Brigadier-General (Ret’) Ken Watkin winner of CBA’s 2010 President’s Award

NIAGARA – Brigadier-General (Ret’d) Ken Watkin, OMM, CD, Q.C., is the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) 2010 President’s Award. The Award recognizes the significant contribution of a Canadian jurist to the legal profession, to the CBA or to the public life of Canada.

“As the Judge Advocate General of the Canadian Forces, Brigadier-General (Ret’d) Ken Watkin, served both the military and his country with great distinction,” said CBA President Kevin Carroll, Q.C., of Barrie, Ontario. “This award honours his dedication to the core values of the Canadian legal profession, his exemplary leadership and his exceptional military service.”

Ken Watkin was born in Kingston, Ontario, and has served as a Canadian Forces legal officer since 1982 in a variety of positions within the Office of the Judge Advocate General in the operational law, military justice and general legal services fields. He was the Deputy Judge Advocate General/Operations at the time of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 and during a significant portion of the subsequent deployments during "Campaign against Terrorism."

In 1993 Brigadier-General (Ret’d) Watkin was the legal advisor to a Canadian military/civilian Board of Inquiry investigating the activities of the Canadian Airborne Regiment Battle Group in Somalia. From 1995 until 2005, he was counsel in respect of various investigations and inquiries arising from the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. His operational law experience has also included service as a legal adviser to the Canadian Navy and advising Canadian Commanders in Bosnia. He retired from the Canadian Forces after four years as Judge Advocate General and 33 years of military service.

Ken Watkin has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Royal Military College as well as a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws degrees from Queen's University. From 2002 to 2003, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School. He has published widely on issues such as operational law, the law of armed conflict, discipline and human rights. In 2002, the Governor-General of Canada appointed Ken Watkin to the Order of Military Merit and he was appointed Queen's Counsel (Q.C.) by the Lieutenant Governor in Council of the Province of Newfoundland in 2006.

Brigadier-General (Ret’d) Watkin has been appointed as an Observer to an Israeli Independent Public Commission investigating the May 31, 2010, Gaza Flotilla Incident and upon completion of those will be the Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Law at the United States Naval War College.

To be eligible for the CBA President's Award, a candidate must meet at least one of the following criteria: made a significant contribution to the legal profession, to the CBA, or to the public life of Canada. The award is presented only when there is a deserving winner.

The 2010 CBA President’s Award will be presented at the CBA Awards Lunch on Saturday, August 14, at the Sheraton on the Falls, Great Room C at 12:30 p.m. The reception is held in conjunction with the CBA 2010 Canadian Legal Conference and Expo in Niagara from August 15-17. The event is open to accredited media. Please contact Hannah Bernstein for accreditation.

The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Hannah Bernstein
The Canadian Bar Association
Aug. 13-17: 905-374-4646
E-mail: hannahb@cba.org