News

The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society is pleased to announce that Bruce H. Wildsmith, QC, of Barss Corner, Lunenburg County, will receive the 2017 Distinguished Service Award. Wildsmith is legal counsel with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs and the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuquan Negotiation Office. His pursuit of Mi’kmaw access to natural resources and Treaty rights has resulted in clearer understanding of Aboriginal rights and their place in Canada. 

NSBS president Julia Cornish, QC, will present the award at the Society’s annual Recognition Reception the evening of Nov. 17 at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel. Chief Paul J. Prosper of Paqtnkek First Nation will provide remarks on behalf of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs during the award presentation. 

Also at the event, nine lawyers will receive their 50-Year Practising Certificates and the achievements of three Schulich School of Law students will be recognized.

17th Distinguished Service Award

Wildsmith was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 1974 and received his Queen’s Counsel designation in 1992. A highly respected lawyer, educator, and author, he was a full-time professor at Dalhousie Law School from 1979 through 2003 while serving as Counsel for the Union of Nova Scotia Indians.

Also a renowned international scholar on aquaculture law and policy, Wildsmith helped establish Dalhousie’s Marine & Environmental Law Institute as a leading world centre for educational programs and research addressing natural resource management challenges. He is a frequent guest speaker for community groups, academic conferences, and public forums to further education about systemic racism, Mi’kmaw Aboriginal title, Indigenous rights, and Treaty rights.

Law student honourees

Several Schulich School of Law student achievements will be honoured at tonoight's ceremony:

• Ria Guidone, articled clerk at Stewart McKelvey, is receiving the 2017 NSBS Presidents’ Leadership Award

• Desiree Jones, a second-year student, is receiving the 2017 NSBS Presidents' Leadership Internship scholarship

•Rosalea Thompson, a third-year student, is receiving the Society's 2017 Race and the Law Essay Prize for her paper "Remembering as Solidarity with the Past: Legal Mechanisms for Protecting African Nova Scotian Sacred Places"

For complete details, see the 2017 Distinguished Service Award announcement and event listing on the Society’s website.