The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia is pleased to welcome three new justices to the Bench, all of whom will be serving in the Court’s Family Division.
In a news release earlier today, Justice Minister David Lametti announced that The Hon. Justice Aleta Cromwell, formerly a judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia, The Hon. Justice Daniel W. Ingersoll and The Hon. Justice Lorne J. MacDowell were appointed to the Supreme Court (Family Division), effective immediately.
“Family law is one of the most important areas of law that the Supreme Court deals with,” said The Hon. Deborah K. Smith, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. “These matters require patience, compassion, and a breadth of legal knowledge unlike most other courts. All three of our new appointees exemplify these qualities and have the experience needed to step seamlessly into their new roles with the Supreme Court. Congratulations and best wishes to our new colleagues.”
One of today’s appointments fills the last remaining new position on the Supreme Court (Family Division), while the other two appointments address vacancies created by justices retiring from the Supreme Court (Family Division).
Justice Aleta Cromwell
Justice Aleta Cromwell of Shubenacadie East, N.S., graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 1998. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar on Oct. 1, 1999, and later received a Queen’s Counsel designation. Justice Cromwell spent most of her career as a lawyer with the Legal Services Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice. She worked for almost six years in Child and Adult Protection.
As a lawyer, Justice Cromwell served on numerous boards and committees, including the Board for the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Racial Equity Committee, and the province’s Employment Equity Committee. She also served as an elected member of Council for the Barristers’ Society and was one of the original members of the African Nova Scotian Access to Justice Judicial Committee.
Just prior to her first judicial appointment, Justice Cromwell was seconded to serve as Acting Director of the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative at the Schulich School of Law. She served in that role until her judicial appointment to the Provincial Court on July 9, 2020.
Justice Daniel W. Ingersoll
Justice Daniel W. Ingersoll was born and raised on Grand Manan Island, N.B. He received his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from Mount Allison University in 1986 and his Bachelor of Law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1989. He was admitted to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1990.
Justice Ingersoll articled in Halifax and went on to serve his entire 31-year legal career with the same firm, specializing in labour, employment, human rights, and administrative law. He was Managing Partner at the time of his appointment. Justice Ingersoll received his Queen’s Council designation in 2010.
Throughout his legal career, Justice Ingersoll has been engaged with his profession and his community. He taught employment law at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University for six years and served for many years as a director and then President of the Youth Alternative Society. At the time of his appointment to the Bench, Justice Ingersoll was the President of the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia and served on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council.
Justice Lorne J. MacDowell
Justice Lorne J. MacDowell was born and raised in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, N.S. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from Mount Allison University in 1980 and his Bachelor of Law degree from Dalhousie University in 1983. He articled and has practised law in Port Hawkesbury since that time.
Over the course of his 37-year legal career, Justice MacDowell has built an extensive practise in the field of child protection litigation, with significant experience in municipal law, family and civil litigation and other fields. He has served as an Adjudicator on the Small Claims Court of Nova Scotia and an Assessment Appeal Court Vice Chairman. He was appointed Queens Counsel in October of 2002.
Justice MacDowell has contributed to his profession by serving as a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Council and on various committees, including the Investigative Subcommittee and the Complaints Review Committee.