Giuseppe Battista, Ad. E.

Battista Turcot Israel s.e.n.c.

Quebec Giuseppe Battista, Ad. E., has been a member of the Bar since 1986. He practices in the fields of criminal and penal law, as well as in disciplinary law. He began his practice with the criminal division of the Montreal Legal Aid office and has been in private practice since 1991. He has taught at bar school in Criminal Law and matters of Ethics, and has been invited to speak at numerous conferences, was counsel for the Poitras Commission of Inquiry, the Oliphant Commission of Inquiry and Chief Counsel for the Bastarache Commission of Inquiry. He has been a member on the council of several defence lawyers’ associations and presided over the Quebec Bar’s criminal matters committee for several years.

Michelle Booker

BC Prosecution Service

British Columbia Michelle Booker is Crown Counsel with Prosecution Service of B.C., Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions (CASP) in Vancouver B.C. Prior to her call to the bar, Michelle clerked for the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Following her call, Michelle practiced as a commercial litigator with Fasken Martineau. In 2009, Michelle joined BCPS; she spent the next nine years prosecuting serious crime and appearing at all levels of court. In 2018, Michelle joined the Prosecution Support Unit within CASP. She now provides resource and litigation support to prosecutors across the province in the areas of firearms, sexual violence, Charter and constitutional issues. Michelle is a regular presenter at criminal law workshops, seminars and conferences. She is a faculty member with the National Criminal Law Program, Federation of Law Societies of Canada, and teaches Advanced Trial Advocacy at the Peter A. Allard School of Law (UBC). Michelle is a fellow with the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Supreme Court Advocacy Institute advisor, and a board member with the Courthouse Libraries Association of BC.

The Honourable Justice Alexandre Boucher

Superior Court of Québec

Quebec The Hon. Justice Alexandre Boucher was appointed to the Superior Court of Quebec in 2015. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Justice Boucher practised criminal law throughout his legal career first as a defense lawyer in private practice (from 1995 to 2010) and then as a crown prosecutor (from 2010 to 2015). Justice Boucher has also been a lecturer in law at the University of Sherbrooke and at the University of Montreal. He has given numerous training conferences to judges and lawyers. He has been involved in various committees of the Bar and lawyers' associations. Justice Boucher earned a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Montreal in 1994 and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2010. He was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1995.

Sandra Bracken

Legal Aid Manitoba

Manitoba Sandra Bracken received her call to the Bar in 2007 after articling with Legal Aid Manitoba (LAM) and has practiced almost exclusively in the area of youth criminal defence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act as a Staff Lawyer with LAM since that time, also serving as a Supervising Attorney at LAM's dedicated youth office in 2018 before moving into her current senior management role of Deputy Executive Director at Legal Aid Manitoba in July of 2021. Sandra's interest in a youth criminal practice began well before law school after volunteering on a Youth Justice Committee, Sandra then volunteered for many years as a member-at-large and then as Co-Chair of the Manitoba Bar Association's Youth and Child Law Section, participating in the first National Youth and Child Law executive as a Section Chair from 2018 to 2020. She also volunteered from 2008 to 2018 as a supervisor to law students at the University of Manitoba Community Law Centre which is partnered with LAM and remains involved in their programming now in her current role. Sandra has been honoured to participate in the Federation of Law Societies National Criminal Law Program as a Faculty member since 2022.

The Honourable Judge Elizabeth Buckle

Provincial Court of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

The Hon. Judge Elizabeth A. Buckle has been a Judge of the Nova Scotia Provincial Court since 2015. She currently sits in the long-trial court in Halifax. Prior to her appointment, she was primarily a criminal defence lawyer, first in Toronto and then in Halifax. However, mid-career, she joined the Federal Crown for four years, where she worked in the areas of proceeds of crime and drugs. She co-taught the Criminal Trial Practice course at the Schulich School of Law, has been a member of the Faculty of the National Criminal Law Program since 2010, is a frequent presenter at various Continuing Legal Education programs and is Vice-Chair of the National Education Committee for the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges.

The Honourable Justice Ian Carter

Superior Court of Justice

Ontario Prior to his appointment in June 2022 to the Superior Court of Justice (Ontario), The Honourable Justice Ian M. Carter was a partner at Bayne Sellar Ertel Carter where he practiced since 2008. Prior to that he practiced in Vancouver with prominent criminal defense lawyer E. David Crossin, Q.C. He conducted criminal trials in both Provincial and Superior Courts across the country, including in B.C., Nunavut, Quebec and New Brunswick, and has represented Canadian Forces members at military Court Martials. He argued numerous appeals at the British Columbia Court of Appeal, the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Court Martial Court of Appeal, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to his appointment, he was president of the Canadian Bar Association National Criminal Justice Section and appeared on behalf of that association at many Senate committee hearings on proposed criminal legislation. Justice Carter was the 2014 recipient of the Regional Senior Justice Award, given to a member of the County of Carleton Law Association who has made an outstanding contribution as a litigator or solicitor.

