An Alberta judge who attended the University of Victoria law school and practised here has been named to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Alberta Court of Appeal Justice Russell Brown takes over for the retiring Justice Marshall Rothstein, whose departure takes effect Aug. 31, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Monday.
Brown’s main areas of practice were commercial law, medical negligence, personal injury, trusts and estates and competition law. In Victoria, he served as a member of Carfra & Lawton, now Carfra Lawton LLP.
Mike Scherr, a managing partner at Pearlman Lindholm, attended UVic’s law school with Brown, from 1990 to 1992. Later, when Brown returned to Victoria to practice, the two met again as adversaries in the courtroom. “I think it’s a good appointment because he is a reasonable person, he was always a reasonable guy,” Scherr said. “His views weren’t too strongly held one way or the other, so I think he’s a good fit for the bench.”
Brown was also very academic in his approach, another good quality for his new role, Scherr said. “He’d be a just individual, fair.”
Harper said Brown brings to the court wide experience as a law professor and legal scholar, barrister and judge at both the trial court and appellate levels.
A member of the bars of both B.C. and Alberta, Brown currently sits in Edmonton, where he also serves as an appeal judge for both the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Brown will be the second member of the high court from Western Canada, the other being Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
Brown’s predecessor, who was appointed by Harper in March 2006, announced his retirement in April.
— Times Colonist and The Canadian Press
