The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia will host a swearing-in ceremony in Membertou on Tuesday, December 10, to honour the Court’s newest judges – the Hon. Shannon B. Mason, the Hon. Shane D. Russell and the Hon. Jillian Barrington.

Justice Mason was appointed to the Supreme Court (Family Division) on April 22, 2024, while Justice Russell was appointed to the Supreme Court on October 28, 2024; both preside in Sydney. Justice Barrington was appointed to the Court’s Family Division on November 4, 2024, and presides in Halifax.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place in the Kluskap Room at the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre, 50 Autwen Ma’sl Awti, Membertou, starting at 3:00 p.m. on December 10.

The event will also be livestreamed on the Courts of Nova Scotia website. The public and media can watch online at https://www.courts.ns.ca/operations/webcasts. Archived video of the ceremony will be posted online following the event.

As per the Nova Scotia Courts’ copyright policy, webcasts of court proceedings and special events may not be broadcast or re-broadcast by embedding them in another website or by any other means. However, portions of the webcasts (audio and video) may be re-broadcast as part of conventional news coverage. Hyperlinks to the live webcast page and the page of archived videos on the Courts website are permitted.

The Hon. Justice Shannon B. Mason

Justice Shannon Mason obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, double major in Political Science and English, from Cape Breton University in 2000, and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 2003 from the University of New Brunswick. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2004.

Justice Mason started her legal career in private practice, eventually accepting a position with Nova Scotia Legal Aid in 2005. At the beginning of her career, she practiced both family and criminal law but focused primarily on child protection cases since 2014.

Justice Mason has been an active member of the legal community.  At the time of her appointment, she was serving her second term on the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society (NSBS) Council. She also sat on several NSBS committees. Justice Mason was an active member of the Cape Breton Barristers’ Society, having served as a past President. She also sat on the Supreme Court Family Division Liaison Committee, the Court Administration Collaboration Committee and the Library Committee.

The Hon. Justice D. Shane Russell

Justice Shane Russell was born and raised in North Sydney, N.S. He graduated from the University of Manitoba Robson Hall Law School in 2003 and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Dalhousie University.

He practiced law for 17 years and served as co-counsel for the Desmond Fatality Inquiry starting in 2019 until his appointment to the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia on December 10, 2021. On February 23, 2024, Justice Russell was appointed as Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court.

As a lawyer, Justice Russell served as President of the Cape Breton Barristers' Society. He was also a member of Bar Council, the governing body of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society, as well as the Society’s Gender Equity Committee and the Provincial Court Liaison Committee.

The Hon. Justice Jillian Barrington

Justice Jillian Barrington was raised in Cape Breton, N.S. She graduated from Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law in 2010 and has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Psychology from Mount Allison University. She was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2011.

She was appointed to the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia on February 3, 2023.

Prior to her appointment to the bench, Justice Barrington worked in private practice with a focus on the areas of criminal, family, employment and property law. She served on Bar Council with the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and was a member of the Society’s Credentials Committee, the Small and Solo Firm Working Group, the Family Standards Committee, the Rural Practice Working Group and the Society’s Complaints Investigation Committee. She was also involved with the Cape Breton Barristers’ Society and served on various boards and community organizations.

As a judge, Justice Barrington served as one of the Provincial Court representatives on the All Courts Technology Committee.

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Media Contact:
Andrew Preeper
Communications Director
Nova Scotia Judiciary
902-222-0266
Andrew.Preeper@courts.ns.ca