Two new judges appointed to Kelowna courts

KELOWNA – Two Kelowna lawyers have been elevated to the supreme and provincial court benches in Kelowna.

Steven Schwartz’s appointment to the B.C. Supreme Court was effective yesterday, Feb. 19, according to a news release issued today by the Ministry of Attorney General. Clarke Burnett will take a seat on the provincial court effective Feb. 25.

Schwartz got his law degree from the University of Ottawa in 1997. In 2009, he founded Schwartz & Company, where he practiced until his appointment. In between, he worked at Kelowna law firms Pushor Mitchell and Benson & Company, the ministry said.

His work included divorce, family, corporate/commercial and employment law. At the time of his appointment, Schwartz was the treasurer of the Kelowna Bar Association and was involved in facilitating access to justice through volunteer work with Access Pro Bono at the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society law clinic.

Burnett graduated from the University of British Columbia with his law degree in 1991 and joined Pushor Mitchell in Kelowna the following year, the ministry said.

His early practice focused on civil and personal injury litigation. In 1995, he expanded his practice to include both criminal defence and prosecution work as an agent for the Federal Department of Justice, now called the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

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