Retirement of Chief Justice Lorne Clarke

Chief Justice Lorne Clarke has announced that he will retire as chief justice of Nova Scotia and a judge of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal, effective June 30, 1998.

He was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Trial Division) in 1981, and the province's 20th chief justice on Aug. 22, 1985. On that date he was also appointed chief justice of the Appeal Division of the Supreme Court (now the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal), administrator of the province and a trustee of the Public Archives of Nova Scotia.

Chief Justice Clarke is a graduate in law of both Dalhousie and Harvard universities. He taught for several years as a member of Dalhousie's faculty of law.

From 1959 until 1981, he practised law in Truro with the firm of Patterson, Smith, Matthews and Grant. His practice centred on labour and commercial law. He was well known as an arbitrator and mediator. He was a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution.

Among numerous professional and volunteer commitments during this time, he served as chair of the Royal Commission on Workmen's Compensation in the Fishing Industry, a member of the Nova Scotia Law Reform Advisory Commission, a member of the board of governors of Dalhousie University and of Bar Council, and a board member with the Victorian Order of Nurses and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Nova Scotia Divison.

After his appointment to the court, he held positions as secretary and vice-chair of the Canadian Judges Conference and, once chief justice, chaired a number of Canadian Judicial Council committees and was the council's second vice-chair from 1992-1996.

Chief Justice Clarke has long been a supporter of continuing legal education. Since 1991 he has been a member of the board of governors of the National Judicial Institute, the body responsible for providing judicial education to judges across Canada.