News release

Chief Crown Attorney Appointed to Head Appeals and Special Prosecutions

Public Prosecution Service

Mark Scott, Queen’s Council, has been appointed chief Crown attorney of Appeals and Special Prosecutions.

"I am very pleased to have a Crown attorney of Mr. Scott’s ability heading up these very important functions within the Prosecution Service," said Martin Herschorn, director of Public Prosecutions. "His skill and experience in both complex prosecutions and appellate law make him very well suited for this key management role."

Mr. Scott will lead a team of 16 Crown attorneys and 10 support staff.

Mr. Scott, who grew up in St. John’s N.L., graduated in 1994 from the University of New Brunswick Law School and then articled with the Crown Office (Criminal), N.L. Department of Justice.

In 1995 he joined Collins and Associates in St. John’s where he focused on criminal law and in 1996 he joined Burchell MacDougall in Halifax focusing on criminal defence, appeals and per diem work for both the federal and provincial Crown.

In 1998 Mr. Scott was appointed a Crown attorney in the Halifax office of the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service where he prosecuted a wide range of criminal offences including murder and attempted murder. In 2000 Mr. Scott moved to Special Prosecutions where his cases included, among many others, complex frauds and sexual assaults involving children. Mr. Scott joined the appeals team in 2007. Since then, he has conducted more than 150 criminal appeals in both the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

Mr. Scott is active with the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society as a member of the Criminal Standards Committee and as vice-chair of the Complaints Investigations Committee. He has also assisted the barristers’ society by presenting at continuing legal education conferences and evaluating examinations skills at bar admissions courses. He is also a coach for Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law’s Gale Cup national moot competition and is a Schulich School of Law second year moot judge.

Mr. Scott replaces Kenneth (Butch) Fiske who has recently retired as Chief Crown Attorney Appeals and Andrew Macdonald, Chief Crown Attorney Special Prosecutions. Mr. Macdonald is moving to Public Prosecution Service’s head office to become Chief Crown Attorney of Special Initiatives.