Fred Kozak

Fred is a litigation partner at Reynolds, Mirth, Richards & Farmer LLP in Edmonton, Alberta. Since 1984, his practice focus has been on constitutional law, and media and defamation issues. Fred represents several national news organizations, and provides pre-publication advice to print and broadcast media outlets. He frequently appears before courts and tribunals on behalf of reporters on issues involving publication bans, sealing orders, subpoenas,search warrants and protecting confidential sources. Fred has been counsel in five cases where the Charter has been used to strike down provincial or federal legislation, and has appeared in all levels of the courts of Alberta and in the Supreme Court of Canada.

EDUCATION
1976 – B.A., University of Alberta
1981 – LL.B., University of Alberta
1982 – Admitted to the Alberta Bar
2008 – Appointed Queen’s Counsel
2009 - Admitted to the Northwest Territories Bar
2010 - Admitted to the Yukon Bar

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Fred carries on a civil litigation practice in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and Yukon, with an emphasis on constitutional law, media and defamation issues, employment and administrative proceedings. He represents several national news organizations, and provides pre-publication advice to print and broadcast media outlets. Fred has been counsel in several cases where the Charter has been used to strike down provincial or federal legislation, and has appeared in all levels of the courts of Alberta and in the Supreme Court of Canada, including the following:

Hunter v. Southam, [1984] 2 S.C.R. 145
Edmonton Journal v. Alberta (Attorney General), [1989] 2 S.C.R. 1326
Moysa v. Labour Relations Board (Alberta), [1989] 1 S.C.R. 1572
R. v. Thompson Canada Limited, 2001 ABQB 962
CBC v. Wasylyshen, 2005 ABQB 902
R. v. White, 2007 ABQB 359
Morrow v. Zhang, 2008 ABQB 98
Toronto Star v. Canada 2010 SCC 21

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Member or Fellow of:

Law Society of Alberta
Law Society of Northwest Territories
Law Society of Yukon
American College of Trial Lawyers
Canadian Bar Association
Edmonton Bar Association
Canadian Media Lawyers Association (Ad Idem)
Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Past Board Chair – Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
President – Canadian Media Lawyers Association (Ad Idem)
Founding Director - Edmonton Police Foundation

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Recognized as a "Leading Practitioner" in the area of Defamation by the 2009 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.
Recipient of the 2010 Award of Honorary Membership in the Alberta Dental Association and College.
Recipient of the 2008 Champion's Award by the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association.
Inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers - Washington, D.C. 2010

LECTURER
Sessional lecturer – Grant MacEwan College – “The Law and the Media”
Past Lecturer -- University of Alberta -- Employment Law