Judge retires from N.S. Supreme Court’s family division

Justice Elizabeth Jollimore is retiring after serving almost 15 years on the Nova Scotia Supreme Court’s family division.

Thursday was Jollimore’s last day on the bench, according to a news release from the Nova Scotia judiciary.

“Justice Jollimore’s departure will certainly be felt here in Nova Scotia, but also across the country,” Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah Smith said in the release.

“She is deeply committed to ongoing judicial education, and her work nationally is well recognized. Her efforts to mentor, train and support Canadian judges have helped ensure newly appointed and experienced jurists alike are well educated in family law, which continues to be one of the most important areas of law that the Supreme Court deals with.”

Jollimore graduated from Dalhousie University in Halifax in 1983 with a bachelor of arts (honours) in sociology and anthropology, receiving the University Medal for the highest academic standing in those areas.

She completed her master’s degree in Sociology as a Killam Scholar in 1985, while also completing her second year of law school. She graduated from the University of Toronto’s faculty of law in 1987.

Jollimore was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1988 and was appointed Queen’s counsel in 2004. She was made a fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers in 2006.

 In November 2008, she was appointed to the Supreme Court bench. She has presided in the family division, primarily in Halifax.

Throughout her career on the bench, Jollimore has been a prolific writer and educator, authoring numerous court decisions and papers, the release said.

Through Canada’s National Judicial Institute, she has taught at national courses on evidence, settlement conferences, oral judgments, family law for newly appointed judges, and case resolution, and at court conferences in eight provinces. She has helped develop national online and in-person training programs for new Canadian judges and worked on various internal court committees.

Jollimore’s departure creates a new judicial vacancy in the family division. There are now three vacancies in that court.