Two UCalgary alumni appointed to the bench

Two University of Calgary alumni have been appointed to senior judicial roles by the Government of Canada.   

The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, announced the appointments. 

L. Bernette Ho, a partner with Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, was appointed a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in Calgary. 

Madam Justice Ho was born in the Philippines and is of Chinese descent. Her family immigrated to Canada in 1971, settling first in Calgary and later moving just outside the city. 

Justice Ho earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Communication Studies from the University of Calgary (1992) and an LLB from the University of Alberta (1995). She was called to the Bar of Alberta in 1996. She worked on a variety of litigation and regulatory matters before acting primarily for provincially regulated employers in relation to employment, human rights, privacy and disability matters. She also acted for energy companies in litigation and regulatory matters, particularly in relation to the electricity industry. 

Justice Ho has long believed in the value of community service, volunteering with such organizations as the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank, the Salvation Army, and Theatre Calgary. Professionally, Justice Ho has been a volunteer with the Alberta Bar Admission Course and with the Law Society of Alberta.

David E. Platts, a partner at McCarthy Tétrault, was appointed a judge of the Superior court of Quebec for the district of Montréal. 

After having received his BA (Honours) Political Science and French from the University of Calgary (with a year at Université Laval) and his law degrees in civil and common law from McGill University, Justice Platts was called to the Quebec Bar in 1991. He entered private practice, initially at Langlois Robert. Until his appointment to the bench, he was a partner with the firm McCarthy Tétrault, where he practised since 1996 a mix of intellectual property, civil and commercial litigation, professional liability and disciplinary law.

Justice Platts has appeared before the Quebec Superior Court and Court of Appeal, the Federal Court, Trial Division and Appeal, the Newfoundland Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada, as well as various administrative tribunals. He also has been an accounts arbitrator for the Quebec Bar. He has been a regular guest lecturer at McGill and elsewhere, a frequent speaker at conferences for lawyers and doctors, and a past president of the Guy Guérin Cup and Sopinka Cup Mooting Competitions.

Justice Platts is a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion, within the legal profession and in the community.