On Monday, October 19, Madam Justice Juliana Topolniski delivered an insightful and entertaining noon hour talk on the Anatomy of a Commercial Court Appearance to students enrolled in Fall term commercial law courses. She discussed many essential considerations such as the matters eligible for the Commercial List, the nuts and bolts of scheduling the application, courtroom decorum and etiquette, the nature of real time litigation, and the overriding need to treat all participants with professional courtesy and respect, and she provided many useful tips and observations on effective advocacy.
Justice Topolniski's noon-hour talk on chambers advocacy was followed by a visit to Professor Henderson's Corporate Securities class for a "fire-side chat" on her career path and advice for students. Justice Topolniski advised the students to give careful consideration, in the early years of their careers, to the type of legal practice they want to have, while remaining open to unexpected opportunities that will come their way. She also encouraged them to participate in the Alberta branch of the CBA and similar organizations in order to meet fellow lawyers who they might not get to know otherwise.
Justice Topolniski is presently on study leave - a program that permits judges to reflect, research, or teach at a Canadian University. The major focus of her program, which is being conducted in affiliation with the UAlberta law faculty, involves research into commercial courts in a global setting and an examination into the reasons why Canada receives a relatively high rating in respect of insolvency matters, but a much lower rating in respect of the enforcement of contracts according to the World Bank's ease of doing business rankings.