December 14, 2020
Former Alberta Health Services’ legal counsel Lynn Michele Angotti has been named to the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench. “It is quite an honour,” says Madam Justice Angotti, who will begin serving on Jan. 4. Photo credit: Supplied
Story by Greg Harris
Lynn Michele Angotti, formerly Legal Counsel with Alberta Health Services (AHS), is now Madam Justice Angotti of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, the federal Department of Justice announced on Dec. 14.
It’s the first time an AHS lawyer has been appointed to the judiciary and “it is a tremendous achievement and honour,” says Tina Giesbrecht, AHS General Counsel.
“This appointment is a testament to the standard of excellence and integrity with which Justice Angotti has always conducted herself personally and professionally,” Giesbrecht says. “I have every confidence that she will carry out her new responsibilities with strength, independence and grace.”
Angotti, who will begin serving on Jan. 4, received a phone call last night (Dec. 13) from David Lametti, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, informing her of the appointment.
“It is quite an honour,” Angotti says. “It follows a rigorous application process where you are assessed based on what your peers in the legal community think about your abilities.”
When she was an articling student following law school at the University of Alberta, Angotti spent time articling at Court of Queen’s Bench, so in that sense her career has come full circle.
She spent nearly 10 years with AHS focused on labour and employment law. She has appeared before various administrative tribunals, as both an advocate and a decision-maker in arbitration, and all levels of court in Alberta. An important part of her role with AHS involved supporting and educating human resources staff on labour and employment issues.
“I would just like to thank AHS for the last 10 years and all of the support and learnings that helped me get to where I am today,” she says.
Angotti grew up on a farm in Leduc, Alberta. She earned a Bachelor of Science (Psychology), magna cum laude, from Brown University in 1996. She graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 2001, earning the George Bligh O’Connor Silver Medal in Law.
Before joining AHS, she spent nine years with the firm Parlee McLaws LLP, where she practised Aboriginal law, commercial litigation, and labour and employment law, with a strong focus on the latter.
Madam Justice Angotti replaces Mr. Justice J.J. Gill (Edmonton), who elected to become a supernumerary judge effective Jan. 18, 2020.
