Calgary partner Bernette Ho appointed new Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright announces that the government of Canada has today appointed Calgary partner Bernette Ho as a new Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, effective immediately.

The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta is the superior trial court for the province and hears civil and criminal matters as well as appeals from decisions of the Provincial Court.

Brad Hayden, managing partner in Calgary, said:

“We are proud of Bernette and congratulate her on this tremendous career achievement. Bernette has been an integral part of our firm since joining Macleod Dixon as an articling student. She was actively involved in our management, and was the practice group leader for the Calgary Employment and Labour group. Bernette’s contributions are significant and she will be missed.”

While at Norton Rose Fulbright, Bernette Ho worked on a wide variety of commercial litigation matters before acting primarily for provincially-regulated employers in relation to employment, human rights, privacy and disability matters. She also represented energy companies in a wide variety of litigation and regulatory matters, particularly in relation to the electricity industry.

Admitted to the Alberta bar in 1996, she regularly appeared before regulatory tribunals and courts in Alberta, including the Alberta Utilities Commission, Provincial Court of Alberta, the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta and the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Having long believed in the value of community service, she volunteered with organizations including the Calgary Inter-faith Food Bank, Salvation Army, and Theatre Calgary.

Professionally, Bernette has been a volunteer with the Alberta bar admission course as well as the Law Society of Alberta, serving on the Professional Responsibility and Conduct Committees. Bernette was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Legal Education Society of Alberta and Theatre Calgary at the time of appointment.

Born in the Philippines, she is of Chinese descent. Her family immigrated to Canada in 1971, settling first in Calgary and later moving to just outside of the city. She completed all of her early education in Cochrane, Alberta.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Communication Studies from the University of Calgary (1992) and an LL.B. from the University of Alberta (1995).