ALBERTA JUDICIAL APPOINTMENT ANNOUNCED

OTTAWA, May 13, 2005 – Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment:

Clifton D. O'Brien, Q.C., of Calgary is appointed a judge of the Court of Appeal of Alberta. He replaces Mr. Justice N.C. Wittman who was appointed Associate Chief Justice.

Mr. Justice O'Brien received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta in 1962. He was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1963.

At the time of his appointment, he was a partner and former chair with the firm Bennett Jones and practised primarily in the areas of civil and commercial litigation. In the past, he has acted as a member of the Alberta Rules of Court Committee and as a Bencher of the Law Society of Alberta. He is a fellow of the American Trial Lawyers Association and a lecturer at the Canadian Bar Association and the Legal Education Society of Alberta.

This appointment is effective immediately.

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Ref.:

Denise Rudnicki
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice
(613) 992-4621