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.

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.

Effective Decision Writing for Administrative Adjudicators March 11, 2021

$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.

Advanced Decision Writing - Dec 2 and 3, 2020

$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”. This course will require Pre- Progam Preparation.

Advanced Certificate in Adjudication - 5 Modules (Sept 16-Oct 14 2020)

 Registration open for all Advanced Certificate Modules $695 per module/$2995 for all 5 modules (plus HST)

• Mediation for Adjudicators- September 16, 2020
• Managing Evidentiary Challenges- September 23, 2020
• Effective Communication in the Hearing Room -September 30, 2020
• Advanced Administrative and Regulatory Decision Making - October 7, 2020
• Culturally Competent Adjudication - October 14, 2020

Effective Hearing Management - January 28-29, 2021

$1195 plus HST per delegate

Effectively managing the hearing process is one of the biggest challenges for even the most experienced adjudicators.

Effective Hearing Management will give you tactics and solutions for dealing with the complex and evolving issues that arise in the hearing process – ones even the most skilled adjudicators grapple with.

In a hands-on manner, you’ll practice effective hearing management skills and get individualized feedback from a faculty of leading experts. You’ll explore the appropriate balance between fairness and efficiency, and learn strategies for ensuring that competing interests are taken into account. The course will cover:

• Active adjudication techniques: appropriate purposes, reasonable limits, best practices
• Effective strategies for adjudicator questioning
• Alternative hearing approaches: new models and smaller-scale innovations
• How to provide assistance to self-represented parties without “crossing the line”
• Under-representation, the use of non-legal representatives and the scope of adjudicator intervention
• Civility & decorum challenges: tools and supports available to tribunals and individual adjudicators

Certificate of Program Completion

5 days of program modules must be completed within a two year period and you must also successfully pass an in-class or online assessment in each module (format varies by program).

Space is strictly limited in each program to ensure an engaging learning experience. Delegates who have declared their intention to complete the Certificate (after completion of first module) will be given priority placement in subsequent modules.

This program is recommended for:

Graduates of the SOAR/Osgoode PD Certificate in Adjudication; OR

Those with two or more years of full time experience as an adjudicator, OR equivalent amount of experience as a part time adjudicator; OR

Senior tribunal staff, such as counsel, who work closely with adjudicators and would benefit from advanced training in adjudication.

Faculty

Co-Chairs

• Victoria Watkins, Osgoode Professional Development
• Heather Gibbs, President, SOAR; Assistant Deputy Chair, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Program Director

• Pamela Chapman, Legal Educator and Consultant [Former Vice-Chair Ontario Labour Relations Board; Member, Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario; Labour Arbitrator & Mediator]

Location: Downtown Toronto

REGISTRATION HERE through Osgoode PD website