Canadian Lawyer

in bail court isn't private at all — everyone in the courtroom can hear what counsel are saying." One room only fits up to five people behind the bar, including counsel, and is "more like a closet than a courtroom," she says. There have been notable efforts to address the problems in some cities and towns. Belleville, Ont., gained a shiny new courthouse this summer. The $247-million Quinte Courthouse consolidates the superior and provincial courts, which had been operating from three separate locations. It was designed to take into account the types of concerns voiced by lawyers in this article. For example, family matters take place on a higher floor, to provide privacy, and vulnerable witnesses are given their own suites. Interview room acoustics were tested to ensure confidentiality would be preserved. The architects, WZMH, wanted their design to help with "instilling a sense of dignity towards the [judicial] process," says associate Jamie Lee. To ensure the building is future-proofed, courtroom layouts can be reconfigured to suit different types of cases. The importance of a well-functioning, thoughtfully designed courthouse was explicitly recognized in the planning of Calgary Courts Centre, which opened in 2007. The Alberta government envisaged it as no less than "a dignified contemporary facility, accessible to all, that stands in the community as the embodiment of the judiciary as the adjudicator and protector of those freedoms." The 24-storey, 1.1-million-square-foot building cost $300 million to build and provides 73 courtrooms, enough space for 360 external staff, large libraries and a tall glass atrium. "There was a real aspiration to create a courthouse that wasn't fortress-like in feeling or appearance, which historically would have been exactly what was required," says Lois Wellwood, a principal at Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning Ltd., which led the Calgary project. "The intent was to create a very transparent, very welcoming, very modern facility that still represents all the principles of law and justice both in a very fresh new way, reflecting the energy and prosperity of the province." The starting point for the entire plan was the need to create separate spaces for the public, prisoners, and the judiciary to use until they met in the courtroom. Local lawyers sing the courthouse's praises. Rooke says lawyers and judges helped to work through detailed courtroom mock-ups, to ensure jury boxes and witness stands were in the right position, and that anyone could be seen and heard if needed. He says the courts centre is a vast improvement, but warns it already appears to be "up to capacity," noting, "there are starting to be issues." With funding for these big projects apparently in short supply, it is crucial the money is used wisely. What do those charged with planning the courthouses of the future need to bear in mind? As was the case in Calgary, consulting with lawyers and judges before construction starts seems to yield positive results. Adaptability also seems to be important, to SPECIALIZATION IN BUSINESS LAW Part-time, Executive LLM program for corporate counsel and practising lawyers Taught by U of T Faculty of Law professors, together with top international faculty from MIT-Sloan School of Management and expert practitioners. TIME: EVENT: For more information, call 416-978-1400 or visit: http://www.law.utoronto.ca/programs/GPLLM.html Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - Ontario Chapter and in partnership with Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business. LLM_IH_Apr_13.indd 1 www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m November/December 2013 33 13-02-26 4:07 PM

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