She is currently serving as one of the associate chief justices of the court
Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey has recently announced the appointment of Sharon Margaret Nicklas as the newest chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice.
Nicklas is currently serving as one of the associate chief justices of the Ontario Court of Justice, specializing in criminal and family law cases. She began her legal career in 1994 as an assistant crown attorney in Hamilton, Brantford, and Waterloo Region. In 2003, she was promoted to deputy crown attorney in Waterloo Region. Shortly before she was appointed as a judge, she served as acting crown attorney in the same region.
In 2007, Nicklas was appointed judge of the Ontario Court of Justice in Kitchener, where she presided over criminal and family law matters. In 2013 she was appointed regional senior judge for the Central West Region, a role she held until 2019. Nicklas was appointed as associate chief justice and co-ordinator of Justices of the Peace in 2019.
Nicklas is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where she obtained her law degree in 1992. She was called to the bar in 1994 and has since gained experience and expertise in criminal and family law matters.
Nicklas will replace outgoing chief justice Lise T. Maissonneuve who was appointed to lead the Ontario Court of Justice in 2015. Maisonneuve was the first Francophone chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice and was the first person born and raised in Northern Ontario to serve as chief justice of this court. Nicklas will take over the chief justice role after Maissonneuve’s eight-year term ends on May 31.
“It is an honour to have been appointed chief justice, and I look forward to serving the public and the court in this next role,” Nicklas said in a statement.
