MARKDALE - 

A recent appointee to the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Yukon Court of Appeal grew up in Markdale.

Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould announced Susan A. Griffin's appointment Wedneday in a news release.

"Justice Griffin is known for her work ethic, her thorough attention to the evidence, her ability to resolve complex legal issues, and for having a compassionate approach to vulnerable witnesses," the appointment announcement said.

"Justice Griffin has an ongoing interest in understanding the experiences of historically marginalized persons, and has written and spoken about the importance of recognizing and rejecting implicit assumptions, biases and stereotypes."

Griffin was seven years old when her family moved to Markdale in 1968. Her father, Bob Griffin, was a civil engineer who was vice-principal at Grey Highlands and principal at Beavercrest Community School in Markdale, which young Susan attended.

She played trumpet in the high school jazz band and joined its hockey team. She studied piano at a neighbour's house, which happened to be the residence of former federal finance minister Walter Harris and his wife Grace.

Harris, who was appointed finance minister in the Louis St. Laurent government in 1954, was a local lawyer and Griffin worked for two summers for him, her mother, Anne Griffin, said in an interview Wednesday from her Markdale home.

"And she discovered that yes, she really did want to be a lawyer," she said. "It just seems as though it's hard to believe that that's little Susan," her mother said with laughter at her daughter's most recent appointments.

Griffin served as a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia for 10 years, hearing criminal, family, constitutional and civil cases, the announcement said.

Before that she practised in the area of civil litigation for 23 years and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2005.

Throughout her career, she has been engaged in legal education and writing, the announcement said.

Griffin co-authored a leading text, "The Conduct of Civil Litigation in British Columbia", taught numerous legal advocacy programs, had a leading hand in developing an award-winning video series on advocacy skills for junior litigators and served on committees supporting the administration of the courts, the announcement said.

Griffin moved to Vancouver after graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 1984. Later she earned a master of laws degree in international law, including human rights, from the London School of Economics and Political Science and won two top prizes.