Gerald Chan

Stockwoods LLP

Ontario Gerald Chan is a partner at Stockwoods LLP in Toronto where he practices litigation, with a focus on white collar crime and regulatory defence. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and an advocacy advisor with the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute. He has represented clients on investigations, trials and appeals before all levels of court in Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. He is co-author of the 8th and 9th editions of Sentencing (LexisNexis); co-author of the 1st and 2nd editions of Digital Evidence: A Practitioner’s Handbook (Emond Publishing); co-editor of Digital Privacy: Criminal, Civil and Regulatory Litigation (LexisNexis); and co-editor of Litigating Artificial Intelligence (Emond). Before joining Stockwoods, Gerald graduated as co-gold medalist from Osgoode Hall Law School, clerked for Justice Abella at the Supreme Court of Canada, and practiced for many years with Clayton Ruby. In 2023, he was elected Regional Bencher (Toronto) for the Law Society of Ontario. He is the Chair of the Law Foundation of Ontario and Vice-Chair of the Law Society Tribunal, Appeal Division.

Jennifer Conroy

Public Prosecution Service of Canada

Ontario Jennifer Conroy is Senior General Counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) in Toronto, where she co-chairs the National Litigation Committee and Supreme Court of Canada litigation group. Jennifer argues complex criminal and constitutional appeals before the Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada and has also prosecuted trial-level cases across a broad spectrum of criminal and regulatory subject matter – from drugs to national security, to corruption of foreign public officials and even the United Nations Act. Before joining the PPSC, Jennifer worked as an associate in the litigation department at Torys LLP, and as commission counsel to the Honourable Frank Iacobucci on the Internal Inquiry into the actions of Canadian Officials in relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin (Iacobucci Inquiry). Before that, she clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for the Honourable Justice John Major and was called to the bar of Ontario in 2004. Jennifer teaches written and oral advocacy, and is a frequent contributor to various continuing legal education programs.

Professor Robert Currie, K.C.

Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University

Nova Scotia Robert Currie, K.C., is Viscount Bennett Professor of Law at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, where he teaches Criminal Law, Evidence, Criminal Appeals Practice, International & Transnational Criminal Law, advocacy and procedure. He is a member in good standing of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in Nova Scotia and the Federal Court. In 2017- 2018 he served as Special Appeals Counsel at Nova Scotia Legal Aid in Halifax. Professor Currie is a specialist in the transnational and cross-border aspects of criminal law, and serves as a consultant to private and government clients in cases involving these issues. His scholarly work in the field has been widely cited by Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. The 4th edition of his book, International & Transnational Criminal Law (now co-authored with Gillian MacNeil and Justin Mohammed) was published in 2026. He is also a coauthor of the Annual Review of Criminal Law (Thomson Reuters).

Erin Dann

Embry Dann LLP

Ontario Erin Dann is a partner at Embry Dann LLP, with a focus on criminal appeals. She has acted in over 100 appeals at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and 10 at the Supreme Court of Canada. Erin is regularly appointed amicus curiae in criminal cases involving mental health issues and as referee in privilege litigation matters. Erin was senior counsel to the Public Order Emergency Commission and the Foreign Interference Commission. Erin is a long-time volunteer with the Pro Bono Inmate Appeal Program, sits on the National Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute and on the Case Review Committee of Innocence Canada, and is an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. She holds an LL.B. from Queen’s University, where she graduated first in her class. Erin clerked for the Honourable Justice Morris Fish at the Supreme Court of Canada and was called to the bar in 2008.

Michael Davies

Davies McMahon LLP

Ontario Michael Davies is a partner at Davies McMahon LLP in Ottawa. He has been practicing criminal law, at both the trial and appellate level, since his call to the bar in 1995. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario Law School in 1993 and subsequently articled at Bayne Sellar Boxall. In 2000 he completed an LL.M. under the supervision of Professor Don Stuart at Queen’s University Law School. Prior to entering law school he earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Wales. Michael is regularly appointed as amicus curiae by the Court of Appeal for Ontario, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Review Board in cases involving individuals with mental disorders. He is a co-author of A Guide to Mental Disorder Law in Canadian Criminal Justice. He also teaches Advanced Criminal Procedure and Appellate Advocacy at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law.

The Honourable Justice Allison Dellandrea

Ontario Court of Justice

Ontario

Justice Dellandrea was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice (Criminal) in Brampton in February 2018. From 1999-2007 she was a trial Crown at the Toronto Crown Attorney’s office and from 2007-2018 she served as counsel at the Crown Law Office – Criminal and as Education Coordinator for the Ontario Provincial Strategy on Internet Crimes Against Children.

Throughout her legal career, Justice Dellandrea has been a regular lecturer at the Canadian Police College, the Ontario Bar Association, Osgoode Professional Development programs, The Advocates Society and National Judicial Institute on matters of cybercrime, search and seizure, sexual offences, and advocacy.

