NEW BRUNSWICK JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, December 12, 2014 – The Honourable Peter MacKay, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Central Nova, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointments:

The Honourable Barbara L. Baird, a judge of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick, Family Division, in Fredericton, is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick to replace Mr. Justice J.R. Robertson (Fredericton), who resigned effective August 31, 2014.

Madam Justice Baird was appointed a judge of the Court of Queen's Bench, Family Division, in 2008. Prior to her appointment she had practised with Baird Law Firm since 1991, where her main areas of practice were family law and personal injury litigation. Prior to that, she had practised with the firm Clark Drummie and Company in Saint John from 1976 to 1981; as a sole practitioner in Saint John from 1981 to 1984; as an associate with Atkinson and Atkinson in Fredericton from 1985 to 1987; and as a Director of Court Services, Family Division, of the New Brunswick Department of Justice from 1987 to 1989.

Madam Justice Baird received a Bachelor of Arts in 1974 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1976, both from the University of New Brunswick. She was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick in 1976 and received a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1985. In 2000, she was appointed Queen's Counsel.

The Honourable M. Deborah Hackett, a Master with the Family Division of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick in Saint John, is appointed a judge of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick, Family Division, to replace Madam Justice B.L. Baird, who was appointed to the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick.

Madam Justice Hackett received a Bachelor of Arts in 1988 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1995, both from the University of New Brunswick. She received a Certificate in Public Relations from McGill University in 1989 and was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick in 1996.

Madam Justice Hackett was appointed a Case Management Master of the Court of Queen's Bench, Family Division, Judicial District of Saint John, in 2010. Prior to that, she was the Director of Policy and Planning with the New Brunswick Department of Justice and Consumer Affairs and the Office of the Attorney General from 2006 to 2010; the Director of Corporate Strategy, Service New Brunswick from 2005 to 2006; a Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Premier of New Brunswick from 2002 to 2005; Executive Assistant to the provincial Minister of Justice from 1999 to 2002; and an associate with the firm Cox, Hanson O'Reilly Matheson (formerly Hanson, Hashey) in Fredericton from 1996 to 1999.

These appointments are effective immediately.

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