If you are a new member of the Alberta Criminal Bar and have less than five years’ experience as a lawyer, LESA has good news for you: we’re offering a new Criminal Advocacy Series Certificate program. This specialized program has been developed by Senior Counsel Karen E. Hewitt, LL.M. (Alberta Justice, Specialized Prosecutions) in consultation with the Judiciary, the CTLA and Senior Criminal Law Practitioners across Alberta.
The goal of the program is to develop each participant’s individual litigation strengths and style while providing solid, practical guidance on a variety of criminal litigation issues. Each of the courses will incorporate legislation, substantive law, and procedural practices with practical demonstrations, panel feedback, and a discussion of pragmatic “suggested practices.”
The benefits of the program are invaluable because young lawyers will receive:
- Practical guidance and suggestions for litigation strategy practice, procedure and adversarial ethics from senior criminal law practitioners
- Invaluable advice, direction and feedback from a number of members of the judiciary, both from Provincial Court and Court of Queen’s Bench.
The program has five modules that will give a hands-on intensive approach to professional development. These modules are designed to be independent of each other, but there is some overlap of information so that if students have taken a prior module, it will build on the knowledge.
Program Modules:
- Module 1
- Judicial Interim Release: Bail hearings in both Provincial and Court of Queen’s Bench
- Module 2:
- Trial Advocacy I: Trial Strategy; Addressing the Case to be made: Substantive and Procedural Considerations; Witnesses; Exhibits; Case mapping; Opening and Closing Arguments and Approach; Jury and Non -Jury
- Module 3
- Trial Advocacy II: Case Management: Pretrial Motions; Admissibility Hearings (Voir Dire(s)) Witnesses; Substantive and Procedural Considerations; Documents; Witnesses; Exhibits; Strategy and Approach; Jury and Non-Jury.
- Module 4
- Preliminary Hearings: Case mapping; Practice and Procedure; Strategy and Approach; Case Management in Court; Opening and Closing Argument; Issues for Committal and beyond.
- Module 5
- Summary Disposition and Sentencing Hearings: Early Case resolution- practice and procedure; Facts and Admissions on Guilty Plea; Evidence and Strategy for Sentencing Hearings – practice and procedure.
Learn more about the Criminal Advocacy Series Certificate Program at www.lesa.org
