Superior Court of Québec: Annual General Meeting 2021

Overview 

This online meeting allowed participants to explore a wide range of topics relevant to their field of practice, including the use of technology in the Courtroom, stress, the new ethical principles for judges of the Canadian Judicial Council, and the drafting of judgments.

Objective

Over the course of the training session, which involved a variety of learning styles, participants acquired new knowledge on various topics, as well as new skills and tools that they will be able to apply to their daily duties. They also explored the social context of relevant topics, as well as the issue of mental health.

Summary

This annual general meeting focused on the three dimensions of judicial training: acquiring knowledge, developing skills and abilities, and developing awareness of the social context relating to a variety of legal and judicial issues. It also explored the key issue of mental health. It began with a presentation intended to debunk the popular definition of stress and to summarize the scientific findings of the past 30 years on the workings and effects of stress on physical and mental health. The rest of the day focused on the theme of technology in the Courtroom, a topic that was discussed from a variety of angles, drawing on the skill of experts from both private practice and academia. The day concluded with a presentation on the promise and limits of artificial intelligence in the legal field. The second day centred on the Canadian Judicial Council’s new ethical principles for judges and the art of writing a judgment.