Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta: Education Seminar

Overview

This seminar focused on building judicial skills in two areas: legal and practical issues in the conduct of a jury trial, and judicial wellness. Developed in collaboration with senior judges, experienced practitioners and medical and psychological experts, this program helped better equip members of the Court to sit on jury trials and to manage their own mental and physical wellness.

Objectives

The objectives of this program were to assist participants in developing improved skills and substantive knowledge surrounding jury trials. It equally gave participants essential knowledge and practical skills to ensure that they manage their own physical and mental health.

Summary

This seminar applied an experiential skills-based approach to teaching skills around the management of jury trials. Participants received lectures from experienced judges from Alberta and other jurisdictions concerning: effectively using pre-trial conferences; preparing for a jury trial; managing jury selection and challenges for cause; crafting jury instructions; using the pre-charge conference effectively; and managing a variety of other issues that arise during jury trials. On judicial wellness, medical and psychological experts and experienced judges provided information on effectively managing mental health in difficult cases, ensuring physical health in a sedentary job, and managing procrastination.