Case Management Officer

Please note that the following information is for Court of Appeal matters only. If you are looking to contact the Provincial Court CMO (Case Management Office), you are on the wrong page. For assistance, please visit the website for the Provincial Court of Alberta or call: 1-855-738-4747. The Court of Appeal CMOs cannot provide any information for Provincial Court or Court of King’s Bench matters.

The case management officer (CMO) is a senior staff lawyer who assists the Court with respect to the management of matters before the Court, including through the making of various administrative directions. The CMO reviews every appeal from inception – and throughout its life-cycle – to proactively identify and resolve issues related to its progress (e.g., requirements for permission to appeal, appeal periods, type of appeal etc.).

The CMO does not act for either party and cannot give legal advice. The CMO can answer questions about procedure, process and the Rules of Court and can provide and suggest options. In addition, the CMO is a direct liaison between counsel, the parties and the Court.

There is one CMO in each of Edmonton and Calgary and their current contact information is as follows:

Laurie Baptiste
 Case Management Officer
Court of Appeal of Alberta, Calgary
Email: Laurie.Baptiste@albertacourts.ca
Fax: 403-297-5294

Bobbi Jo McDevitt
 Case Management Officer
Court of Appeal of Alberta, Edmonton
Email: Bobbi.McDevitt@albertacourts.ca
Fax: 780-422-4127


Please do not send the CMOs documents or correspondence attached to an email. CMOs do not file documents. All documents must be electronically filed via the Court of Appeal Management System (CAMS). If a filed document is addressed to the CMO or needs their attention, the Registry will be sure to distribute it.

Jurisdiction

The CMO has the authority to make administrative directions, without the attendance of a judge, including for such matters as:

  • categorizing an appeal as a fast track appeal or a standard appeal,
  • enforcing, staying, shortening or extending times and deadlines, (This does not include times or deadlines within which to commence an appeal. Those types of applications must be heard by a single appeal judge.)
  • setting, approving and modifying timetables including expediting appeals,
  • granting fiats to permit the filing of deficient documents or the filing of amending documents,
  • restoring appeals by consent,
  • calling the Unscheduled Civil Appeals List and the Criminal Speak To List,
  • setting, adjourning and re-scheduling matters for hearing, and
  • various other types of administrative directions.

The CMO also schedules all conviction, standard and fast track appeals.

How to Make a Request or Application to the CMO

An application or request for an administrative direction from a CMO is made informally, subject to any directions of the case management officer. There is no fee to make a request from an administrative direction from a CMO (unless the request is to restore an appeal by consent in which case restoration fees are payable.)

Typically, applications before a CMO are heard in writing only. The application can be made either in letter format or by email. All other parties must be copied on the communication. The position of all of the other parties to the appeal must be ascertained before the CMO makes a decision and it is always best to provide the position of the other parties with the request whenever possible. The CMO will not consider verbal requests. The CMO will deliver a decision in writing.

If necessary, the CMO may consult with an appeal judge or refer any issue to a single appeal judge or a panel of the Court of Appeal.

Any person affected by an administrative direction of a case management officer may apply to a single appeal judge to have it rescinded, confirmed, amended or enforced.

Please note that you should not copy the CMO on general communications between counsel or parties; for example, disputes about issues such as service of documents.