KENTVILLE, N.S. — The province’s newest judge will preside on the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Kentville.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti announced in a March 26 news release that Justice John A. Keith replaces Justice Gregory Warner, who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective Jan. 1. The appointment is effective immediately and Keith will be officially sworn in at a robing ceremony in the coming weeks.
“The Supreme Court is very pleased to have one of Nova Scotia’s premier practitioners joining our ranks,” said Joseph Kennedy, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. “Justice Keith’s extensive experience in civil litigation, his attention to detail and his reputation as a well-respected litigator will be an asset to the bench.”
Keith was born in Montreal and raised in Berwick. After graduating from Mount Allison University, he studied at Queen’s University Faculty of Law, receiving a LL.B. in 1991. He articled with WeirFoulds in Toronto and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1993.
In 1999, Keith returned to Nova Scotia and joined the Halifax law firm Cox & Palmer, where he practiced civil litigation for 20 years. Keith has extensive experience as a trial appellate advocate, appearing at all levels of court in Nova Scotia and in the superior courts of several other provinces. He was designated Queen’s Counsel in 2014.
At the time of his appointment to the bench, Keith was a member of the national board of directors for The Advocates’ Society and he was recently selected as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.
Keith has earned the highest AV designation from Martindale Hubbell, a peer-rating organization. He is recognized as a preeminent practitioner by Benchmark Litigation and was named “Lawyer of the Year” in commercial litigation by Best Lawyers. Keith also received Lexpert’s national excellence in practice award.
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