Justice Dellandrea continues to be actively engaged in continuing legal education for both the bench and bar. She is a member of the Ontario Court of Justice Education Secretariat and is a former co-chair of education for the Ontario Court of Justice.

The Honourable Justice Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten

Court of Appeal for British Columbia

British Columbia The Hon. Justice M. Joyce DeWitt-Van Oosten was appointed to the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in May 2019. She had been a trial Judge on the BC Supreme Court since October 2016. Prior to her appointment as a trial judge, Joyce was the Assistant Deputy Attorney General with the Criminal Justice Branch (otherwise known as the B.C. Prosecution Service). Between 1994, when she first joined the Crown, and 2012, when she became the ADAG, Joyce worked as trial counsel and an appellate prosecutor, with a specialization in constitutional issues. She has had extensive involvement in legal education over the course of her career, including as a sessional instructor in criminal procedure at the University of Victoria; Continuing Legal Education presentations and materials; Crown Counsel training; and, she has been a member of the faculty with the National Criminal Law Program since about 2007. For many years, Joyce was the co-editor of the Working Manual of Criminal Law (Thomsen Reuters). She is currently co-chair of the National Judicial Institute’s training program in Charter litigation.

The Honourable Justice Joseph Di Luca

Superior Court of Justice (Ontario)

Ontario Joseph received his LL.B. from the University of Toronto in 1996 and his LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2003. He was called to the bar in 1998 and practiced criminal law for over 18 years prior to his appointment to Ontario Superior Court of Justice on October 20, 2016. While in practice, Joseph conducted both trials and appeals and appeared before all levels of Court including the Supreme Court of Canada. He also had the privilege of regularly appearing before the Court of Appeal for Ontario as duty counsel for indigent inmates and as amicus curiae on mental health related appeals.For over 13 years, Joseph was an instructor and then co-director of the Criminal Law Intensive Programme at Osgoode Hall Law School. He also co-instructed a course on Criminal Law Ethics for a number of years. In 2007, Joseph was awarded the Arleen Goss Young Advocates’ Award by the Advocates’ Society. In 2010, he was a co-recipient of the Osgoode Hall Law School Teaching Award given in recognition of teaching excellence. Joseph has lectured and presented papers at many continuing legal education programs and conferences held by various organizations including the Federation of Law Societies, the National Judicial Institute, the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, the Crown Attorney’s Association, the Law Society of Onario and the Ontario Bar Association. Joseph is also a co-author, along with David Watt K.C., of Carswell’s Form and Precedent Collection – Criminal Law Precedents.

Katie Doherty

Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario

Ontario Katie Doherty is Crown Counsel at the Crown Law Office Criminal, Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario). Her practice includes both trial and appellate work. She has prosecuted criminal offences at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada. She is a member of the Crown Law Office – Criminal search experts’ group and coordinates the Electronic Surveillance Unit for the Province of Ontario. She regularly lectures to the police, Crowns and bar on a variety of criminal law topics. She is also the contributing author to the Law of Privilege by Robert Hubbard.

The Honourable Justice Annie Émond

Superior Court of Québec

Québec L’honorable Annie Émond a été nommée juge à la Cour supérieure du Québec en 2023. Avant sa nomination à la magistrature, la juge Émond a pratiqué le droit criminel à Montréal comme avocate de la défense. A ce titre, elle a plaidé des dossiers devant toutes les instances judiciaires du Québec et à la Cour suprême du Canada. Au début de sa pratique, elle a assisté deux avocats seniors représentant des individus accusés de génocide devant le Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda. Au cours de sa carrière, elle a agi principalement dans des dossiers de longue durée, devant juge et jury, notamment en matière de crimes économiques. Me Emond a donné plusieurs conférences et formations principalement sur la cybercriminalité et la preuve électronique. Elle a été chargée de cours pendant neuf ans à l’École Polytechnique de Montréal où elle a donné le cours d' « Cybercriminalité, enquête policière et droit». Elle a fait partie de l’équipe des décideurs du comité de révision de la Commission des services juridiques et elle a été récipiendaire de prix décernés par l’Association des avocats de la défense de Montréal, par l’Association du jeune barreau de Montréal et l’Association québécoise des avocats et avocates de la défense du Québec.

Karen Endres, K.C.

Nova Scotia Legal Aid

Nova Scotia Karen E. Endres is the managing lawyer of the Dartmouth Criminal office of Nova Scotia Legal Aid. She graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 2004 and articled with Nova Scotia Legal Aid where she has practiced, almost exclusively in criminal law, since 2005. Karen is a frequent contributor to professional development activities within Nova Scotia Legal Aid, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, the Canadian Bar Association Nova Scotia, the National Judicial Institute, the Nova Scotia Criminal Lawyers’ Association and is a member of the part-time faculty at the Schulich School of Law (Dalhousie University). Karen was appointed a King’s Counsel in 2022.

