St. John's lawyer Donovan Molloy picked to be new privacy commissioner

A St. John's lawyer and former assistant deputy justice ministerwill be Newfoundland and Labrador'snew information and privacy commissioner.

The provincial government announced Thursday that Donovan Molloy, most recently the province's director of public prosecutions, would take over the job July 22.

In a statement released by the provincial government,Speaker Tom Osborne welcomed Molloy to the job.

"I am confident that his leadership abilities, senior executive experience and extensive legal background will serve the office well," said Osbornein the statement.

Molloy replaces the outgoing Ed Ring, who retired in June after spending eight and a half years in the position.

Molloy was raised in Marystownand received his law degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1992.

He also earned a bachelor's degree in science from Memorial University in 1995, after already having been called to the bar in 1993.

After spending several years as a Crown attorney in Marystown, Molloy transferred to St. John's in 2002.

In addition to his work as the director of public prosecutions, Molloy was also assistant deputy minister for criminal operations with the provincial department of justice and public safety.