Sean Foreman, KC

As a member of the Business Litigation Team, Sean has extensive experience in all forms of civil and commercial litigation and alternate dispute resolution and provides strategic, practical advice and representation to individuals and business clients from a wide range of sectors.

Sean graduated in 1995 from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (B.E.S.) and from Dalhousie Law School in 1998 with his LLB and a Certificate of Specialization in Environmental Law.  Sean was appointed King’s Counsel (formerly Queen’s Counsel) in 2019.

Sean came to BOYNECLARKE LLP after eleven years as a senior litigator with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, where he represented the Attorney General in complex claims and litigation before various regulatory tribunals and all levels of courts, with a focus on significant commercial litigation, class actions, judicial review and appeals, environmental law, energy and natural resources, bankruptcy and insolvency, constitutional and Aboriginal law issues. He represented Nova Scotia as counsel in the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls National Inquiry, and co-chaired DOJ’s Litigation Group and Mentorship Program.

Before joining the Department of Justice, Sean spent fifteen years in private practice as a partner at another business firm where he had a diverse litigation and regulatory practice with a focus on environmental law and energy/natural resource projects, commercial claims (including insurance, breach of contract, negligence, and shareholder disputes), professional liability claims, estate litigation, and human rights disputes.

Sean believes in Dalhousie’s “Weldon tradition” of public service, and throughout his legal education and career, Sean has been recognized for his leadership and giving back to the community.  Sean litigated two of the eight Charter of Rights same-sex marriage cases in Canada from 2002-2005 that resulted in the legalization of same-sex marriage in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador, for which he received an Outstanding Young Canadian (Vanier) Award in 2005 for Leadership.

Sean taught Business & Environmental Law at Dalhousie Law School for fifteen years.  As winner of the Smith Shield Moot and the A.S. Pattillo Prize for Advocacy, Sean coached the Laskin Constitutional & Administrative Law moot team for many years after graduation and continues to serve annually as a moot court judge at the Schulich School of Law.

Sean has served on the Board of Directors and as Chair, Treasurer, or section leader of many legal and community organizations, including the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) nationally and provincially, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and Lawyers Insurance Association of NS (LIANS), the Lawyers’ Assistance Program (LAP), Clean Nova Scotia Foundation, the Dalhousie University Foundation, the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project (NSRAP), and the Youth Project. Most recently he was a founding Director and Treasurer of the Nova Scotia Government Lawyers’ Association from 2019-2025. He continues to serve on the Board and as Treasurer of St. John’s United Church in Halifax, and as an LAP Peer Volunteer.

Sean is a frequent presenter at professional development conferences on topics relating to litigation, administrative, constitutional, and Aboriginal law, and has been recognized for his academic research and writing, including as co-recipient of the prestigious Walter Owen Book Prize in 2011 from the Canadian Foundation for Legal Research as a co-author of the “Law of Climate Change in Canada” published by Canada Law Book, the first legal text in Canada on the topic of climate change and environmental law.

Sean is originally from the U.K. and as an immigrant to Canada has a life-long passion for travel, wine, and dining with family and friends.  He is married to Dr. Andre Bernard, a busy anesthesiologist in Halifax, and when not working they can usually be found relaxing at their cottage on the ocean near Sambro, cooking, reading, watching movies, and enjoying the outdoors (not always in that order!).

Background

Education

• 1995 – 1998: LL.B. – Environmental Law Specialization (Marine & Environmental Law Program), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 1990 – 1995: Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Honours), University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Employment

• 2025 – Present: Lawyer, BOYNECLARKE LLP
• 2014 – 2025: Senior Solicitor, Litigation, Legal Services Division, Nova Scotia Department of Justice, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 2000 – 2014: Partner, Wickwire Holm Barristers & Solicitors, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 1998 – 2000: Articled Clerk/Associate Lawyer, Burchell Hayman Barnes Barristers & Solicitors, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 1996 – 1997: Nova Scotia Links Program Coordinator, Nova Scotia Department of Education, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• 1994 – 1995: Northern Information Network Administrator, Department of Indian Affairs & Northern Development, Hull, Quebec

Community Activities

• 2017 – Present: Treasurer, St. John’s United Church,
• 2017 – 2024: Director, Lawyers Insurance Association NS, Board of Directors
• 2017 – 2024: Member, Lawyers Assistance Program Committee, Lawyers Insurance Association NS
• 2017 – 2024: Member, Claims Review Committee, Lawyers Insurance Association NS
• 2019 – 2022: Chair, Public Sector Lawyers Section (CBA-NS),
• 2012 – 2018: Chair, Board of Trustees, St. John’s United Church,
• 2012 – 2018: Director, Dalhousie University Foundation, Halifax
• 2001 – 2014: Part-Time Faculty, Dalhousie Law School, “Business & Environmental Law”
• 2006 – 2010: Chair, Lawyers Assistance Program Committee, N.S. Barristers’ Society
• 2007 – 2009: Director, Canadian Environmental Auditing Association (Atlantic Chapter)
• 2007 – 2008: Chair, National Environmental Energy & Resources Law Section (CBA),
• 2002 – 2008: Director/Treasurer, Clean Nova Scotia Foundation, Halifax
• 2000 – 2003: Chair, SOGI Section – Canadian Bar Association (N.S.)

University Activities

• 1998: President, Class of 1998, Dalhousie Law School, Halifax, N.S.
• 1997 – 1998: President, Dalhousie Law Students’ Society, Halifax, N.S.

Awards & Honours

• 2019: King’s Counsel Designation
• 2011: Co-Recipient, Walter Owen Book Prize, Foundation for Legal Research
• 2007: Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year Award, Dalhousie University
• 2005: Outstanding Young Canadian (Vanier) Award (Leadership), JCI-Canada
• 2003: Zoe Odei Young Lawyers Award, Canadian Bar Association of Nova Scotia