The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia is welcoming two new judges to its ranks. The Hon. Justice Christine Doucet and the Hon. Justice Terrance G. Sheppard will both preside in the Supreme Court’s Family Division.
The appointments, effective immediately, were announced earlier today in a news release from the Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada.
“It has been an exciting week for the Family Division,” said the Hon. Deborah K. Smith, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. “First the announcement of a new Associate Chief Justice and now we have the pleasure of welcoming these bright, talented new jurists. Together they bring more than four decades of experience in the legal profession and other relevant fields. On behalf of the entire Supreme Court, I want to congratulate and wish them well in their new roles.”
Today’s appointments fill two vacancies on the Supreme Court (Family Division). Justice Doucet will preside in Halifax, replacing the Hon. Justice Elizabeth Jollimore, who retired on Aug. 31, 2023. Justice Sheppard will preside in Truro, filling the vacancy created when the Hon. Justice Raymond Morse retired on Aug. 13, 2021.
The Hon. Justice Christine Doucet
Justice Christine Doucet was raised in Pictou County, Nova Scotia. She obtained her Bachelor of Journalism with a Combined Honours in Law from Carleton University in 1996. She obtained her law degree in 2001 from Dalhousie Law School, where she was part of the winning Sopinka Cup trial moot team.
She was called to both the Ontario Bar and the British Columbia Bar in 2002, and to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2006.
Justice Doucet worked for several years as a journalist at the Halifax Chronicle Herald. She articled in Toronto and practiced commercial litigation in Vancouver. She worked as a legal recruiter in Halifax from 2006 to 2008 before joining a local law firm, working her way up from associate to partner in 2013.
Justice Doucet received advanced mediation training from Riverdale Mediation in Toronto and obtained CMed status from ADR Atlantic in 2021. She has instructed at the University of Kings College, Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, and various conferences and seminars in the areas of media law, family law and dispute resolution. She contributed to numerous Canadian Bar Association events and committees and served for three years as co-chair of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) Liaison Committee.
The Hon. Justice Terrance G. Sheppard
Justice Terrance G. Sheppard was raised in Sydney, Cape Breton. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from the University of King's College, a Master of Arts in Political Science from Dalhousie University, and a Bachelor of Law from Dalhousie University.
Justice Sheppard articled in Truro and practiced with various firms in Halifax and Antigonish, specializing in family, criminal, and fertility law. He was appointed King's Counsel in 2021.
Justice Sheppard has contributed to his profession by serving as President of the Canadian Bar Association – Nova Scotia Branch, he was appointed and later elected as the Halifax representative to the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society Council, he was a member of the Adoption Appeal Board, he served as the inaugural Chair of the Motor Vehicle Appeal Board and was Chair of the Family Law Standards Committee for the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society.
Justice Sheppard has volunteered on various boards and community organizations and is most proud of his work over the past 20 years in the area of fertility law. He has lectured on the topic for the Schulich School of Law, CBA-NS, and Pride Week. He has been a member of the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys since 2016.