Joint Education Seminar

Overview

This seminar covered a combination of substantive law, social context, and judicial skills, including relevance, electronic evidence, custom adoption, and mental health in the courtroom.

Objectives

The objectives of this seminar were to enhance participants’ awareness of key jurisprudential developments in criminal and family law; develop practical skills in managing electronic evidence and social media in civil, family, and criminal cases; develop a better understanding of the history, social context and substantive information about Mi’kmaw custom adoptions; and examine complex issues in the area of mental health in the courtroom to be better able to respond to individuals in the courtroom with mental health issues.

Summary

Senior judges, legal academics in the fields of medicine and psychiatry, as well as representatives from local Mi’kmaw communities, led this program and provided an opportunity to discuss evidence, criminal, family and social context topics. It included key cases in criminal and family law; evidence; practical skills in managing electronic evidence and social media in civil, family, and criminal cases; mental health and the courtroom; Mi’kmaq Custom Adoption and the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Customary Adoption and Kinship Care Protocol.

This program included a variety of presentations, panel discussions, and practical exercises.