Elisa Frank

Attorney General of Alberta

Alberta Elisa Frank is Appellate Counsel with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service in Calgary. She graduated from the University of Calgary Faculty of Law in 2012 and clerked for the Court of Appeal of Alberta. Elisa worked as a trial prosecutor in the Calgary Regional and Calgary offices before moving into an appeals role in 2019. She has appeared regularly before the Alberta Court of Appeal on criminal matters and has also appeared at the Supreme Court of Canada. Elisa is currently on secondment in a trial role in regional prosecutions. She previously instructed appellate advocacy at the University of Calgary Faculty of Law and continues to volunteer for their annual advocacy course and coach the Gale Cup Moot. Elisa teaches regularly within the Crown Prosecution Service and has presented for the Legal Education Society of Alberta and the Canadian Bar Association Criminal Section.

Manasvin Goswami

Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario

Ontario Manasvin Goswami graduated from the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2018. He has clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada. He currently works as counsel in the Appeals and Policy groups at the Crown Law Office – Criminal, and serves as the office’s Indigenous Legal Issues Coordinator.

The Honourable Justice Eric V. Gottardi

Supreme Court of British Columbia

British Columbia Eric V. Gottardi was appointed a judge of the BC Supreme Court in August 2024. Prior to his appointment, he practiced primarily in the area of criminal defence, focusing on appellate and extradition work. He worked on some of British Columbia’s most well-known cases, including the Air India trial andthe Huawei / Meng Wanzhou extradition hearing. He has appeared as counsel in all levels of court in British Columbiaand in the Supreme Court of Canada. He was a member of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute and a former Chair of the Uniform law Conference of Cananda (Criminal section) and the CBA National Criminal Justice Section. He was called to the Bar in Nunavut and in Ontario as a special prosecutor.Early in his career, Eric clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. After being called to the bar in 2003, hejoined the firm of Peck and Company, becoming a partner in 2009. Eric was appointed a Queen’s Counsel in2020.

Julianna Greenspan

Greenspan Partners LLP

Ontario

Julianna Greenspan is the senior partner at Greenspan Partners LLP. She joined the firm in 2003 and became a partner in 2007. Prior to that, she interned at the Cook County Public Defender Office, Murder Task Force Division in Chicago from 1995-1998, and then as an associate with the Chicago criminal defence firm Genson & Gillespie until late 2002.

For over 27 years, Ms. Greenspan’s practice, in both the United States and Canada, has been devoted to representing clients involved in criminal, quasi-criminal, extradition, regulatory and professional discipline matters. She has represented clients at all trial and appellate levels of Court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada. Ms. Greenspan is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Ontario. Ms. Greenspan is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. She currently sits as a Board member on the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the Canadian Opera Company.

Bryan Guertin

Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario

Ontario

Bryan was called to the bar in 2015 after attending Queen’s Law School. He has been an Assistant Crown Attorney at the Toronto East Crown Attorney’s Office since 2021. He is currently on a one-year secondment at the Crown Law Office Criminal in the Appeals Division. Before joining the Toronto East Crown’s Attorney’s Office, Bryan was an Assistant Crown Attorney at the Durham Region Crown Attorney’s Office. For several years Bryan taught the Criminal Trial Advocacy upper year course at Queen’s Law School as an adjunct professor. Bryan’s trial practice involves him prosecuting all manner of Criminal Code offences in the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice, while his current secondment involves criminal appellate work in the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time his wife & two young sons, and playing golf & hockey when he finds the time.

The Honourable Justice Cameron Gunn

Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick

New Brunswick Cameron Gunn was appointed a Judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick in the Judicial District of Miramichi in February 2019. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of Prosecution with Public Prosecution Services of New Brunswick. He chronicled his attempt to live Ben Franklin's 13 virtues in BEN & ME: From Temperance to Humility - Stumbling Through Ben Franklin's Thirteen Virtues, One Unvirtuous Day at a Time, released by Perigee Press, an imprint of Penguin Books in September 2010. He is also the co-author, along with Patrick McGuinty and Mona Duckett, K.C., of Witness Preparation, Presentation, and Assessment released by Emond Publishing in 2022. He was a lecturer in Criminal Law at the University of New Brunswick, Faculty of Law, is a longtime faculty member of the National Criminal Law program, and has lectured and presented papers for various groups including the National Judicial Institute and the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges. Justice Gunn was appointed to the Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick in 2024.

