A huge congrats to Judge Nina Purewal, who had her official Welcoming Ceremony this week following her appointment to the Bench.
The ceremony took place on Monday (October 24) in Prince Rupert, where former CLEBC Board Chair and Board member Judge Purewal now has her chambers. Several of Judge Purewal’s former colleagues, family, and friends made the trek and were seated close by in the jury box and gallery.
Among them was fellow former CLEBC Board member Scott Morishita, who spoke at the ceremony on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association in BC.
“I had the fortune of volunteering with Judge Purewal [at] CLEBC,” Scott said at Monday’s ceremony. “I remember the day Judge Purewal’s appointment was announced. There was a flurry of emails that followed. The central theme of the emails was happiness for Judge Purewal and the justice system, but a feeling of a significant loss to the organization. I imagine there were similar email flurries at many other organizations across the province.”
He also delivered a message from CLEBC CEO Linda Russell: “[Judge] Purewal was a pleasure to work with for all of us at CLEBC. Her thoughtful and decisive decision-making, creative ideas, and practice experience were instrumental in helping CLEBC move forward at a critical time during COVID. We are proud [Judge] Purewal was appointed a judge and know that she is continuing her excellent service to the legal community and BC public.”
In Scott’s speech, he added, “Judges are the guardians of our justice system. Stepping into this challenging role requires hard work, sacrifice, and courage. To be a judge, one must also possess a strong desire to serve the community and promote access to justice and the Rule of Law. Judge Purewal, in the many contributions she’s made to the profession and the community has demonstrated these qualities in astonishing abundance.
“On behalf of the Canadian Bar Association in BC and our 7,600 members, I’d like to congratulate you Judge Purewal, and thank you for serving the people of B.C. in your new role.”
All of us here at CLEBC and the CLEBC Board would like to echo this sentiment, and we wish Judge Purewal all the best in her new role on the Bench!