This five-day intensive training program for adjudicators is the first collaboration between the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR) and Osgoode Professional Development of Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. The program brings together SOAR’s peer-driven model of adjudicative education and Osgoode’s leadership in legal education to set a new standard for the delivery of education and training for administrative adjudicators in Ontario and beyond.
The Certificate Program in Adjudication for Administrative Agencies, Boards & Tribunals is an introductory program, which will meet the needs of relatively recent appointees to obtain a solid grounding in the goals and principles of the administrative justice system, while learning and practising practical adjudication skills. It will also provide an opportunity for more senior adjudicators to review best practices and explore evolving issues in adjudication. This program builds on the successes of the Adjudicator Training Course (ATC) offered by SOAR for many years, which has prepared hundreds of professionals to provide adjudicative services at a wide range of agencies, boards and tribunals.
The teaching and learning will be interactive and hands-on, with course registrants working with fact scenarios, problems and demonstrations to learn how to meet the legal requirements of administrative adjudication, while also offering efficient and effective public service. Participants will complete a decision-writing exercise, and the program will be capped off with a mock adjudication, enabling registrants to apply what they have learned during the week, while obtaining valuable individual feedback from recognized experts in this field.Completion of this program will prepare participants for the unique challenges of administrative adjudication, will build confidence, and will strengthen participants’ capacity to contribute effectively to their organizations.
Key Benefits
Acquire an understanding of the key principles of administrative law
Learn how to run a hearing - from start to finish
Review the legal and practical requirements for administrative decisions
Explore the evolving challenges faced by administrative adjudicators
Discuss common challenges, and successful strategies, with
other adjudicators
Gain insight from experienced adjudicators and leaders in
administrative justice
Plus! You will be able to apply and test your skills through a mock adjudication and practice decision-writing in a guided exercise.
The Certificate in Adjudication for Administrative Agencies, Boards and Tribunals
You may also consider the non consecutive five-day certificate course:
May 10-14, 2021, registration is open
August 23-27, 2021
December 7-10, 2021
You may also consider the non consecutive five-day certificate course, blended online and in-person:
The Certificate in Adjudication (Blended Online)
January 25, February 8, March 1, 2021 Asynchronous
March 25 & 26, 2021 Interactive Live
AND
September 20, October 4, October 25, 2021 Asynchronous
November 25 & 26, 2021 Interactive Live
Register or be placed on the waitlist through Osgoode Professional Development website
LOCATION: Online, until further notice
PRICE: $3095.00 plus HST REGISTRATION NOW OPEN through Osgoode PD.
The Advanced Certificate in Adjudication
A joint program of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators (SOAR) and Osgoode Professional Development – the creators of acclaimed Certificate in Adjudication for Administrative Agencies, Boards & Tribunals – the Advanced Certificate in Adjudication will take your skills to the next level. The Advanced Certificate is designed to cover in-depth the key areas that experienced tribunal adjudicators have identified as essential to their professional development.
Effective Hearing Management, April 12, 2021 ($695.00 plus HST)
Modules in Advanced Certificate in Adjudication, including:
Mediation for Adjudicators
Managing Evidentiary Challenges
Effective Communication in the Hearing Room
Advanced Administrative and Regulatory Decision Making
Culturally Competent Adjudication
Scheduled for September 2021- October 2021
Check back for details on registration
You must complete 5 full days within 2 years to earn the Advanced Certificate. The modular design of the Certificate – a mix of mandatory and elective modules – allows you to customize your learning and take programs in the precise areas that you need to develop.
Decision Writing Modules 2021
Effective Decision Writing for Administrative Adjudicators, March 11, 2021 (sold out, register for waitlist)
$695 plus HST per delegate
Delivered by and for members of the administrative justice community, this powerful one-day workshop is a mix of interactive, skills and knowledge-based training.
Alongside one of Canada’s recognized leaders in Decision Writing, Pamela Chapman, a group of expert facilitators from the administrative justice community will lead small group discussions and provide individualized feedback. You will engage in practical writing exercises, and learn:
- The key components of clear, concise, well-reasoned decisions
- Core writing principles, including context and point-first writing
- Strategies for drafting effective introductions
- Powerful tips on decision structure and issue-driven organization
- Recent developments in the duty to give reason
Advanced Decision Writing, April 29 and 30, 2021
$1295 plus HST per delegate
This intensive, two-day program builds on principles and skills learned in previous decision writing training programs delivered by SOAR and/or OsgoodePD. This hands-on program takes a deep dive into key areas of written judgments and will strengthen your decision-writing skills through individualized feedback on your own writing style and voice. It also provides an opportunity to engage with other experienced adjudicators and explore evolving ideas about what makes writing “great”.
NOTE: This program requires PRE-PROGRAM PREPARATION
Participants will be asked to submit electronically a decision they have written (8 to 15 pages in length, featuring more than one issue).
Facilitators will review the decision, using a template of the key learning objectives, in order to provide feedback to each participant, and to help participants prepare to revise the decision during the course.
In the workshops, participants will mostly be working on revisions to the decision they submit. For that reason, they are strongly encouraged to bring their submitted decision on a laptop or tablet they can use to make revisions during the sessions.
They are also asked to bring one copy of their decision printed out, for use during the first exercise on Day 1
Program Director - Pamela Chapman, Educator/Mediator/Arbitrator
Co-Chairs - Victoria Watkins, Osgoode PD and Heather Gibbs, SOAR President
Heather Gore, Program Lawyer