Two New Chief Crown Attorneys Appointed

Two new chief Crown attorneys were named today, Nov. 3, by Martin Herschorn, director of the Public Prosecution Service.

Denise Smith was appointed chief Crown attorney, of the Halifax region and Andrew Macdonald was appointed chief Crown attorney of special prosecutions.

"Both Ms. Smith and Mr. Macdonald are distinguished lawyers whose experience, abilities and leadership will be an invaluable asset to the Public Prosecution Service in their new roles as chief Crown attorneys," said Mr. Herschorn.

A native of Halifax, Ms. Smith completed her undergraduate degree at Dalhousie University. She graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1989 and articled with the law firm of Patterson Kitz. She was admitted to the bar in 1990 and was appointed a Crown attorney in 1991.

Ms. Smith has conducted prosecutions and appeals at every level of court in the province and before the Supreme Court of Canada. She was appointed a senior Crown attorney in 1996 and was designated a senior Crown counsel in 2003, a designation recognizing exceptional competence in courtroom skills, trial and appellate practice, and related skills and abilities. Ms. Smith was appointed a regional Crown attorney (administrative) for the Halifax region in 2004.

Ms. Smith has presented dozens of papers on a variety of legal topics. She serves on several Public Prosecution Service committees including the education committee. She chairs the sexual assault working group and is co-chair of the employee recognition and wellness committee. Ms. Smith also sits on Department of Justice committees dealing with domestic violence and is an active member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society serving on several bar committees.

Mr. Macdonald is a native of Herring Cove. He completed his undergraduate honours degree at Saint Mary's University in 1984 and graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 1988.

Mr. Macdonald articled with the Truro law firm of Burchell, MacDougall and Gruchy in 1988 and was called to the bar in 1989. He practiced with that law firm for several years.

In 1993 Mr. Macdonald was appointed a Crown attorney. He has appeared in both Provincial and Supreme courts. He was appointed a senior Crown attorney in 1999. As a Crown attorney in special prosecutions, he has prosecuted large, complex cases including commercial fraud and criminal code gaming offences.

Mr. Macdonald has made numerous presentations on a variety of legal topics including fraud and regulatory prosecutions. He was a member of the securities fraud enforcement group of the national Heads of Prosecutions Committee and is currently a member of the Heads of Prosecutions Economic Crime Sub-committee. Mr. Macdonald is also a member of the case management software committee with the Public Prosecution Service.