Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta: Bi-Annual Education Seminar

Overview

The January 2020 seminar addressed a range of topical issues in criminal, civil, family and administrative law, in addition to the social context of law, of particular interest and relevance to the region.

Objectives

The objectives of this program were to provide participants with the substantive knowledge and skills on: indigenous peoples and the justice system; administrative law; tort claims; personal injury and medical malpractice; sexual assault trials; credibility assessments; joint and shared parenting claims; transgender issues; and amendments to the Divorce Act.

Summary

This seminar used innovative and experiential teaching methods to address core issues that are dealt before the Court. Lectures and panel discussions from senior judges, experienced practitioners, academics in law and social sciences, psychological experts, and members of Indigenous communities were supplemented with more interactive elements, such as table discussions and instant responses to fact scenarios. These sessions dealt with: the Indigenous Peoples and Governments in Alberta; Indigenous lawyers and their relation to the justice system; Indigenous laws and their relation to the justice system; the standard of review in administrative law; the law of causation in tort claims; expert evidence in personal injury and medical malpractice matters; legislative developments in sexual assault law; assessment of credibility, reliability and demeanour of witnesses; joint and shared parenting; transgender issues in family law; and the impact of changes to the Divorce Act.