High-volume public defence and legal aid practice requires a disclosure process that is both legally sound and operationally reliable. This training combines the principles of R. v. Stinchcombe and R. v. McNeil with practical methods for triage, review, client communication and file continuity.
Learning objectives:
- Establish a consistent workflow for requesting, receiving, securing and indexing disclosure.
- Triage urgent concerns such as bail information, missing recordings, witness credibility and potentially relevant police misconduct information.
- Record outstanding items, follow-up requests, Crown responses and continuing disclosure in a way that survives reassignment or coverage.
- Explain the disclosure to clients in accessible language and obtain informed instructions without compromising privacy or safety.
- Escalate unresolved issues efficiently and preserve the record needed for judicial case management or a remedy.
Exercises address compressed timelines, shared institutional files, incarcerated clients, electronic access barriers and late-arriving material. Participants should apply local legal aid standards, office procedures, court orders and professional obligations when adapting these practices.
