Dr Chidinma Thompson, has been appointed as the first black Justice of The Kings Court Of the Bench In Canada.
This was disclosed on a post on X (formerly Twitter) by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) on post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.
The post reads: “Yesterday, February 16, 2024, in Calgary, Canada, Nigeria made history again. Our own Dr. Mrs. Chidinma Thompson (@CbThompsonyyc ), a Nigerian born Canadian, became the first black Honorable Justice of the Kings Court of the Bench Canada.”
Chidinma Thompson’s Profile
Hon. Justice Chidinma Thompson was born and raised in Nigeria. She was called to the bar in 2002 and practiced law with an international law firm, until she immigrated to Canada in 2004. In 2007, she obtained her LL.M from the University of Calgary and obtained the equivalent of a Canadian LL.B from the National Committee on Accreditation of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. She was the first candidate to obtain a Ph.D. (law) from the University of Calgary.
Hon. Justice Thompson joined the research department of Bennett Jones LLP in 2008, articled with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in 2009, and was called to the Alberta Bar in 2010. She became a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in 2017. She spent her legal career as a lawyer, adjudicator, and arbitrator. She maintained a diverse commercial litigation, arbitration, and regulatory law practice in a broad range of sectors.
Throughout her career, Justice Thompson volunteered with the Legal Education Society of Alberta, Pro Bono Law Alberta, Calgary Legal Guidance, Alberta Regional Advisory Committee of the Advocates Society, and the Canadian Bar Association. She served on the Boards of not-for-profit organizations such as Ignite Calgary, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, and Nigerians Inspiring Development Organization Americas (NIDOA) Canada. She spent rewarding time mentoring law students, young lawyers, and women. Justice Thompson was sessional instructor of various law courses at the University of Calgary. She authored several law textbook chapters and articles, and frequently spoke at professional conferences. She was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (Alberta), the Women in Law Leadership Award, and the Young Women in Energy inaugural Award.
Justice Thompson and her husband, Kenny, are blessed with two wonderful children.
