Community Legal Information Association of PEI, Inc.

GUIDE TO THE COURTS IN PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Contents

    Part One:
    The Purpose and Structure of Our Court System
     
  1. The Purpose of Our Courts

    2. Why Do We Have Courts?
    Where Did Our Court System Begin?
    How Do Courts Make Decisions?
    Common Law
    Statute Law
    What Features Distinguish Our Courts?
    The Adversary System of Justice
    What Kinds of Cases Appear in Court?
      Civil Law
      Criminal Law
    Our Constitution and the Law
    The "Paper Process" of the Law

  2. The Structure of Our Court System
      3. Why Do We Have Different Levels of Courts 
      The Courts of Prince Edward Island
      Provincial Court
      Youth Court
      The Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island
        The Trial Division
        The Appeal Division
      The Federal Courts
        The Federal Court of Canada
        The Supreme Court of Canada

    Part Two:
    Spending The Day In Court: Court Participants And Procedures
     

  3. Who's Who

    4. The Courtroom Setting
    The Participants
      Judges
      Juries
      Lawyers
      Court Staff
      Witnesses

  4. What Happens in Court -- Civil Procedure
      5. Starting the Action
      Proving the Claim
      The Civil Trial

  5. What Happens in Court -- Criminal Procedure
      6. First Appearance
        Who Will Try the Accused?
        Guilty or Not Guilty?
        Release From Custody
      The Preliminary Hearing
      Proving the Charge
      The Criminal Trial

  6. Conclusion

    7. Glossary
    Resources

 
This is a completely revised and rewritten version of the Courtwatcher's Manual written by Judith Ann Blackwell and published by the Legal Services Society of British Columbia.

The text has been adapted for use in Prince Edward Island by Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island,  Inc.  with permission from the Legal Services Society.  It is intended as general legal information only and should not form the basis for legal advice of any kind.

Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island, Inc. (CLIA) is a non-profit corporation and a registered charity.  Its goal is to provide Islanders with understandable, useful information about our laws and our justice system.

CLIA is funded by the Department of Justice, Canada, the Government of Prince Edward Island, and the Prince Edward Island Law Foundation.

Revised August 1994
ISBN: 0-921896-17-4

©  2000, Community Legal Information Association of PEI, Inc.

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