David G. Coles, KC

David is a Partner and a member of the Business Litigation team. His practice areas include Defamation, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, Estate Litigation and Media Law.

David represents several institutional clients, including the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CTV, Community Newspapers Association, Royal Bank of Canada, The Coast, and Grant Thornton. He has appeared on appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada on four separate occasions and participated in over 250 reported cases. David also regularly appears in the Supreme Courts and Courts of Appeal of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

David received his King’s Counsel (formerly Queen’s Counsel) appointment in 2005. In November 2011, David was named as the Representative for Nova Scotia on the Atlantic Regional Committee for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute and in 2019, he was appointed Atlantic Canada Chair. He was named Best Lawyers’ 2012, 2016, 2018 and 2021 Halifax Defamation and Media Law “Lawyer of the Year” and has been included in The Best Lawyers in Canada every year since 2006. In 2014 and again in 2016, David was a finalist in the Benchmark Canada awards for “Litigator of the Year” in the Atlantic Provinces. Every year since 2020, Benchmark Canada has recognized David as an Atlantic Provinces Litigation Star. David continues to appear in the Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross Border Litigation Lawyers and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. In 2019, David was selected as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), recognized for his excellence and accomplishments in litigation.

Recently, through a series of Court hearings, David obtained the release of the search warrant information in respect to the Oland homicide investigation in New Brunswick, and also obtained the release of the video and other exhibits in the sentencing hearing of Mr. Bourque, who killed three RCMP officers in New Brunswick.

Background

Education

• 1984: LL.B., Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 1981: Bachelor of Arts, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Employment

• 1991 – Present: Litigation Partner (Commercial Law/Media Law), BOYNECLARKE LLP, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
• 1985 – 1991: Articling Clerk/ Associate, BOYNECLARKE LLP, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
• 1975 – 1985: Correctional Services – Department of Attorney General (Summer Employment/Part-time/Full-time); Research Officer/Probation Officer, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Professional Memberships

• Member – Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society
• Atlantic Canada Chair – Atlantic Regional Committee for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute
• Fellow – Litigation Counsel of America (LCA)
• Member – Ad IDEM (Canadian Media Lawyers Association)
• Past Member – Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Media Relations Committee

Community Activities

• Lecturer/pro bono counsel – King’s College School of Journalism
• Past President – Dartmouth Players Community Theatre Company
• Lecturer – Nova Scotia Community College

Awards

• Number 3 of the Top 10 Prominent General Commercial Litigation Lawyers in Atlantic Canada, published by Business Today (2023)
• Benchmark Litigation Star – 11th Edition of Benchmark Litigation Canada 2022
• Included in The Best Lawyers in Canada published by Best Lawyers®(2023)