The Honourable Judge Hugh Harradence

Provincial Court of Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan The Hon. Judge Hugh M. Harradence, LLB (1985-Saskatchewan), LLM (2011-Osgoode) was appointed to the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan in 2006 and was Chairperson of the Saskatchewan Review Board (2011-2016). Prior to his appointment to the Court, Hugh practiced primarily criminal defense throughout Saskatchewan. He also served, in a number of capacities with the Canadian Bar Association (Saskatchewan President 1999-2000), the Law Society of Saskatchewan (Bencher 2004-06), as Chairperson of the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission (2006), Inquest Coroner (2001) and as a Commissioner with the Saskatchewan Commission on First Nations, Metis people and Justice Reform (2002-2004). During his career Hugh has participated in variety of legal education seminars both as a presenter and a participant and is a sessional Professor with the College of Law University of Saskatchewan having taught sentencing and law & psychiatry

Nader Hasan

Stockwoods LLP

Ontario Nader R. Hasan, a partner at Stockwoods LLP, practises criminal, regulatory and constitutional law at both the trial and appellate levels. Nader is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, where he has taught Evidence and currently teaches a seminar on criminal punishment from a U.S.- Canada comparative perspective. Nader is a co-author of Search & Seizure (Emond Publishing, 2021), a co-author of Sentencing, 9th edition (LexisNexis, 2017), a co-author and co-editor of Digital Privacy: Criminal, Civil and Regulatory Litigation (LexisNexis, 2018), and author of numerous articles on criminal and constitutional law. Nader sits on the Board of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Advisory Board of the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights, and on the Case Review Committee for Innocence Canada.

The Honourable Judge Mark Heerema

Provincial Court of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Mark received his LL.B. from Dalhousie University in 2005 and his LL.M. from the University of Cambridge in 2007 where he studied as a Rt. Honourable Paul Martin Scholar. Mark worked in the Special Prosecutions Section of the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service from 2007 until his appointment to the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in 2023. Prior to his appointment, Mark’s practice focused primarily on complex prosecutions and included appellate advocacy. In 2016, Mark was awarded the Young Justice Professional Award by the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. In 2023 he received an RCMP Commissioner’s Commendation for his work as a Crown Attorney. Mark frequently presents and lectures in criminal law and is a former part-time faculty member at the Schulich School of Law. He has authored several publications in criminal law, including texts, chapters and articles.

The Honourable Justice Marcella Henschel

Superior Court of Justice

Scott Hutchison

Henein Hutchison LLP

Ontario Scott Hutchison is a partner at Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP. His practice includes complex civil, criminal, regulatory and constitutional litigation, with a particular interest in white collar crime and appellate advocacy. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute and has been recognized repeatedly in Best Lawyers in Canada for Appellate Law and Criminal Defence and for in Chambers Canada in Dispute Resolution. His recent practice has included advising clients caught up in business crime investigations, and representing individuals and entities in serious criminal cases at all levels of court. He has argued numerous criminal and civil appeals and trials, including hundreds of matters in the Ontario Court of Appeal and more than thirty cases in the Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to forming Henein Hutchison Robitaille LLP, Scott was a partner at a top 10 litigation boutique in downtown Toronto, from 2005 to 2012. From 1989 to 2005, Scott was counsel at the Crown Law Office-Criminal (Ontario) where he represented the Crown at all levels of court, including hundreds of appearances in the Court of Appeal and numerous appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada. He is the author of a number of frequently cited legal texts, including Search and Seizure Law in Canada (Carswell); and Hutchison’s Search Warrant Manual, 2022 (Carswell). Scott writes and teaches extensively and was a member of the adjunct faculty of Queen’s University Law School where he taught Trial Advocacy and Appellate Advocacy from 2005 to 2013. From 2006 to 2008 he also taught Advanced Evidence at Osgoode Hall Law School. He is a member of the Advocates’ Society, the Criminal Lawyers Association, and the International Society for the Reform of the Criminal Law.

Catriona Kaiser-Derrick

Community Legal Assistance Services for Saskatoon Inner City (CLASSIC Inc)

Saskatchewan Called to the Saskatchewan Bar in 2019, Catriona Kaiser-Derrick holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Edinburgh, and a J.D. from University of Saskatchewan. She articled for the Provincial Court of Saskatchewan as a law clerk in Regina from 2018-2019. Catriona worked in Northern Saskatchewan at the La Ronge Legal Aid office, practicing criminal defence, from 2019 until 2023, and served several Northern communities on circuit. She is currently a supervising lawyer at Community Legal Assistance for Saskatoon Inner City (CLASSIC), the only community legal clinic in Saskatchewan. Catriona has a poverty law practice, providing free legal representation to clients, and clinical training to students, in the areas of criminal law, immigration and refugee law, prison law, and other areas.

Anil Kapoor

Kapoor Barristers

International Anil Kapoor practices criminal law, appeal and trials, national security law and regulatory law primarily in professional discipline. He has appeared at all levels of court including Supreme Court of Canada, provincial courts of appeal in Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, Alberta, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan.  He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers where he presently serves as the Chair of the American College’s Gale Cup Moot Committee. He is also a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the International Society of Barristers and the Litigation Counsel of America.  

Erica Koresawa

Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service

Nova Scotia

Erica Koresawa is a Senior Crown Attorney with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service – Appeals Section. Her practice focusses primarily on appeals before the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. She is actively involved in legal education. She is a Co-Chair of the PPS’ Education Committee and Vice Chair of the Canadian Bar Association – Nova Scotia’s Criminal Justice Section. Erica also teaches as part-time faculty at Dalhousie University’s Schulich School of Law and has presented on criminal law subjects to police, Crowns, the bar, and the bench. She is a member of the CCSO Criminal Justice Working Groups on Sentencing and Criminal Procedure and a past member of the Heads of Prosecution Subcommittee on the Prevention of Wrongful Convictions. Erica volunteers her time through Schulich’s Pro Bono program and at the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia.

