Register Now

CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF REFUGEE LAWYERS

2020 FALL MINI-CONFERENCE and AGM

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2020 - 2:00-4:30PM EST

**NOTE: Although this event has already occured,  registration permits access to the event recording avialable online here. 

SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR EFFECTIVE EXAMINATION-IN-CHIEF AND CROSS-EXAMINATION 

- featuring -

JUSTICE PETER EDELMANN, SUPREME COURT OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

JUSTICE JOHN NORRIS, FEDERAL COURT OF CANADA

JACKIE SWAISLAND, FORMER MEMBER, IMMIGRATION DIVISION, IRB

RICHARD PRIHODA, FORMER PRESIDENT, DEFENCE ATTORNEYS ASSOCIATION OF MONTREAL

The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) is pleased to invite you to our 2020 Fall Mini-Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM). In light of COVID-19 and the reality of Zoom fatigue, we will not be hosting a full-day conference. Instead, the mini-conference will be abbreviated and focused on building litigation skills building amongst our members — in particular, examination-in-chief, cross-examination and cross-examination on an affidavit. 

We’ve heard from a number of our members that the questioning of witnesses is one skill set which they continually come across in their practice, including in refugee hearings, immigration appeals, admissibility hearings, detention reviews, PRRA hearings and even in Federal Court practice. But it is a skill for which many of us feel we have inadequate training. How does one conduct a proper and effective examination-in-chief or cross-examination? 

The session will review some of the basic 'rules' that distinguish examination-in-chief from cross-examination (and the special skill of cross-examining on an affidavit). But the real goal of the panel is to have speakers who have served as both senior counsel and as decision-makers discuss what techniques and skills they experienced in their careers as being most effective when it comes to questioning witnesses.

In addition to the speakers panel, CARL will also be hosting a brief AGM. One of the most important tasks of the AGM is to consider nominations for new members to CARL's Executive and renewals for existing members whose terms have come to an end. If you are interested in nominating someone for CARL's Executive please contact info@carl-acaadr.ca to obtain a nomination form and submit it by Thursday, October 22, 2020.

 The event is $20 for CARL members and $30 for non-members.