The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety is pleased to announce the province’s newest appointments to the Queen’s Counsel by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
The honourary title of Queen’s Counsel recognizes senior lawyers for exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession. These lawyers have served a minimum of 10 years as a member of the bar in Newfoundland and Labrador, have gained the respect of the legal community and are in good standing with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Appointments are made after consultation with the Legal Appointments Board as outlined in the Queen’s Counsel Act.
Those appointed to Queen’s Counsel are Donald E. Anthony, Brenda Duffy, John J. Hogan, Chantelle MacDonald Newhook, Shayne G. McDonald, Jacqueline A. Penney, Gregory M. Smith, Pamela L. Taylor, Tina M. Walsh and Philip G. Warren. Biographies of each appointee can be found in the backgrounder below.
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“Congratulations to this year’s appointees to the Queen’s Counsel. The 10 individuals receiving this honour have shown professionalism and commitment to strengthening our justice system. They have earned the respect of the legal community through their leadership and continue to have an impact in their communities and throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General
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Lesley Clarke
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 699-2910
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BACKGROUNDER
Biographies Queen’s Counsel Appointees
Donald E. Anthony
Donald Anthony obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) from Memorial University (1994), as well as Master of Marine Management (1995) and Bachelor of Laws (1998) degrees from Dalhousie University. He served articles to David C. Day, QC and was called to the Bar in 1999. In the last 20 years, Mr. Anthony has practiced in private, public, corporate, criminal and regulatory realms. He was also an Agent for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada from 2007 to 2018 when he joined the Civil Litigation Unit of the Department of Justice and Public Safety. He has developed and taught law and policy courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the Marine Institute of Memorial University and has chaired both the Maritime and Environmental Law Sections for Canadian Bar Association-NL. He was the Chief Adjudicator of the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Public Complaints Commission from 2017-18. Mr. Anthony has been a Bencher of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2011, chairing or sitting on several committees, and served as president from 2018-19. Through his involvement with the Law Society, he has developed a keen interest in the mental health and wellness of lawyers in the province. Outside of the practice of law, he sits on the School Council of Holy Cross Elementary School and has served on numerous boards including the Newfoundland and Labrador Pharmacy Board (Chair) and Kids Eat Smart Foundation.
Brenda Duffy
Brenda P. Duffy was born and raised in St. John’s. She graduated from Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science and from the University of New Brunswick in 1990 with a Bachelor of Laws. She was called to the Bar in Newfoundland in 1991 and the Bar of New Brunswick in 1992. She practiced with the law firm of Mosher Chedore in Saint John, New Brunswick for two years before returning to Newfoundland and Labrador in 1995 to take a position with the Department of Justice as a Crown Attorney in Clarenville. She remained there for five years before transferring to the Crown Attorney’s office in Corner Brook. In 2004, she felt fortunate to be able to take a hiatus from the practice of law to dedicate her time to raising her two sons, Ethan and Aidan. In 2014, she rejoined the Crown Attorney’s office in Corner Brook where she continues to practice law. Ms. Duffy has enjoyed serving her community for many years as a volunteer, including as Chair of the Humber Elementary Home and School Association, President of the Corner Brook Rapids Swim Team and as a board member with the Marble Mountain Alpine Race Team. She also served four years as Deputy Mayor of the Town of Steady Brook and Chair of the Town’s Lands and Planning Committee. In 2019, Ms. Duffy was appointed a Bencher of the Law Society and is currently Chair of the Law Society’s Real Estate Committee.
John J. Hogan
John J. Hogan is a graduate of Memorial University (B.Sc. (Biochemistry), 2000) and Dalhousie University (LLB, 2003). Mr. Hogan was called to the Ontario bar in 2004 after completing his articles at a Toronto law firm. He then returned to Newfoundland and Labrador where he was called to the bar in 2005 and worked at a multi-service firm in St. John’s. In 2014, Mr. Hogan started his own law firm, WPH Law, with friends and law school classmates Andrew Wadden and Christopher Peddigrew. He presently serves as an elected Bencher of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. He has previously served on two occasions as an elected member to the Memorial University Board of Regents. Mr. Hogan has enjoyed other community involvement including serving as a board member of Clean St. John’s, the Wreckhouse Jazz and Blues Festival and is currently a board member of the St. John’s Port Authority.
Chantelle MacDonald Newhook
Chantelle MacDonald Newhook obtained a Bachelor of Arts (English and Political Science) from St. Thomas University in 1991, graduated from the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Law in 1994, and was called to the Newfoundland Bar in 1995. In 2004, Ms. MacDonald Newhook entered the public service with the Department of Justice’s litigation team. Since that time she has worked in a variety of capacities, including as legal counsel to the Public Service Secretariat, Executive Council, Department of Health and Community Services, Manager of the Central Agencies and Justice Policy Unit, and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Human Resource Secretariat. She is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister, Legal Services, at the Department of Justice and Public Safety, Civil Division. Ms. MacDonald Newhook has appeared before the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board, before the provincial court, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and at the Supreme Court of Canada. She is a published author with one book to her credit and has also published in regional, national and international consumer and trade publications, primarily about legal issues. She is an active community volunteer, including as a proud member of the Rotary Club of St. John’s East. Ms. MacDonald Newhook lives in St. John’s with her husband, Todd Newhook, and their two sons, Bennett and Andrew Newhook.
