“I am delighted that Justice Derrick will be joining us on the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. Nova Scotians are very lucky to have someone with her tremendous knowledge and expertise on the bench."


- The Honourable Michael MacDonald, Chief Justice of Nova Scotia


"These are incredibly talented, driven and fair individuals who will be an asset to the Supreme Court. I look forward to working with them both and I wish them all the best with this new stage of their careers.”

- The Honourable Joseph Kennedy, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

 

  
   
 
   
 

Justice Anne S. Derrick

After graduating from Dalhousie Law School, Justice Derrick joined the Nova Scotia Bar in 1981 and co-founded an all-women’s law firm in 1984. During her 24 years in practice, she concentrated primarily on public interest and equality litigation, criminal law and social justice advocacy.

Justice Derrick became a judge of the Provincial and Family Courts of Nova Scotia in 2005, handling longer criminal and Youth Justice Court cases in the Halifax Long Trial Court beginning in 2011. From 2009 to 2010, Justice Derrick conducted the Fatality Inquiry into the Death of Howard Hyde, culminating in the release of a 400-page report containing 80 recommendations for the criminal justice and mental health-care systems.

Justice Derrick has received many honours, including the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from her alma mater, Mount Saint Vincent University.

 

 


Justice Christa Brothers

After graduating from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 1996, Justice Brothers clerked at the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. She joined Stewart McKelvey in 1999, becoming partner in 2006. Her litigation practice focused on insurance defence, commercial and construction litigation, and administrative law. She has been lauded by her peers, including being named “Lawyer of the Year” in personal injury litigation by Best Lawyers in 2017. She received her Queen’s Counsel designation in 2014.

Throughout her career, Justice Brothers has been a dedicated member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, including serving as the Chair of the Complaints and Investigation Committee, as an elected member of Council, and as the Second Vice-President. She has mentored many while serving on the Board of Directors for the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia, the National Insurance Law Subsection of the CBA, and the Board of Directors for the Canada Games Centre in Halifax. Her commitment to diversity and inclusion was most recently recognized when she was awarded the Progress Women of Excellence Award in the category of Management and Professions, given by the Canadian Progress Club.

 

 

 

Justice Cindy Murray

Justice Cindy Murray was born and raised in Antigonish. She received an Honours B.A. in sociology from St. Francis Xavier University, followed by an LL.B. from the University of New Brunswick. She articled with LeBlanc MacDonald Pickup in Port Hawkesbury, and became a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society in 1992. She joined Nova Scotia Legal Aid in 1993.

Justice Murray practised with Legal Aid formost of her legal career, with the exception of two years when she served as District Court Administrator for the Antigonish and Port Hawkesbury Justice Centres. In 2009, she became managing lawyer of the Antigonish and Port Hawkesbury Legal Aid offices. Her practice included family, criminal, and social justice law, with a strong focus on family law after 2009.

As managing lawyer and senior staff counsel with Legal Aid, Justice Murray demonstrated leadership through her involvement in continuing legal education and her commitment to providing outreach to the communities served by her office – in particular, to Nova Scotia’s First Nations communities. Throughout her career, Justice Murray has served on a number of in-house committees for Nova Scotia Legal Aid and has mentored junior lawyers with Legal Aid.

The proud mother of three children, Justice Murray has been deeply involved in youth activities and education. In particular, she served as secretary of the School Advisory Council for St. Andrew Junior School and completed two terms as chairperson of the Antigonish Education Centre School Advisory Council.