Ami Kotler

Manitoba Justice, Prosecution Service

Manitoba Ami Kotler is a Crown Attorney with Manitoba Justice. He deals with criminal appeals before the Manitoba Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. He is also General Counsel to the Justice Department, and advises on a number of practical and policy-related matters. He teaches criminal law and procedure at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law. Before joining Manitoba Justice in 2001, he worked as a civil litigator in New York City after clerking for Justice Frank Iacobucci at the Supreme Court of Canada. He lost the first three cases he argued at the Supreme Court of Canada, all 7-0.

The Honourable Justice Mabel Lai

Ontario Court of Justice

Ontario

The Honourable Justice Mabel Lai was appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton, Ontario in November 2022. She graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering (Division of Engineering Science – Physics) and Faculty of Law. She articled as a judicial law clerk to the Court of Appeal for Ontario. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2010. She practiced as an Assistant Crown Attorney in Brampton and briefly as defence counsel in Toronto. In 2012, she joined the Crown Law Office – Criminal, where her practice consisted of criminal appeals, trials of alleged justice system participant criminality, and advice to law enforcement. She served as co-coordinator of the Electronic Surveillance Unit for the Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario), and she argued criminal cases at all levels of court in Ontario and at the Supreme Court of Canada. Justice Lai has taught at educational programs for the judiciary, the legal profession, and law enforcement in the areas of cybercrime, digital evidence and search and seizure. In 2020, she joined Robert Hubbard as a co-author of Wiretapping and Other Electronic Surveillance: Law and Procedure (Thomson Reuters, loose-leaf). She is a co-author of Search and Seizure (Emond, 2021) with Nader Hasan, David Schermbrucker and Randy Schwartz.

The Honourable John Laskin

Court of Appeal for Ontario (retired)

Ontario

The Hon. John I. Laskin (Retired) graduated from University of Toronto Law School in 1969. He practiced civil and public law litigation from 1971-1994. He was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in January 1994.

Following his appointment to the Court of Appeal, Justice Laskin has organized and taught in many programs on decision writing and advocacy, both in Canada and abroad. For many years he was co-chair of the annual CIAJ Judgment Writing Seminar, and then of the NJI-CIAJ advanced judgment writing seminar, called Mastering the Skill of Judgment Writing. He contributes frequently to the NJI’s Oral Judgments program. And he has taught decision writing to many individual courts and tribunals in Canada. He has also spoken on advocacy at numerous programs, including OCAT’s Annual Written Advocacy seminar. Abroad, he has taught judgment writing, advocacy, and judicial education in Hong Kong, China, Albania, The Hague, Arusha, Spain, Scotland, New Mexico, Barbados, and Jamaica. His articles include: A View from the Other Side: What I Would Have Done Differently If I Knew Then What I Know Now (1998); Forget The Windup and Make the Pitch: Some Suggestions for Writing More Persuasive Factums (1999); What Persuades (or What’s Going on Inside the Judge’s Mind) (2004); How to Write a Persuasive Factum: A Judge’s View (2004); Why Are You Telling Me All This? (2008); The Right Stuff: Marvin Catzman and Legal Writing (2008); Teaching Judgment Writing in Canada (2011); and, Memories of Marc Rosenberg (2016).

Andi MacKay, K.C.

MacKay Boyar Law Corporation

British Columbia

Andi MacKay, K.C., is a co-founder of MacKay Boyar Law Corporation and is ranked as a “Benchmark Litigation Star” in British Columbia. She is a dedicated trial lawyer with an extremely broad practice. Andi’s practice includes special prosecutions, criminal defence, Law Society investigations, administrative proceedings, code of conduct proceedings and complex civil cases. Andi regularly acts for criminal defence counsel when an ineffective assistance allegation is raised on appeal and acts as pro bono counsel in a number of cases for vulnerable litigants.

The Honourable Justice Susan Magotiaux

Ontario Court of Justice

Ontario Susan Magotiaux was appointed as a Justice in the Ontario Court of Justice (Criminal) in 2018. She participates regularly in educational events for students, lawyers and judges across the country. From 2002-2018, she worked as Crown Counsel at the Crown Law Office Criminal, arguing numerous appeals at the Court of Appeal for Ontario and the Supreme Court of Canada. She also served as the head of the Electronic Surveillance Unit for the Ministry of the Attorney General and provided frequent advice to police and continuing education on matters of search and seizure, informer privilege, cybercrime, national security and Internet Child Exploitation. Justice Magotiaux is a co-author of the monthly Police Powers Newsletter (Thomson Reuters), with Justice Michelle Fuerst and Scott Fenton, a co-author of the book Digital Evidence (Emond) with Gerald Chan and a member of the faculty of the National Criminal Law Program.