Shayne G. McDonald
Shayne McDonald was born and raised on the Miawpukek reserve located at Conne River, Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. McDonald graduated from St. Anne’s school and went on to Memorial University, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts with a major in Political Science in 1990. He obtained a Bachelor of laws at the University of British Columbia in 1993. He also completed his Master’s in Business Administration at Athabasca University in 2014. Mr. McDonald specializes in Indigenous law and has been practicing since 1993. He is a senior partner with McDonald White, a law firm located at Conne River. Mr. McDonald has served his community and other Indigenous groups in a number of capacities including Director of Justice and Legal affairs. He is currently serving as Vice Chief of the Miawpukek Band Council. He is also the executive director Netukulimk Fisheries Limited, which operates and manages Miawpukek’ s commercial fishing fleet. Mr. McDonald also serves as a legal specialist with the Centre of Excellence for Matrimonial and real property on First Nations Reserves. He enjoys boating and spending time outdoors, when he is not cooking his famous sea food chowder.
Jacqueline A. Penney
Jacqueline Penney was born and raised in Corner Brook. She graduated from Dalhousie Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 1993. She was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 1994 and the Nova Scotia Bar in 2011. Ms. Penney practiced with the law firm McInnes Cooper from 2001 to 2009. She joined as an associate and became a partner in 2004, practicing primarily in the areas of labour/employment law and resource development law. Since 2009, Ms. Penney has been in-house, Corporate Counsel for Marine Atlantic Inc. She serves as a part-time member of the Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada and the Disciplinary Committee of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 2013, she has been serving as an employer representative on the Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Relations Board. She served as the past Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Legal Aid Commission and as a member of the Legal Aid Commission Appeal Board. She has also served as a Director of the St. John’s Board of Trade and the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers. Ms. Penney is the wife of Dr. Derrick Batten and the proud mother of Isaac and Luke Batten.
Gregory M. Smith
Greg Smith is a senior partner with Curtis Dawe in St. John’s. He has practiced law as litigation counsel since 1989, following his LLB in 1988 from the University of New Brunswick and his M.Ed. in 1984 and B.A., B.Ed. in 1981 from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He has appeared before all levels of court in the province, with a concentration on the Supreme Court (General Division) and the Court of Appeal. With a problem-solving approach and a focus on mediation, private commercial arbitration and court advocacy, he works with plaintiff and defendant clients, including individuals, corporations, organizations and governments, to resolve challenging and complex litigation disputes within the construction, corporate, commercial, energy, and insurance law fields. Mr. Smith has a “BV Distinguished” Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating and, since 2013, he has been selected annually by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada for his work in Class Action Litigation, Construction Law, Corporate and Commercial Litigation, and Insurance Law. He serves on the Law Society’s Bar Admission Course Committee as Civil Litigation Section Chair and a perennial course instructor. He is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society. He has also served as a board member of the Murphy Centre and as President and board member of the Canadian Mental Health Association Newfoundland and Labrador Division.
Pamela L. Taylor
Pamela Taylor is originally from Conception Bay South. She graduated from Memorial University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. In 1996, she graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School with a Bachelor of Laws degree. She articled with the firm of O’Reilly Noseworthy and was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 1996. For the past 18 years, Ms. Taylor has practiced in the field of civil litigation, first with the firm of Ches Crosbie Barristers and now with the firm Russell Accident Law. She has been recognized by her peers in Best Lawyers in Canada for her practice in personal injury litigation. Ms. Taylor is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Atlantic Provinces Trial Lawyers Association. Her volunteer efforts have included serving on the executive of the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Canadian Bar Association, on Bar Bench Committees, on the board of Avalon Employment Inc., and on the board of Shakespeare by the Sea Festival Inc.
Tina M. Walsh
Tina Walsh attended Queen’s University Law School after graduating from Memorial University of Newfoundland with a Bachelor of Science. After graduating from Queen’s in 1994, she articled with the Department of Justice, Civil Division and was called to the Bar in Newfoundland and Labrador in June of 1995. Ms. Walsh then spent a period of time in private practice both in Marystown and St. John’s. In 2002 she took a contractual position with Crown Attorneys’ Office in St. John’s. At the expiration of that contract she took a contractual position in Grand Falls-Windsor for what was to be one year. However, Ms. Walsh found that position in Grand Falls-Windsor professionally rewarding and accepted it on a permanent basis the following year. In 2014, Ms. Walsh took on the role of Senior Crown Attorney for the Central Region of the Province which includes responsibility for the Crown Attorneys’ offices in Grand Falls-Windsor, Gander, Burin and Clarenville.
Philip G. Warren
Philip G. Warren was born and raised in St. John’s and graduated from MUN with a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) in 1996 and graduated from Dalhousie Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 2000. He was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 2001. From 2001 to 2010, Mr. Warren worked in private practice and in 2010 he joined Legal Aid NL in the St. John’s office. Mr. Warren practices in administrative, family, criminal and civil law. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Warren also served as a Chair of the Canada Pension Plan/Old Age Security Review Tribunal. Mr. Warren is presently Vice President of the Brain Injury Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and serves on the Law Society Newfoundland and Labrador Disciplinary Panel. He has also served on numerous not for profit and community boards, including many years with Parkinson’s Society NL. In his spare time, Mr. Warren can usually be found at a hockey rink or soccer field with his wife Jennifer and his two boys Jack and Nate.