Mastering Civil Litigation 2026: Select Topics Edition


Course Date: June 8, 2026

Full Course Materials
Total: 10h 54min
Total Ethics: 2h
Course Agenda ▼
Chambers Practice
Day 1: Monday, June 8, 2026
 
Course Introduction and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:05)
 
Raymond Lee — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Justice Jacqueline D. Hughes — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Rebecca J. Robb — Hunter Litigation Chambers, Vancouver
 
Pleading Your Case—Framing Your Claim or Defence for Hearing (9:05 – 10:00)
 
  • rules for proper pleadings
  • best practices for preparing your pleadings for a claim or a response
  • material fact or evidence?
  • when are particulars necessary
  • applications to strike pleadings—when should they be brought and what relief to seek
Chantelle Rajotte, KC — Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Vancouver
Gib van Ert, KC — Olthuis van Ert, Vancouver
 
Gathering Your Evidence to Prove or Defend the Claim—What Do You Need to Prove Your Case and What Tools Are at Your Disposal? (10:00 – 10:55)
 
  • witness interviews—when to do them and what to ask
  • efficient use of pre-trial discovery tools
  • admissions—facts and documents
  • proof charts—how are you going to prove each essential element of your claim or defence?
Jessica Lithwick — Sugden, McFee & Roos LLP, Vancouver
Una Radoja — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
 
BREAK (10:55 – 11:10)
 
Pre-Trial Applications and Preparing Effective Application Materials (11:10 – 12:05)
 
  • when and whether to bring an interlocutory application
  • pick up the phone! the importance of talking to opposing counsel before going to court
  • how to prepare effective application materials—give the court what it needs to find in your favour
  • drafting affidavit evidence—best practices to make sure you have the evidence you need in admissible form
Laura L. Bevan — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver
Craig A.B. Ferris, KC — Lawson Lundell LLP, Vancouver 
 
LUNCH (12:05 – 12:50) (on your own)
 
Effective Chambers Advocacy: Views from the Bench (12:50 – 1:45)
 
Chief Justice Ron A. Skolrood — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Justice Neena Sharma — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Justice Shannon Ramsay — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
 
Proceeding by Way of Petition Post-Cepuran (1:45 – 2:40)
 
  • comparing and contrasting the petition process from the civil action
  • appropriate and effective use of hybrid procedures including discovery and cross-examination on affidavits
  • when should a petition be referred to the trial list?
Alandra K. Harlingten — Lovett Westmacott, Victoria
Emily Lapper, KC — Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General, Vancouver
 
BREAK (2:40 – 2:55)
 
Is Your Case Ready for Trial? Checklists and Trial Management Processes (2:55 – 3:50)
 
  • do you have the evidence you need to prove your case and how are you going to get it admitted at trial?
  • should you have a TMC even if not required under the Rules?
  • trial logistics—what do you need to do to ensure your trial runs smoothly (and finishes on time!)
Justice Jacqueline Hughes — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Tam C. Boyar — MacKay Boyar Law Corporation, Vancouver
 
Access to Justice—Strategies for, and Counsel's Duties When, Engaging with Self-Represented Litigants (3:50 – 4:35)
 
  • access to justice is a team sport
  • duties of counsel to the court
  • ethical and professional responsibilities
Gurprit Bains — Beach Avenue Barristers, Vancouver
Jamie F. Maclaren, KC — Access Pro Bono Society of BC, Vancouver
 
Closing Remarks (4:35 – 4:40)
 
Justice Jacqueline D. Hughes — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Rebecca J. Robb — Hunter Litigation Chambers, Vancouver
 

 

Trial Practice
Day 2: Tuesday, June 9, 2026
 
Course Introduction and Land Acknowledgement (8:45 – 8:50)
 
Raymond Lee — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Justice Jacqueline D. Hughes — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Rebecca J. Robb — Hunter Litigation Chambers, Vancouver
 
Effective Trial Advocacy: The View from the Bench (8:50 – 9:45)
 
Justice Matthew Kirchner — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Justice Julie K. Lamb — Supreme Court of BC, New Westminster
Justice Lauren Blake — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
 
Summary Trial (9:45 – 10:50)
 
  • strategy relating to proceeding by summary trial versus trial
  • suitability
  • types of evidence that can be advanced on a summary trial
  • access to justice considerations
Heather Doi — Nathanson, Schachter & Thompson LLP, Vancouver
Owen J. James — Dennis Dawson James Aitken LLP, Vancouver 
 
BREAK (10:50 – 11:05)
 
Opening Statements and Closing Submissions (11:05 – 12:05)
 
  • rules for a proper opening statement—setting the stage for your claim or defence
  • when should a defendant give their opening before the plaintiff's case?
  • effective closing submissions—assisting the court in arriving at the findings you are seeking in bringing or defending the claim
Gavin Cameron — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver 
Peter R. Senkpiel, KC — Crabtree + Senkpiel Litigation LLP, West Vancouver
 
NETWORKING LUNCH (12:05 – 1:05) (provided to in-person registrants)
 
Agreements on Facts and Documents (1:05 – 2:05)
 
  • agreement statements of fact and admissions
  • use of discovery transcripts at trial—proper practice and strategic considerations for plaintiffs versus defendants
  • document agreements—admissibility and the purpose of which the document can be used
  • proper approach to common books of documents
Arpal Dosanjh — Gudmundseth Mickelson LLP, Vancouver
Michael D. Shirreff — Sugden McFee & Roos LLP, Vancouver
 
Viva Voce Evidence—Examination-in-Chief and Cross-Examination (2:05 – 3:05)
 
  • preparation method
  • technique
  • strategies
Claire E. Hunter, KC — Hunter Litigation Chambers, Vancouver
John M. Rice, KC — Rice Parsons Leoni & Elliott LLP, Vancouver
 
BREAK (3:05– 3:20)
 
Dealing with Expert Reports and Cross-Examination of Experts (3:20 – 4:20)
 
  • threshold issues—admissibility under Mohan and the SCCR, qualifications, scope of opinion
  • topic areas to test expert evidence
  • preparation method
  • strategy

Justice Brook Greenberg — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Andrew I. Nathanson, KC — Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Vancouver 

Closing Remarks (4:20 – 4:25)

Justice Jacqueline D. Hughes — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Rebecca J. Robb — Hunter Litigation Chambers, Vancouver