Caroline Mandell

Mandell Coaching

Ontario Caroline Mandell is a legal communication consultant. She is on the faculty of decision writing programs for the National Judicial Institute, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators, and Osgoode Professional Development. She delivers custom training for courts, tribunals, and law firms across Canada, and provides private coaching for lawyers, adjudicators, and judges at all levels. Caroline is interested in the neuroscience of information processing and brings an evidence-based perspective to her work on effective legal communication. Caroline has been an adjunct professor of Legal Research and Writing at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and a Subject Matter Expert in Legal Research and Writing for Toronto Metropolitan University’s Law Practice Program. She is the only Canadian member of the Legal Writing Advisory Panel, a group of top advocates and academics offering quarterly advice on hot topics in legal writing. From 2007–2017, Caroline was counsel to the judges of the Court of Appeal for Ontario. From 2017–2019, she was an adjudicator with Ontario’s Health Professions and Health Services Appeal and Review Boards. She has a JD and an MA from the University of Toronto and was called to the Ontario bar in 2005. You can listen to her CIAJ podcast series on judgment writing, plain language, and how our brains get in the way of our thinking here.

Patrick McGuinty

New Brunswick Public Prosecution Services

New Brunswick

Patrick McGuinty is a Crown prosecutor and the lead appellate counsel for New Brunswick Public Prosecution Services. He regularly argues criminal appeals at the New Brunswick Court of Appeal and has argued several appeals at the Supreme Court of Canada. In addition to his appellate practice, Patrick continues to maintain carriage of several complex trial files, including complex homicide prosecutions. Patrick is a co-author of Emond Publishing’s 2023 Witness Preparation, Presentation and Assessment textbook, co-authored with Justice Cameron Gunn (New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench) and Mona Duckett, K.C. Patrick teaches Criminal Procedure as well as Legal Advocacy at the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Law. He regularly gives presentations on criminal law topics to lawyers at continuing legal education seminars and is additionally a member of various Canadian criminal appellate committees.

Tony Paisana

Peck and Company

British Columbia

Tony Paisana is a partner at Peck and Company Barristers. Tony is the past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s National Criminal Justice Section. In addition, he is a founding member of the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society and a supervising lawyer with the UBC Innocence Project.

Through his work with the Canadian Bar Association, Tony has testified many times before Parliament regarding criminal law policy and legislation. He also periodically authors articles and makes presentations dealing with emerging criminal law issues. He is the editor of CanLII’s Criminal Law eBook. For the past several years, Tony has been an adjunct professor at the UBC Allard School of Law where he teaches a course on preventing wrongful convictions.

Sarah Rankin

Insight Consulting

OntarioSarah Rankin is a distinguished legal professional with a strong background in criminal law. She holds a JD (Honours) and a MA in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies from the University of Toronto. After completing her education, Sarah began her legal career by articling at a reputable criminal defense firm in Toronto. She then returned to her home province of Alberta, where she clerked at the Alberta Court of Appeal. This experience provided her with a deep understanding of the inner workings of the judicial system, and she has since leveraged that knowledge to become a skilled advocate for her clients. She has experience practicing criminal law at both the trial and appellate levels and is particularly adept at handling complex legal matters. Sarah is also an active member of the legal community. She has served as an executive member of the Criminal Defense Lawyers' Association and the Alberta Prison Justice Society. She strongly advocates for justice and fairness within the criminal justice system. 

The Honourable J.C. Marc Richard

Chief Justice of New Brunswick

Court of Appeal of New Brunswick

New Brunswick

The Honourable J.C. Marc Richard, Chief Justice of New Brunswick, was born in Moncton, New Brunswick, and studied at the Université de Moncton (B.B.A. - 1980, LL.B. - 1983), and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LL.M. - 1984). He received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Université de Moncton in 2023.Admitted to the practice of law in 1985, he initially worked first as Crown Prosecutor, followed by a litigation practice with a mid-sized firm. His practice brought him before various administrative tribunals, all levels of the New Brunswick courts, and the Supreme Court of Canada.As a lawyer, Chief Justice Richard served on several national and provincial committees, task forces, or advisory groups of the Canadian Bar Association (NB) and the New Brunswick Law Society. He was elected president of both organizations.

In 2002, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel and, a year later, a judge of the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick. Since then, Chief Justice Richard has served on countless judicial committees, including the Canadian Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee and the Judges’ Association’s Conduct Review Committee, eventually becoming Chair of both. He became a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Superior Courts Judges’ Association in 2004. In 2015, he was elected the Association’s President, becoming the first judge from New Brunswick to hold that office.

