999, Justice Keith returned to Nova Scotia and joined the law firm Cox & Palmer, where he practiced civil litigation for 20 years. Justice Keith has extensive experience as a trial and appellate advocate, appearing at all levels of court in Nova Scotia, and in the superior courts of many other provinces.
Justice Keith was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2014. He is a member of the national Board of Directors for The Advocates’ Society and was recently selected as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Justice Keith has earned the highest AV designation from Martindale Hubbell, a peer-rating organization; is recognized as a preeminent practitioner by Benchmark Litigation; and was named “Lawyer of the Year” in commercial litigation by Best Lawyers. He also received Lexpert’s national excellence in practice award.
Justice Keith serves as a member of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Liaison Committee, Nova Scotia’s Civil Procedure Rules Subcommittee and the Claims Review Committee for the Lawyer’s Insurance Association of Nova Scotia. He was also a member of the original Steering Committee that drafted Nova Scotia’s current Civil Procedure Rules.
He lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia with his wife Kara and their three children.