Judges

Example job titles

• chief justice
• county court judge
• Court of Queen's Bench justice
• district court judge
• family court judge
• federal trial court justice
• provincial court of appeal justice
• small claims court judge
• superior court justice
• Supreme Court justice

Main duties

• This group performs some or all of the following duties:
• Preside over courts of law, interpret and enforce rules of procedure and make rulings regarding the admissibility of evidence
• Instruct the jury on laws that are applicable to the case
• Weigh and consider evidence in non-jury trials and decide legal guilt or innocence or degree of liability of the accused or defendant
• Pass sentence on persons convicted in criminal cases and determine damages or other appropriate remedy in civil cases
• Grant divorces and divide assets between spouses
• Determine custody of children between contesting parents and other guardians
• Enforce court orders for access or support
• Supervise other judges and court officers.
• Judges may specialize in particular areas of law such as civil, criminal or family law.

Employment requirements

• Extensive experience as a lawyer or as a professor of law with continuous membership in the bar association is usually required.
• Membership in good standing with a provincial or territorial law society or bar association is required.
• Judges are appointed by federal or provincial cabinets.
• Those appointed to more senior positions in a court, such as chief justice, usually have experience as judges in that court.