| john m. williams, b.a.(hons), ll.b. | |||
| Partner | |||
 (306) 522-3030 Born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, John attended St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, where he completed the Honours Program in Political Science and thereafter studied Law, convocating in 1983. John articled as a law clerk to the Honourable E.D. Bayda, then Chief Justice of Saskatchewan. On his admission to the Bar in 1984, John joined the predecessor to the firm Rath Johnson Hart, becoming a partner in 1990 and, after a merger in 1997, a partner with Gerrand Rath Johnson, where he has continued to carry on a litigation practice in both civil and criminal law. John has a large and varied criminal defence practice which has taken him to numerous centres in Saskatchewan. He has successfully defended his clients in every level of court in Saskatchewan. He also has extensive experience in both civil and criminal appeals in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and has participated in several applications to the Supreme Court of Canada. An author of a variety of articles, John is published in the respected Canadian Bar Review and the Saskatchewan Law Review. He has presented papers at both provincial and national legal education seminars. Throughout his career, John has been very active in his profession. His involvement in the Canadian Bar Association includes two terms as Chair of the South Criminal Justice Section for Saskatchewan and five years as a member of the Provincial Council. He was the Saskatchewan member of the National CBA Task Force on Reform of the Criminal Code and authored two discussion papers for its use. He served on the National Legal Aid Liaison Committee for five years, the last two as Chair. John helped organize the South Saskatchewan Association of Criminal Defence Lawyers and has served as its President twice. He is a member of the board of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers and serves as its Secretary. In these roles John seeks to ensure continued respect for the principles of due process and the Rule of Law. John has conducted numerous trials in Saskatchewan courts including civil and criminal jury trials in the Court of Queen's Bench. He was counsel for the successful plaintiff in Morse v. Cott Beverages involving the first award of punitive damages under our consumer products legislation for knowingly producing an unsafe product. Outside of law, John has many interests. He enjoys singing and performing with several choral and music groups in the city representing a wide divergence of musical styles. John has been active in political circles and sought election to Parliament in the 2004 and 2006 general elections. John and his wife Suzanne have four children and he has been very active in his children's activities, in particular, coaching hockey and soccer. | AREAS OF PRACTICE | ||