Duty Counsel Day statement by Nova Scotia Associate Chief Justice Lawrence O’Neil
I’m pleased and privileged to have this opportunity to acknowledge and thank you for your work as duty counsel in our courts in Nova Scotia and across the country.
As you know, and I know from personal experience, the people who are represented and advised by duty counsel are experiencing perhaps the most challenging task of their lives.
And in the case of family law when people are concerned about their relationship with their children, custody and access arrangements, it is among one of the most, the worst experiences they will have, so thank you for that work.
I know it’s difficult, it requires good judgement, compassion, and sensitivity and we are fortunate in this province certainly to have duty counsel who have all of those attributes.
Thank you once again and congratulations for the work that you do on behalf of these families, the courts, and in particular the wider community.
