The Honourable John Hogan, KC, Minister of Justice and Public Safety, is pleased to announce the province’s newest appointments to the King’s Counsel by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
The honourary title of King’s Counsel recognizes senior lawyers for exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession. These lawyers have served a minimum of 10 years as a member of the bar, have gained the respect of the legal community and are in good standing with the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Appointments are made after consultation with the Legal Appointments Board, as outlined in the Queen’s Counsel Act.
Those appointed to King’s Counsel are:
- Gladys H. Dunne;
- Stephen Fitzgerald;
- Susan M. King;
- Paul M. McDonald;
- Jonathan E. Noonan;
- Leanne M. O’Leary; and
- Lisa M. Stead
Biographies of each appointee can be found in the backgrounder below.
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“I would like to congratulate the lawyers who have been appointed King’s Counsel. These individuals are being recognized for their skills and dedication to the legal profession and their communities. They are leaders in the province and are committed to making Newfoundland and Labrador a better place for us all.”
Honourable John Hogan, KC
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General
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BACKGROUNDER
Biographies King’s Counsel Appointees
Gladys H. Dunne
Gladys Dunne was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in a strong, proud military family which resulted in her living in many Canadian provinces, including outside the country in Germany. With her father’s final posting in Nova Scotia, Ms. Dunne attended Dalhousie University. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts with a major in History in 1987 and she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University in 1990.
Gladys was admitted to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 1991 and in April of 2006, she established her own law firm in the City of Mount Pearl. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Best in Business Award by the Mount Pearl Chamber of Commerce. She is a partner with the law firm of Dunne & Baker Law and she practices extensively in the area of family law as a senior litigator in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Family Division.
Gladys presently serves as an elected Bencher of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, Chair of the Complaints Authorization Committee of the Law Society and an appointed member of the Executive Committee of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. She also serves as a member of the Judicial Council of the Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, investigator for Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, adjudicator for the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador and public representative on the Newfoundland and Labrador Council of Health Professionals. Gladys is a participating member of the Access to Justice Law Clinics in family law, a member of the Public Legal Information Association and a member of the Journey Project providing legal support services to individuals having experienced sexual partner violence in Newfoundland and Labrador.
She previously has served as Chair of the CPP Review Tribunal, Commissioner of the Assessment Review Commission for both the City of Mount Pearl and the Town of Paradise, former adjudicator for the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission and former member of the Judicial Advisory Committee of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Gladys is the proud mother of Julia and Nathan Dunne, with whom she resides. In her free time, she loves to travel, including road trips across the province spending quality moments with family and friends.
Stephen Fitzgerald
Stephen Fitzgerald was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador. He obtained his undergraduate degree (History and Political Science) from Dalhousie University in 1983 and his law degree from Dalhousie Law School in 1986. He was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 1987. He has been in private practice in St. John’s ever since, practicing in the areas of civil litigation, insurance defence, corporate transactions and commercial real estate transactions.
He was recently selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada for insurance law.
Stephen is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and has volunteered in several community organizations over the years. He lives in St. John’s with his wife, Fonda Bushell. He is the father of Sarah Fitzgerald, LL.B., Emily Fitzgerald, M.D., and Henry Fitzgerald, a carpenter in the making.
Susan M. King
Susan King was born and raised in St. John’s and is a graduate of Memorial University, having received a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) in 1993. In 1994, Ms. King was accepted to the University of New Brunswick. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1997.
Susan was called to the Bar in Newfoundland and Labrador in 1998 after articling with the firm Roebathan, McKay and Marshall. Following her articles, Susan joined the firm as an associate and practiced in the areas of personal injury, family law, corporate commercial and real estate. Susan remained in private practice until 2007 when she joined the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. In 2011, Susan joined the Office of Legislative Counsel of the Department of Justice and was appointed Chief Legislative Counsel in 2019.
Susan lives in St. John’s with her husband Brian and their three children: Emily, Noah and Megan.
Paul M. McDonald
Paul McDonald is Counsel at Tupman & Bloom LLP.
Paul is a graduate of Memorial University (1978 BA – Political Science) and Osgoode Hall Law School (JD – 1983). He was called to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in 1984.
Paul has experience with estate planning, estate administration and estate litigation. Paul is trusted counsel to individuals, attorneys, trustees, trust companies and financial institutions.
