Greg French has been with our firm since 2012. Prior to working with our firm, Greg served as the articling clerk of the Chief Justice of New Brunswick, the Hon. J. Ernest Drapeau.
Greg attended Memorial University in St. John’s, where he received a joint honours degree in Political Science and German. Throughout his studies, Greg was recognized for academic excellence, including Dean’s List awards for each year of his undergraduate studies, the Pro-Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Undergraduate Scholarship, the Convocation Medal for Political Science, and the Award of the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany. He attended law school at the University of New Brunswick, where he received course awards as the top student in administrative law and constitutional law. During law school, he served as associate editor of the University of New Brunswick Law Journal.
Greg maintains a diverse practice in many areas of law. He has appeared in every Court level in the province, as well as the Federal Court of Canada and several provincial tribunals. He is an avid writer on legal issues and his work has been published in the New Brunswick Solicitor’s Journal, the University of New Brunswick Law Journal and the Dalhousie Law Journal.
In 2017, Greg was appointed by the provincial government to serve as the Chairman of the Newfoundland and Labrador Financial Services Appeal Board, which hears appeals on disciplinary matters from regulated financial and real estate industries. He was also appointed to serve as an arbitration panelist under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and the Muskrat Falls Land Use Expropriation Panel.
Since 2018, Greg has been a course instructor with the Law Society’s Bar Admission Course on the topic of construction liens and quieting of titles proceedings, and is a contributing editor of the Law Society’s property law textbook. Greg also serves on the Law Society’s Disciplinary Committee and Law Library Committee.
Greg has also served for many years with the Canadian Bar Association NL Branch as Central Newfoundland Representative (2013-2018), Treasurer (2018-2019), Vice President (2019-2020) and President (2020-2021).
In June 2023, Greg was elected as a Bencher of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador as one of two representatives for Central Newfoundland. The Benchers are the governing body of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Education
- LL.B., University of New Brunswick
- B.A. (Hons.), Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Certificate of Criminology, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Courts Appeared
- Eastern Newfoundland Regional Appeals Board (Urban and Rural Planning Act & Municipalities Act)
- Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission
- Newfoundland and Labrador Mineral Rights Adjudication Board
- Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission Review Division
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans PIIFCAF Review Committee
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Atlantic Fisheries Licence Appeal Board
- Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada
- Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador
- Provincial Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Small Claims Division
- Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, General Division
- Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, Family Division
- Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal
- Federal Court of Canada
Publications
- C. Corazza & G. French, “Expert Witnesses”, New Brunswick Solicitors Journal, Vol. 9, Issue 1 (Spring 2013).
- G. French, “Property Interests in Resettled Communities”, (2015) 66 U.N.B.L.J. 210.
- G. French, “The Doctrine of Lost Modern Grant and Prescriptive Easements in Newfoundland and Labrador”, (2016) 39:2 Dal. L.J. 585.
- G. French, “Private Property Interests in Shoreline Land in Newfoundland & Labrador”, (2018) 69 U.N.B.L.J. 382.
- G. French, “The Abolition of Adverse Possession of Crown Lands in Newfoundland and Labrador”, (2020) 71 U.N.B.L.J. 227
- G. French, “Reforming the Law of Adverse Possession: Proposed Changes to the Lands Act”, Canadian Bar Association – NL Branch, May 2021.
- G. French, “On the Law of Lis Pendens in Newfoundland and Labrador” (2021), 72 U.N.B.L.J. 282.
- G. French, “On the Operation of the Quieting of Titles Act in Newfoundland and Labrador” (2022),45:1 Dal. L.J. 131
- G. French, “Beneficial Interests Under the Chattels Real Act” (2023) 46:2 Dal L.J. #4.
- G. French, “Resettlement Revisited: Reviewing the Effect of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Evacuated Communities Act, 2016, on Property Interests in Resettled Communities“, (2023), 74 U.N.B.L.J. 137.
Presentations
- Harbour Authorities Association of Newfoundland and Labrador: Legal Remedies for Harbour Authorities (October 2019)
- Clarenville Chamber of Commerce: Legal Issues for Small Businesses (November 2019)
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Small Craft Harbours, Educational Seminars for Management of Harbour Authorities (November-December 2020)
- Association of Newfoundland Land Surveyors: Surveying Shoreline Land Claims (May 2021).
- Canadian Bar Association, Quieting of Titles Seminar (September 2021)
- Association of Newfoundland Land Surveyors: The Quieting of Titles Act for Surveyors (May 2022)
- Association of Newfoundland Land Surveyors: Adverse Possession and Crown Lands (May 2023)