Supreme Court of British Columbia Education Seminar - Online

Overview

This seminar was intended to help justices across British Columbia focus on a different broad area of practice each day: aspects of mental health and courtroom management on day one, Indigenous law on day two, and the craft of judgments—both oral and written—on day three.

Objective

The objectives of the program were:

• To expose the judiciary to the psychological impact of those appearing in their courts—namely jurors and self-represented parties, to understand the resources available, explore the psychological impacts experienced by those in their courts, and analyze approaches and strategies for handling challenging self-represented parties.
• To expose the judiciary to the context and history relevant to Indigenous law cases whether centered on Rights and Title, Infringement and Justification, or Consultation and Accommodation.
• The provide participants with concrete skills in constructing a written judgment, delivering an oral judgment, and recognizing the ideal situations for choosing either one.

Summary

The Supreme Court of British Columbia’s November 2020 Education Seminar was delivered entirely online over the Zoom platform.
 
Virtual sessions addressed several recent and ongoing developments in the law, while online coffee shops offered a space for participants to meet in a more social environment throughout the week.
 
On day one, topics explored included Changes to the Empaneling of Juries, Juror Mental Health, and Managing Self-Represented and High-Conflict Litigants in the Courtroom.
 
The second day of the seminar looked more closely at several areas within Indigenous Law because of the large and growing number of cases handled by the court. Those areas included Rights and Title, Infringement and Justification, and Consultation and Accommodation, through presentations and an interactive panel discussion.
 
The final day of the program focused on judgments, with sessions centered on Judgment Writing and Oral Judgments.