Edward John Flinn

Doctor of Laws

Family ties and Saint Mary's go hand in hand for Justice (Ted) Flinn. He graduated from Saint Mary's, his two sons, his four brothers and a sister are also graduates.

Justice Flinn graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in French. In 1960 he completed his law degree at Dalhousie University and he was admitted to the Bar of Nova Scotia that same year.

He joined the predecessor of Flinn Merrick where he practiced law for 35 years. For four years he lectured at the Dalhousie Law School. In 1976 he was appointed a Queen's Counsel.

Justice Flinn is an Honorary Member of the Law Society of both Saskatchewan and Alberta. He was one of seven lawyers elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

In 1995, Flinn was appointed a judge of the province's highest court, The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.

His commitment to his profession and the community is evident by his affiliation with numerous organizations. He has participated at every level of the legal profession's governing body, (The Nova Scotia Barrister's Society) and was elected President of the Society in 1984. For seven years he served as Director of the organization that governs all Canadian Law Societies, (The Federation of Law Societies of Canada) and he was elected President in 1993.

In the 1970s, Justice Flinn served for six years as a member of the Halifax School Board and he was Chairman of the Board for two successive terms. He has been a member of the Halifax Club since 1975 and President in 1989. He was on the Board of Directors of the Halifax Dartmouth Welfare Council, Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra and the Public Legal Education Society of Nova Scotia.

His contributions to the Halifax community and his profession have earned him an Honourary Doctorate of Laws.