Nova Scotia CBA branch honours four lawyers

The Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) honoured some of its members during its annual conference.

Jack Townsend, an associate in Cox & Palmer’s Halifax office, is the 2017 recipient of the Zöe Odei award. Named after a CBA member who exemplified distinguished and exceptional service, the award honours and recognizes a young lawyer’s distinguished or exceptional service to the association, the community or charitable causes. Townsend practises commercial and insurance litigation, as well as municipal, health and administrative law. He has appeared before the Nova Scotia small claims court, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court and the New Brunswick Court of Appeal.

Justice Amy Sakalauskas of the provincial court of Nova Scotia took home the distinguished service award. A former staff lawyer with the provincial Department of Justice, she primarily practised in the area of child protection. Justice Sakalauskas is a past president of the Nova Scotia branch of the CBA and held many prominent positions in community organizations. She is also noted for her work on LGBTQ issues.

Candace Thomas, a partner in the Halifax office of Stewart McKelvey, won the community service award. Thomas is co-chair of the firm’s diversity and inclusion committee. She is a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society’s governance and nominating committee and hearing committee. Thomas is also a member of the Dalhousie University board of governors, co-chair of the Halifax Central Library’s capital campaign, a member of the Atlantic Canada chapter of the International Women’s Forum and part of the East Preston Empowerment Academy.  

Julia E. Cornish, a founding partner of Sealy Cornish Coulthard, was named the recipient of the Constance R. Glube Spirit award, which celebrates members who demonstrate strong CBA spirit through outstanding effort and contribution to women in law.

Cornish practises mainly family and adoption law. She is a past president of the Nova Scotia branch of the CBA and a former national chair of the CBA family law section. Cornish is part of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society family law standards committee and serves on the federal advisory committee on family law Issues, which assisted in the development of the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines. She instructs courses about the legal status of women at Mount Saint Vincent University.