James E Lockyer

James Edward Lockyer, QC CD (born May 27, 1949 in Halifax, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian lawyer, law professor, and former politician.

Lockyer graduated with a BA degree from Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick then earned his LLB at the University of New Brunswick. He went on to London, England to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science, obtaining his LLM degree in 1976. Fluent in the French language, he obtained a DEA from the Université de Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne) in 1979.

After being admitted to the Barrister's Society of New Brunswick in September 1975, Lockyer practiced law with the Moncton law firm of Stewart & Cooper. In November 1977 he became the first full-time person hired by the Université de Moncton for its new Faculté de droit which was established to teach common law in French. Lockyer taught at the law school until June 1987. During this time he was named vice-dean and acting dean in 1983 and was Dean of the Faculté de droit from 1984 to 1987. After his career in provincial elected office (1987-1999) he returned to the law school in 2000 where he has taught full-time. His area of expertise is Civil Procedure, the Law of Sales and both Appellate and Trial Advocacy. Lockyer currently teaches trial advocacy to lawyers at Osgoode Hall Law School's annual Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop as well as to members of the Quebec Bar in its program "Techniques de plaidoirie" at the Université de Sherbrooke. He is a visiting teacher of trial advocacy to students at the University of Notre Dame Law school in South Bend Indiana. In June 2008, Lockyer was named a recipient of the American College of Trial Lawyers "Award of Merit" for his contribution to the teaching of trial advocacy.

For 16 years (1983-1999) Lockyer held public office. He was elected to Moncton City Council in 1983 and re re-elected in 1986. In the 1987 New Brunswick general election, Lockyer was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick as the Liberal Party's candidate for the riding of Moncton West. He was re-elected in 1991 and 1995 New Brunswick general elections. Following his party taking power, on October 27, 1987 Lockyer was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice, posts he would hold twice. In addition, he served as the Minister of Supply and Services and Minister of Education. For three months in 1998 he was the acting Minister of Economic Development and Tourism. His last Cabinet post was Solicitor General in 1998-1999. In the 1999 New Brunswick general election James Lockyer lost by 1,253 votes to the Progressive Conservative Party's candidate. During his time as a member of the Legislative Assembly, Lockyer was Chairman of The Select Committee on Maritime Economic Union which reported its recommendations to the Legislative Assembly in 1992 as well as a member of the Law Amendments Committee and other standing committees.

Lockyer is a former president of the Law Society of New Brunswick. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1987. Between 2003 and 2005, he was a member on the Federal Government's Transportation Appeal Tribunal of Canada (TATC). He is a former member of the New Brunswick Securities Commission. He served twenty three years in the Canadian Forces Reserve and was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration and Clasp. He is currently the Honorary Colonel of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's).

Active in community affairs, Lockyer is a former vice-president of the Murial MacQueen Fregusson Foundation and was actively involved in its fight against domestic and family violence. He served for many years as vice-president of the Dr. George L. Dumont Hospital's Tree of Hope Cancer fundraising campaign. He is a former Board chair of the Greater Moncton YMCA. He was Chair of the organizing committee of the 2009 World Curling Championships. He was named recipient of the Lieutenant-Governor's Dialogue Award by Dialogue NB in June 2009. Recently Lockyer co-chaired the YWCA "Transitionelle" Campaign raising funds for the establishment of the Jean Irving Centre for Women and Children in Moncton. He is the current Chair of the 3Plus Economic Development Corporation for Greater Moncton (Dieppe-Moncton-Riverview). He remains involved with various community organizations.

An instrument-rated private pilot, he is the President of the local branch of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association's (COPA), and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Moncton Flight College. He is Vice-president of the Moncton Aero Club Inc.