Paul’s expertise spans a wide range of contentious proceedings involving will interpretation, executor removal, will challenges, passing of accounts, testamentary capacity, guardianship disputes, variation of trusts, discharge of trustees and estate costs.
Paul has been active in the Bar throughout his career. He is a Honourary Bencher and former Treasurer (President) of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. He is a former President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Branch of Canadian Bar Association, and was active in numerous committees with CBA nationally and provincially. Paul is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
Paul has also been active in community volunteer organizations for many years, and is currently the Chair of the Community Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, Vice-Chair of Bonavista Biennale Inc. and a Director and Past Chair of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
Jonathan E. Noonan
Jonathan Noonan is a partner with the St. John’s law firm Noonan Piercey. He maintains a general practice with a primary focus on criminal defence. He has spent his entire career in private practice, arguing cases at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Philosophy and Psychology from Memorial University, Jonathan completed a Bachelor of Laws at the University of New Brunswick in 2004. He has lectured at Memorial University and teaches portions of the criminal section of the Law Society Bar Admission course every year. He chairs the criminal section of the Canadian Bar Association – NL.
Jonathan was born and raised in Outer Cove where he lives with his wife Gerri and their son, Ned. They enjoy gardening and never-ending improvements to the shed. Jonathan coaches hockey and baseball, and tries to avoid injury keeping up.
Leanne M. O’Leary
Leanne O’Leary was born and raised in Portugal Cove South. She completed her Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) Co-operative degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1992 and her law degree at Queen’s University in 1995. Leanne articled with Halley Hunt and was called to the Newfoundland Bar in April 1996. Since then, Leanne has practiced with that firm, and the successor merged firm of Cox & Palmer, for the past 26 years. Over that time, Leanne’s practice has focused on civil and commercial litigation and insurance law. She has appeared before all levels of court in this province, more regularly the General Division and Court of Appeal.
Leanne has been a partner with Cox & Palmer since 2001, serving on the Management Committee of the firm since 2015 and as Managing Partner since November 2017. She has served as a Director on the Cox & Palmer Regional Board since 2017.
Leanne is an active member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador; she served two terms as an Elected Bencher from 2012 to 2020 and was a member and former Chair of the Law Society’s Education Committee. She lectures at the Law Society’s Bar Admission Course in the area of Civil Procedure. Her interest in civil procedure and practice is reflected in her work as a Law Society representative to the Rules Committees of both the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador General Division and the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal. She served as a Steering Committee Member for the Rules of Court Revision Programs for both the Court of Appeal and General Division.
Leanne is a member of the Canadian Bar Association, The Advocate’s Society and Canadian Defence Lawyers. She has been recognized in the Best Lawyers in Canada and Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a leading practitioner in Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Insurance Law and Personal Injury Law. Her volunteer work in the community includes former board positions with the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and the YM-YWCA of St. John’s, for which she was a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
Leanne lives in St. John’s with her husband Mitch Rumbolt, and their two daughters, Kate and Natalie.
Lisa M. Stead
Lisa Stead has served the public for 25 years. Ms. Stead has worked for 23 years as a Crown Attorney, first in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, then St. John’s. She was appointed Senior Crown Attorney, Eastern Region in 2018, and Senior Crown Attorney, Special Prosecutions Office from 2018 to 2020. Lisa has served as the Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions since May 2020. Lisa also represented individual clients for two years working as a Staff Solicitor with the Newfoundland and Labrador Legal Aid Commission very early in her career.
Lisa is from St. John’s. She obtained a Bachelor of Science from Memorial University in 1994 and then attended Osgoode Hall Law School, where she graduated in 1997. She was called in to the Newfoundland and Labrador Bar in April 1998.
Over the years, Lisa has prosecuted several homicides and other complex criminal cases. Lisa has appeared many times and argued numerous appeals before the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal. She has made several applications for leave to appeal and has argued an appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada. Lisa is a member of several committees of the Canadian Conference of Senior Officials and the Uniform Law Conference of Canada. She has presented on criminal law matters in seminars to various policing agencies and the members of Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador. Lisa is a member of the Discipline Committee of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Lisa Stead lives in St. John’s with her husband, Michael and their children, Peter and Lilly.