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The Ontario government is pleased to announce the appointment of four new judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, effective June 13, 2024.

Justice Michael David Frank was called to the Ontario bar in 1993. After several years in the legal profession, he established his own practice in 2002, specializing in litigation, mediation and resolution of family and estate law cases. Since 2000, Justice Frank has been a panel lawyer for the Office of the Children's Lawyer, helping children in child protection and civil family law cases and providing independent legal advice to children in adoption matters.

Justice Frank has served on the Essex Law Association and the bench-bar committee and has been a presenter for continuing education programs in child protection and civility in the courtroom.

From 2007 to 2015, Justice Frank served on the Legal Aid Area Committee, hearing appeals for people who were denied legal aid certificates or services. He has volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters since 1995 and served as a head coach for the Lasalle Minor Hockey Association.

Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Frank to Windsor.

Justice Joseph Hanna was called to the Ontario bar in 2007. He began his career as an articling student and later became an assistant Crown attorney in the Scarborough Crown Attorney’s Office. Justice Hanna worked at the Crown Law Office Criminal in 2018 and the Toronto Summary Conviction Appeals and Extraordinary Remedies Office in 2023. He has prosecuted a wide range of criminal cases in the Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice and has also appeared before the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Justice Hanna has volunteered his time helping students prepare for mock trials and judging moot competitions. Justice Hanna has been a board member and chair of the Community Service Committee of the Rotary Club of Whitby. For the past three years, Justice Hanna has volunteered with the Meals on Wheels program in Whitby. He has also coached youth soccer for the Whitby Football Club.

Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Hanna to Oshawa.

Justice Courtney Harris was called to the Ontario bar in 2003. She started her career in the litigation group at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP where she worked until 2006. She then practiced family law before joining the public sector as Crown counsel at the Ministry of Labour, prosecuting provincial offences from 2007 to 2010. She spent 10 years as a Crown counsel at the Constitutional Law Branch for the Ministry of the Attorney General, litigating before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. From 2020 to 2021, Justice Harris served as counsel for the Office of the Children’s Lawyer before becoming a judicial research lawyer in 2021 for the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

Justice Harris is a mental health advocate who co-created the Law Society of Ontario Summit on Mental Health and co-founded Voices for Mental Health. In 2019, she received the Deputy Attorney General's Award of Excellence and the Mental Health Champion Award. She volunteered her time teaching trial and appellate advocacy skills at the Ministry of the Attorney General, through the Advocates’ Society. In addition, Justice Harris volunteered as a judge for the Wilson Moot and co-taught a course on constitutional litigation at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law. In 2023, the Law Society of Ontario awarded her the Laura Legge Award for her outstanding leadership within the profession.

Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Harris to Chatham.

Justice Liana Marcon was called to the Ontario bar in 1998. She started her legal career as an articling student at Seabrook, Epstein, Ste. Marie and Miller. After that, she worked as a defence lawyer, conducting bail hearings, trials and tribunal work until 2000. Justice Marcon then became an assistant Crown attorney in Brampton, Orangeville and Milton, conducting trials in the Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice. In 2015, she became the Crown attorney in Dufferin County where she managed assistant Crown attorneys, handled her own caseload and conducted trials.

Throughout her career, Justice Marcon has been actively involved in volunteer work. From 1995 to 1998, she volunteered at Anova Women’s Shelter. She also helped children with special needs ride and groom horses at SARI Therapeutic Riding. Additionally, Justice Marcon has volunteered for a number of sports organizations and assisted with various fundraising events such as Guelph Soccer and was a board member for Skate Canada Orangeville. She has also been a board member for Active Lives, an organization supporting adults with exceptionalities.

Chief Justice Sharon Nicklas has assigned Justice Marcon to Oshawa.

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