Attention all lawyers called 6 years or less and practicing in the New West/ Surrey/ Fraser Region: You DO NOT WANT TO MISS this opportunity!
Partnering with a faculty roster of judges and experienced counsel, we are pleased to announce that the Surrey “Inns of Court" mentoring program will hold its inaugural session on Thursday, April 29, 2021: 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Defence Counsel, Jeffrey R. Ray Q.C.* and Crown Counsel, Michael A. Fortino** have graciously agreed to tackle and discuss one of the most challenging and demanding aspects of court room practice: Cross- Examination. To make things even more interesting, Crown lawyer Cheryl Stanley and Judge R. Browning have also kindly volunteered to be subjected to the cross-examinations!
While we had hoped to commence our Inns of Court in a more social setting, given that it appears we will be unable to meet in person for the foreseeable future, we have decided to roll out the program using Zoom or MS Teams. Even though we are meeting online, we will try and keep things relaxed and plan to have time for questions and conversation over the material and demonstration.
An invite for our web- based session will be emailed to registrants along with the fact pattern/ materials prior to the event.
This webinar qualifies for 1.5 hours of CPD credit toward your annual Law Society requirements. To claim your credit, the course is described on the Law Society website as "Surrey Inns of Court - Cross Examination".
While this event is free, if you practice in the Surrey area, we ask that you consider joining the SBA!
*Jeff Ray graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law in 1987. He articled with the Department of Justice, Canada with a focus on trial advocacy. He was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1988 and commenced a criminal defence practice in New Westminster where his practice has remained for over three decades.
Mr. Ray represents clients charged with a variety of criminal offences. In addition, he has represented small and medium sized businesses engaged in quasi-criminal regulatory investigations. He has appeared in all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada on both Conviction and Sentence Appeals, and often provides advice to other counsel on appeal matters.
Mr. Ray is a regular speaker at the Professional Legal Training Course and frequently provides mentorship to younger lawyers in the practice of criminal law.
** Mike Fortino is Crown Counsel with the BC Prosecution Service. He is currently the Administrative Crown Counsel for Major Crime in the Surrey office. He has worked as a trial lawyer, prosecuting cases in both the Supreme Court (jury and judge alone) and Provincial Courts of British Columbia. In addition to his prosecution duties, he facilitates training for police agencies in BC relating to major crime investigative techniques, search and seizure and drafting judicial authorizations. He also facilitates advocacy training for Crown Counsel. Prior to joining the Crown, Mike articled for Marvin Stern and practiced as criminal defence counsel with Stern and Albert (later Stern Albert Shapray). When he is not faking it as a lawyer, Mike and his wife are surviving the daily challenges brought about by being parents to two young children.
