Advocacy

Episode 23 – Appellate Advocacy Tips, with Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Marshall Rothstein

Steven Meurrens

Marshall Rothstein served as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Canada from 2006 – 2015. He previously was a Judge on the Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal.

Garth Barriere is a criminal defence attorney in Vancouver. He was counsel in Khosa v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration, a major Supreme Court of Canada immigration decision in which Justice Rothstein wrote a concurring opinion.

In this episode Justice Rothstein provides tips for written and oral advocacy. While the focus is on appellate litigation, anyone interesting in strengthening their advocacy skills will benefit from what he has to say. We also discuss the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Khosa v. Canada (Citizenship and Immigration), and its impact on administrative law in Canada. It is a frank conversation.

9:00 – What it was like for Justice Rothstein when he was appointed to the Federal Court of Canada and to adjudicate cases on which he had no previous experience?

12:30 – How was it different being on the Federal Court vs. the Federal Court of Appeal vs. the Supreme Court of Canada?

14:20 – What strategies or approaches would Justice Rothstein suggest for counsel appearing at the appellate level instead of at the trial division?

18:23 – What is the most important thing to remember in written advocacy? What is “point-first writing?” A helpful piece to read on this can be found here. http://www.ontariocourts.ca/coa/en/ps/speeches/forget.htm

21:10 – What tips does Justice Rothstein have for oral advocacy at the Supreme Court of Canada?

31:30 – What makes a good factum? Does Justice Rothstein believe that the IP bar produces the best factums?

36:20 – What was the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Canada (Citizenship and Immigration) v. Khosa about?

41:15 – How did Khosa change the standard of review analysis?

45:00 – Justice Rothstein discusses his dissent in Khosa and his thoughts on Dunsmuir v. New Brunswick, the leading case on standard of review.

57:40 –  Garth Barriere, who was counsel in Khosa, offers a critique of the Supreme Court of Canada’s standard of review jurisprudence.

1:01:20 – What, if any, guidance should be given to judges regarding when they should show deference and when they shouldn’t?

1:08:00 – At the time of Khosa did Justice Rothstein predict how far along the deference path that standard of review deference would develop?

Episode 12 – Tips on making written and oral arguments in court, with Justice Alan Diner

Steven Meurrens

The Honourable Alan S. Diner is a judge with the Federal Court of Canada.   Prior to his appointment, Justice Diner headed Baker & McKenzie LLP’s immigration practice.  He was also involved with managing the establishment and implementation of Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program for the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

We are grateful to Justice Diner for the time that he took in preparing for this podcast about tips and best practices in appearing before the Federal Court of Canada, including in providing a customised powerpoint.  As Justice Diner notes, many of the tips and strategies contained in this episode are applicable beyond judicial review, and will be beneficial to anyone preparing written submissions or making oral presentations.

A review of what we discussed is as follows:

1:18 – Justice Diner describes his history going from being an immigrant in Canada to leading a corporate immigration law practice to becoming a judge with the Federal Court of Canada.

14:30 – We discuss how the practice of immigration law is changing as larger firms and global accounting firms enter the practice area.

18:30 – Justice Diner provides his first three tips to lawyers appearing  in Federal Court, which are to treat everyone with respect, to prepare your case and arguments properly, and to respect timelines.

23:10 – Peter asks Justice Diner whether immigration representatives should consider preparing visa applications with possible litigation in mind and how long judicial review applicant records should be.

28:00 – How many arguments should someone make in a judicial review application?  If one thinks that an immigration officer made 10 mistakes, should the lawyer in a judicial review application list all 10?

35:00 – Given that there is a chance that the judge reading judicial review submissions could be a new judge, how much should lawyers explain what the law is in their legal submissions?

42:30 – When should counsel propose certified questions?

46:00 – Tips for citing cases.

49:30 – Is the increased number of sources of immigration law (legislation, Ministerial Instructions, guidelines, the immigration website, etc.) complicating the Federal Court’s ability to determine whether a decision was reasonable, and counsel’s ability to make arguments?

57:00 – Who makes a better litigator? Someone who is also a solicitor or someone who practices exclusively in judicial reviews and appeals?

1:01:00 – Tips for oral advocacy.

1:12:00 – Justice Diner reminds counsel on the need to balance strong representation of a client with being an officer of the court.

1:17:00 – We end with what might be the most important tip of all – the importance of not procrastinating.