The Honourable Bernard Davis, 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 honorary 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 King’s Counsel Act.

Those appointed to King’s Counsel are Frederick J. Constantine, Annette M. Conway, Justin S. C. Mellor, Regan P. O’Dea, Kathleen O’Reilly, Griffith D. Roberts, Allison M. Whelan and Denise Woodrow. Biographies of each appointee can be found in the backgrounder below.

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“My sincerest congratulations to those appointed to King’s Counsel. This designation is a symbol reserved for those who have truly demonstrated their exceptional commitment to their community and the legal profession. I look forward to their future contributions to our province.”
Honourable Bernard Davis
Minister of Justice and Public Safety

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BACKGROUNDER

Biographies for King’s Counsel Appointees
Fred Constantine
For over 25 years, Fred Constantine has served a variety of clients in the marine, environmental and fisheries industries as a partner with the St. John’s office of the regional firm Cox and Palmer. Currently, as the Vice-President and General Counsel for the Woodward Group of Companies, he is involved in commercial and corporate projects that include aviation services, auto dealerships and a regional, national and international shipping business. Mr. Constantine is an active volunteer and board participant with a variety of regional and national organizations, including positions with the provincial branch of the Canadian Cancer Society for nearly 20 years. Fred Constantine is a proud graduate of Memorial University and Dalhousie Law School.

Annette M. Conway
Annette Conway began her legal career with Curtis Dawe Law Firm as a summer student in 1993 and articled under Bruce Winsor, K.C. She was called to the bar in 1995. Her work has focused on civil litigation, insurance litigation, municipal law, and fertility law. In 2022, she became in-house counsel with Aviva Trial Lawyers as senior litigation counsel. She was peer-selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in Canada in both 2022 and 2023 for her work in corporate and commercial litigation, as well as insurance law and health care law. A graduate of Memorial University and the University of Windsor, she has appeared in all levels of court in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Ms. Conway is an active volunteer and is currently a director of Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. Ms. Conway is the proud mom of her teenage children, Quinn and Mattie, and enjoys travelling with her family, writing, hiking, kayaking and practicing the martial art of aikido.

Justin Mellor
Justin Mellor holds a Bachelor of Arts, (Hons) in history from Memorial University, a Master of Arts in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada, as well as Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from Dalhousie Law School. As the manager of Civil Litigation for the Department of Justice and Public Safety, he appears before all levels of court in this province, as well as the Federal Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Through his tenure in the civil service, he has worked in a variety of fields, including litigation, human rights, environmental assessment, constitutional and Indigenous law. In 2010, Mr. Mellor was among a four-person team that received the Public Service Award of Excellence for successfully negotiating the Innu Land Claim Agreement in Principle. He has lectured at Memorial’s Law and Society program, and guest lectures in Osgoode Hall Law School’s Graduate Program in Law. Mr. Mellor is a Governor of the Law Foundation and has served on Memorial University’s Interdisciplinary Committee in Ethics in Human Research as well as the Health Ethics Research Board’s genetics and clinical trials committees. Justin Mellor lives in St. John’s with his wife Mary Jane and his sons Eli and Samuel.

Regan O’Dea
Regan O’Dea currently serves as Vice-President, General Counsel with Fortis. He practices primarily in the areas of corporate/commercial, corporate finance, tax, compliance, governance and business law, including advising on the acquisition of public utilities in North America and major initiatives. A graduate of Mount Allison University, Mr. O’Dea obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick in 2000. He is an active community volunteer, participating on several not-for-profit boards and advisory committees. Regan O’Dea lives in St. John’s with his wife Stacey O’Dea, their two teenage children, Cian and Reese.

Kathleen O’Reilly
Upon graduation from Memorial University, Kathleen O’Reilly spent several years teaching English abroad before deciding on a career in law, graduating from the University of Calgary in 2003. She has spent most of her career as a Crown Prosecutor. Currently, her role in the Special Prosecutions Office includes the prosecution of homicides and complex prosecutions, appellate work before the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Supreme Court of Canada. During her tenure in private practice with Morris Martin Moore, she represented victims of abuse and participated in the Journey Project Legal Support Service, providing legal advice to survivors of sexual violence. She is a member of the Federal Judicial Advisory Committee and the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Disciplinary Committee and is an active community volunteer. Kathleen O’Reilly lives in St. John’s with her husband Kris Carnell, and is the proud mother of John, Una and Timothy.

Griffith D. Roberts
A graduate of Memorial University and Dalhousie Law School, Griffith Roberts is a partner at Cox and Palmer, having joined one of its predecessor firms in 1993 as a student at law. Recognized by Lexpert as a leading practitioner in the areas of banking, corporate commercial, electricity, as well as insolvency and financial restructuring law, Mr. Roberts has also been named by the Best Lawyers in Canada as a Lawyer of the Year in the areas of banking and finance, corporate, and insolvency and financial restructuring law. He has actively volunteered with community organizations throughout his career, including the Rotary Club of St. John’s, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, and the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, where he was a board member and corporate secretary for 15 years. Griffith Roberts lives in St. John’s with his wife Laurie, who is also a lawyer and the secret to all his success. While his two sons, Thomas and Nathaniel did not become lawyers, both have successfully embarked on careers of their own providing AI-based research services to the legal profession.

Allison Whelan
Recognized as a Lexpert ‘Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40’ in 2023, Allison Whelan is currently the Managing Partner of the Stewart McKelvey St. John’s office.
She earned her undergraduate degree from Memorial University in 2005, and her law degree from the University of New Brunswick in 2008. Ms. Whelan received her Master of Laws in Taxation from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2018 and has since developed a specialized practice in tax litigation, serving clients across the Atlantic region, while working closely with energy clients in the development of their renewable energy projects. Ms. Whelan is an active member of her community, recently finishing board terms with Kids Eat Smart Foundation and the Newfoundland and Labrador Legal Aid Commission Board of Commissioners. Allison Whelan lives in St. John’s with her husband, John Whelan, and their two children, Jack and Evelyn.

Denise Woodrow
Denise Woodrow received her Bachelor of Commerce (Co-operative) from Memorial University in 1999 and Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University in 2003. Currently the Assistant Deputy Minister, Legal Services with the Department of Justice and Public Safety, she has served as a solicitor with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for over 17 years, advising several departments on a wide variety of matters.
Ms. Woodrow lives in St. John’s with her husband and is kept busy with two daughters who occupy most of her time, including volunteerism associated with school activities and sports teams. Denise Woodrow has been a practicing member of the Bar of Newfoundland and Labrador since 2004.