Rickards is a partner at Johnston Ming Manning, while Gaston is a partner at Osler
Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti has announced the appointments of Christopher A. Rickards and Melanie Gaston as justices of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench.
Rickards is a partner at Johnston Ming Manning LLP in Red Deer. He was born in Jamaica and immigrated to Canada in 1979. He obtained his law degree from the University of Toronto in 1990 and was called to the Alberta bar in 1991. He articled and practised in Calgary at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP before joining Johnston Ming Manning LLP in 1992, where he was the head of the litigation department and the managing partner for many years.
Rickards specializes in general litigation, encompassing commercial, personal injury, estate, and construction litigation and employment law. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2014.
Rickards is a former chair of the Central Alberta Community Legal Clinic board, a former member of the board of directors of Pro Bono Law Alberta, and a past president of the Central Alberta Bar Society. He was also the Red Deer Judicial District representative of the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association.
Gaston was raised in the Niagara region of Ontario. She received her law degrees from the University of Calgary and Osgoode Hall. She was called to the Alberta bar in 2002 and the Northwest Territories bar in 2022. She practised commercial litigation at Blake Cassels and Graydon LLP before moving to Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP, where she became a partner. Her practice covers energy, construction, insurance, securities, product liability, insolvency, and commercial leasing disputes.
Gaston was a member of the boards of directors for the Trellis Society, the Association of Women Lawyers, Student Legal Assistance, the Calgary Bar Association, and the Calgary Rotary Foundation. She was also a volunteer lawyer for Student Legal Assistance, Calgary Legal Guidance, and Pro Bono Law Alberta.
Rickards will sit as a judge in Red Deer, while Gaston will serve in Calgary.