Chief Justice Richard frequently lectures for the Canadian Bar Association (NB), the National Judicial Institute (NJI), of which he has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2017 and chairs the Finance Committee, the Advocates’ Society, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice (CIAJ), of which he served six years as a member of the Board of Directors, and the Federation of Law Society’s National Criminal Law Program. He has also been involved in several international judicial projects, including Mexico, Ghana, Maldives, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Moldova, and lectured in several other countries. He was the inaugural Chair of a Judicial Advisory Committee on International Engagement for the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada (JUDACIE) (2019 to 2023), of which he is still a member, and, since 2019, has been serving on the Commissioner’s JUDICOM Advisory Board.His appointment as Chief Justice of New Brunswick occurred on May 1, 2018. As Chief Justice, he serves on the Canadian Judicial Council and is or has been a member of several of the Council’s committees, namely the Executive Committee (2019-24), Judicial Conduct Committee (vice-chair 2019 - date), Study Leave Committee (2019-20), Salaries and Benefits Committee (2019 - date), Renewal Committee (2019 - date), Judicial Independence Committee (2024 - date) and on the Nominating Committee for the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics (2024 - date).

Brandon Rolle

Nova Scotia Legal Aid

Nova Scotia Brandon Rolle is the Managing Lawyer of the Complex Criminal and Strategic Litigation (CCSL) office at Nova Scotia Legal Aid. A graduate of the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative at Dalhousie Law School, Brandon was called to the Nova Scotia Bar in 2010. He joined Nova Scotia Legal Aid in 2013, where he established himself as a leader in youth criminal justice, eventually serving as Managing Lawyer of the Halifax Youth Justice Office. In 2022, Brandon accepted a secondment as the Director of Legal Services at the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute (ANSJI), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to justice for African Nova Scotians. He returned to Nova Scotia Legal Aid in December 2024 to develop and lead the CCSL office, focusing on complex litigation and strategic advocacy.

Jonathan Rudin

Aboriginal Legal Services

OntarioJonathan Rudin received his LL.B. and LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. In 1990 he was hired to establish Aboriginal Legal Services and has been with ALS ever since. Currently he is the Special Projects Director. Mr. Rudin has appeared before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. At ALS he helped establish the Community Council – the first urban Aboriginal justice program in Canada in 1992, and in 2001 helped establish the Gladue (Aboriginal Persons) Court at the Old City Hall Courts in Toronto. Mr. Rudin has written and spoken widely on issues of Indigenous justice. His book, Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System (Emond Publishing) won the Walter Owen Book Prize from the Canadian Foundation for Legal Research in 2019 and is now in its third edition. Mr. Rudin teaches in the Master of Law program at Osgoode Hall Law School. .Last but not least, he plays the mandolin and sings with Gordon’s Acoustic Living Room, a group that plays regularly in Toronto and has a number of videos on YouTube.

Lesley Ruzicka, K.C.

BC Prosecution Service

British Columbia

Lesley Ruzicka, K.C. is a Crown Counsel with the B.C. Prosecution Service (Criminal Appeals and Special Prosecutions) in Victoria. She received her LL.B. from the University of Victoria in 1998 and clerked for the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Lesley worked as a trial prosecutor before joining the Prosecution Support Unit (PSU) in 2007. The PSU coordinates constitutional litigation on behalf of the B.C. Prosecution Service. With a team of other prosecutors, Lesley provides litigation support to prosecutors on a variety of topics, including Charter applications, media, and Mr. Big-related issues. Lesley also appears at all levels of court with conduct of criminal constitutional litigation (primarily challenges to legislation) and criminal appeals. She has been a contributing author to the Working Manual of Criminal Law (Thomson Reuters) since 2007 and became co-editor in late 2019. Lesley is a frequent contributor to professional development activities both within and outside the B.C. Prosecution Service and has been a faculty member with the National Criminal Law Program since 2017.

Randy Schwartz

Ministry of the Attorney General for Ontario

OntarioRandy Schwartz is the Assistant Deputy Attorney General - Criminal Law Division, Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario. In this capacity he leads the largest criminal prosecution service in Canada. He has worked as a prosecutor throughout his entire career, since his call to the bar in 1999. Prior to his current role, he held many positions, including Crown Counsel, General Counsel, Deputy Director, Crown Law Office - Criminal, and Director, Crown Law Office - Criminal. He has appeared for the Crown in all levels of Court.

Lauren Shadley

Shadley Knerr s.e.n.c.r.l.

Quebec

Lauren Shadley is a criminal defence lawyer practising in Quebec and Nunavut. She is a partner at Shadley Knerr s.e.n.c.r.l. in Montreal, where her practice focuses on criminal, regulatory, and disciplinary matters. Having lived in the Arctic, Lauren represents clients in remote fly-in communities across Nunavut and Northern Quebec. She brings a unique perspective to the delivery of criminal justice in diverse and challenging contexts. Lauren has experience before juries and has successfully handled Faint Hope applications.

Lauren is Vice-Chair of the National Criminal Justice Section of the Canadian Bar Association and past President of the Law Society of Nunavut. She regularly speaks at conferences, schools, and community events, and is deeply committed to progressive law reform and access to justice initiatives.