The Honourable Lorne O. Clarke, BA, LLB '51, LLM., LLD (Hon), QC, OC

Throughout his professional life, Lorne O. Clarke, as a lawyer, judge and citizen, has been the consummate exemplar of the ideals Dean Richard Weldon sought to instill in his students.

Born in Malagash, Nova Scotia, Mr. Clarke developed a strong work ethic at an early age. He excelled in school with interests in current events and politics. He enrolled at Dalhousie University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1949, followed by a Bachelor of Laws in 1951. He joined the Law School as a faculty member in 1952, a position he held until 1959. During this period he served as secretary to the law faculty, as well as earning his Master of Laws degree from Harvard University in 1955.

In 1959 Mr. Clarke entered private practice in Truro, Nova Scotia, with the law firm of Patterson Smith Matthews and Grant. While maintaining a large general practice, Mr. Clarke developed an outstanding reputation as a skilled arbitrator, mediator, conciliator and industrial inquiry commissioner. He was praised as a fair, wise and ethical decision-maker. Public service included associations and memberships with the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Kiwanis Club, and the support of many other community endeavours, as well as the occasional foray into politics.

Mr. Clarke served as both Secretary and Chair to various Royal Commissions. He Chaired the Board of Referees of Unemployment Insurance Commission (Halifax). He served on the Bar Council of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society from 1964 to 1966. In 1969 he was appointed a Queen’s Counsel for the Province of Nova Scotia.

From 1971 until 1979 Mr. Clarke was a member of the Nova Scotia Law Reform Advisory Commission. Other professional affiliations included membership in the Canadian Bar Association, the National Academy of Arbitrators, the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution, and the Public Service Staff Relations Board of Canada (Adjudication Branch). He is also a former member of the Board of Governors of Dalhousie University.

In 1981 Mr. Clarke was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Trial Division. In 1985 he was appointed Chief Justice of the appeal Division. During his tenure on the bench Mr. Clarke earned a national reputation among his peers for hard work and, particularly, dedication to judicial education. He sat on numerous committees of the Canadian Judicial Council and served as a member of the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute. At the local level, Mr. Clarke initiated progressive changes including television coverage of proceedings of the Court of Appeal, private accommodation in the law Courts for members of the media, and a program for permitting feedback from the Bar on judicial performance.

On April 17, 1999, a symposium was held at Dalhousie Law School to commemorate Mr. Clarke’s retirement from the bench, and to recognize his leadership in many areas of the administration of justice. Attendance was overwhelming and included Chief Justices and Justices from across Canada, representatives of government, various segments of the legal system, as well as numerous friends, colleagues and Dalhousie alumni. Prime Minister Jean Chretien sent congratulations and noted Mr. Clarke’s important contributions to his province and Canada.

Following his retirement, Mr. Clarke has continued to provide leadership in many areas. His skills have been called upon as a public inquiry Commissioner, as mediator in labour-management disputes, and, perhaps, most notably as Chair of the Memorial Advisory Committee for Swissair Flight 111.

The service aspect of Mr. Clark’s distinguished career has been recognized by various constituencies, and at many levels. In recent years he was given the Distinguished Service Award by the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Bar Association, and he was named an Honorary Member of the Association. In 1999 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was the Recipient of the 2001 Nova Scotia Humanitarian Award by the Canadian Red Cross (Nova Scotia Region).

Mr. Clarke has served many organizations and causes in quiet and unheralded ways – always demonstrating a sense of courtesy and dignity which, for many, is his hallmark. He has been a special friend of Dalhousie Law School and given generously of his time and expertise on innumerable occasions.

Throughout his professional career, Mr. Clarke has enjoyed steadfast support and assistance from his wife, Mary Lou. They have three children, Nora, George and Colin.

Upon his retirement from the bench, The Honourable Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, James Kinley, said of Mr. Clarke:  “Great public service demands accountability, integrity and vision. No finer example of those qualities can be found in Nova Scotia today than in the person of Lorne Clarke.”