Province announces Queen’s Counsel appointments

Ruth M. DeMone and D. Shannon Farrell are receiving the highest honour in the field of law.

“It is an honour to recognize Ruth and Shannon for the excellence they demonstrate in their careers and the significant contributions they have made to our Island communities. They are testaments to the practice of law and are exemplary legal practitioners. Congratulations to both Ruth and Shannon for this important achievement,” said Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General of Prince Edward Island Bloyce Thompson. 

Since naming Sir Francis Bacon in 1597 as the first Queen’s Counsel to provide the Crown legal counsel, Commonwealth countries have adopted this annual tradition to recognize lawyers who have demonstrated excellence in the field, professionalism, leadership, and contributions to community or public service. 

A formal ceremony will be hosted by the Honourable Antoinette Perry, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island at Government House in the new year to formally recognize this year’s Queen’s Counsel recipients.

Media Contact:
Vicki Tse
Department of Justice and Public Safety
vickitse@gov.pe.ca 
 

Backgrounder

Ruth M. DeMone graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and then a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University. After graduating law school, Ruth clerked at the Federal Court of Canada. She was called to the bar in Ontario, and then she moved back to Prince Edward Island to start her career with the province’s Department of Justice and Office of the Attorney General in the mid-nineties. Ruth has worked with the Legal Services Section since that time, and she has also worked in the Corporations Securities Office and acted in Legal Services and other management capacities over the years.
Ruth has maintained a busy legal practice with the province and has appeared at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Ruth is also currently counsel to the Prince Edward Island Criminal Code Review Board.

Shannon Farrell has a background in nursing, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at St. Francis Xavier University before studying law at Dalhousie University.

Shannon has extensive training in alternative dispute resolution and hold certificates in mediation, collaborative practice and interest-based negotiation. Shannon is a member of the Family Dispute Resolution Institute (Atlantic).

Shannon is also an experienced litigator and she routinely appears at various levels of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, as well as before various other regulatory boards and tribunals. She is active and committed to her profession and is a member of the Canadian Bar Association (PEI Branch President 2006-2007) and the Law Society of Prince Edward Island, where she chairs the Ethics Committee. Shannon is a Partner with Key Murray Law, Charlottetown office.