Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada announces a judicial appointment in the province of British Columbia

December 21, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada  

The Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today announced the following appointment under the judicial application process established in 2016. This process emphasizes transparency, merit, and the diversity of the Canadian population, and will continue to ensure the appointment of jurists who meet the highest standards of excellence and integrity.

Simon R. Coval, Q.C., a partner at Fasken in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Mr. Justice Coval replaces Mr. Justice P.G. Voith (Vancouver), who was appointed to the Court of Appeal on September 2, 2020.

Quote

 “I wish Justice Coval every success as he takes on his new role. I am confident he will serve the people of British Columbia well as a member of the Supreme Court of B.C.”

—The Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Biography

Justice Simon R. Coval, Q.C., received a B.A. from the University of British Columbia, an LL.B. from the University of Toronto, and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, where he also taught jurisprudence for two years.

Before commencing practice, Mr. Justice Coval had the privilege of serving as a law clerk for Chief Justice McEachern and Justice Cumming of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. For the past 27 years, he has practised commercial litigation at Fasken (formerly Russell & DuMoulin), and he owes an enormous debt of gratitude to his colleagues there. He was appointed Queen‘s Counsel in 2019.

The community service of Justice Coval includes providing instruction for continuing legal education and teaching the University of British Columbia Trial Advocacy Course, as well as serving as vice-president of the British Columbia Access Pro Bono Society, Chair of the Advocates’ Society Regional Advisory Committee, and as a member of the B.C Rugby Union Discipline Committee. At the time of his appointment, he was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, andis a past recipient of the Canadian Bar Association’s Harry Rankin Pro Bono Award.

Justice Coval was raised in Vancouver, where he lives with his wife, Jennifer Fawcus, a former Crown prosecutor, and their children.