The Alberta Court of King’s Bench has released several notices to the profession which will impact court filing procedures.
Effective November 1, 2024, the King’s Bench Operations will now accept documents submitted in French via email for filing by sending documents to [email protected]. These submissions must comply with the applicable naming conventions, court procedures, and rules. This initiative was done to ensure language will not be a barrier for French-speaking and bilingual Albertans, and to support access to justice in both official languages.
Effective November 15, 2024, all criminal trials, pre-trial conferences, and pre-trial applications can be booked in Criminal Appearance Court (“CAC”) in Judicial Centres of Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. These applications can be booked by consent and without appearance under the following circumstances:
- A Designation of Counsel has been filed
- Crown and Defence Counsel have completed and submitted a Criminal Trial Joint Booking Request and Pre-Booking Request to the Court Coordinator for Lethbridge at [email protected] or for Medicine Hat at [email protected]
- Dates have been confirmed by the Court Coordinator
Booking request forms must be received no later than one week prior to the CAC date by a Court Coordinator. The pre-booking process is not eligible in the following circumstances:
- Direct indictments where the indictment is the original charge, no Designation of Counsel is filed, or where the accused is self-represented
- There is an outstanding Warrant to Hold
- The matter is in the nature of habeas corpus or proceedings under the Extradition Act
Effective November 18, 2024, all materials provided in hard copy to the judiciary and support staff should be marked “Courtesy Copy” at the top right-hand corner. This has been implemented to avoid duplication of materials and to streamline processes.
For more information on these updates, visit the Court of King’s Bench News & Announcements page here.
