Rosellen Sullivan

Rosellen was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She earned a Master’s degree in Criminology from the University of Ottawa in 1995 and obtained her law degree from Dalhousie Law School in 1998. Following her call to the bar, she worked with the Department of Justice until 2006.

During her time with the Department of Justice, Rosellen served as Junior Inquiry Counsel to Commissioner Antonio Lamer at the Lamer Inquiry, which examined three wrongful convictions in Newfoundland and Labrador. This work fostered a strong interest in criminal defence, leading her to enter private practice in 2006 when she joined Robert Simmonds, KC. She is currently a criminal defence lawyer with Sullivan Breen in St. John’s.

Rosellen practices exclusively in Criminal Defence and appears at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Her work includes trial and appellate advocacy on a wide range of Criminal Code matters.

Rosellen has been a director of the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers (CCCDL) since 2015. The CCCDL is a national organization representing defence counsel and contributing to discussions on criminal justice and constitutional issues. The organization has intervenor status before the Supreme Court of Canada and regularly appears before House of Commons and Senate committees.

On behalf of the CCCDL, Rosellen appeared before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in relation to Bill C-75 and proposed amendments to the Criminal Code.

Rosellen has been recognized by her peers for her work in criminal defence law and is a senior observing member of the Criminal Lawyers Association. She has also served as a member of the Board of Regents at Memorial University.