The Governor in Council has announced the nomination of Kevin O'Shea as a part-time Commissioner of the Law Commission of Canada, effective 8 August 2024.
Kevin is the Executive Director of the Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PLIAN), a role he has been in since 2014, where he leads efforts to provide legal education and information services to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador with the goal of increasing access to justice.
Originally from St. John's, NL, Kevin completed his law degree at the University of Ottawa in 2009 and his Master of Laws at the University of Turin in 2013, with a focus on International Crime and Justice. He was called to the bar as a Member of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2011 after articling with the Crown Attorney's Office in St. John's.
Kevin also has prior experience working in the fields of education and human rights advocacy in the United States, Cambodia, and Tanzania.
Kevin currently serves as the Chair of the Access to Justice Steering Committee for Newfoundland and Labrador. He also previously served as President of the Public Legal Education Association of Canada and as Chair of the Alzheimer Society of Canada and the Alzheimer Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"I am delighted by Kevin's appointment and I look forward to working with him in his new role," said LCC President Shauna Van Praagh. "His deep commitment to public legal education and access to justice, as well as his blend of local and international community experience, will allow him to make rich and important contributions to the LCC."
