Over a year into his appointment as Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta, Derek Redman, QC, Law’81, reminisces about the bustle of the courtroom, which has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I do miss walking into a courtroom and having it jam-packed shoulder to shoulder, kind of like a Dickens novel with all kinds of things going on – I miss that,” he says. And while the in-person courtroom setting will eventually return, in the meantime Redman reflects on his experience at Queen’s, his judicial career, and offers some advice for students and young lawyers.

Athletics, namely football and rugby, motivated Redman to attend university, but it was a coach who he admired and who suggested he try law school. “At that time, I don’t think I had met a lawyer in my life,” he says. 

Law wasn’t a profession he envisioned for himself, having grown up in Lethbridge, Alberta, to a working-class family. But when he came to Queen’s Law, the enthusiasm of his professors, and the causal debates between his fellow students at social gatherings inspired his passion for the law. While at Queen’s, he also helped the varsity rugby team secure an OUAA championship. After law school, Redman began his career with Cook, Snowdon and Laird in Calgary, then moved in 1984 to Davidson & Williams in Lethbridge, practising a “mixed bag of litigation”. 

Throughout his career as a lawyer, Redman was very involved within his community, including serving as the President of the Victoria Order of Nurses and as Chairman of the Board of Lethbridge College, teaching public legal education courses, and coaching high school and junior high basketball and football teams. He says that community involvement while being a lawyer gave him opportunities to be involved with people and he also found that he enjoyed the leadership roles they provided him with. 

In Lethbridge, he was appointed a judge of The Provincial Court in 2007 and Assistant Chief Judge for the South Region in 2017. “I loved the law, I loved the courtroom, I enjoyed working with people and conflict, and it just seemed like the perfect fit to move into the courtroom,” he says of his transition from lawyer to judge. 

During his judicial career, Redman has presided over numerous high-profile cases, including the Fatality Inquiry into the 1999 shooting and killing of Darren Varley in a Pincher Creek detachment cell by an RCMP officer who was subsequently convicted of manslaughter. Redman’s recommendations included changes to RCMP detachments, which increased surveillance and safety measures in prisoner processing areas.

While switching from a practising lawyer to a judge requires some lifestyle adjustments, such as smaller friendship circles, no business partners or associates, and significantly less phone calls and emails, Redman says that he has been thoroughly enjoying his judicial career. And though his position as Chief Judge requires a significant number of administrative duties, he tries to continue to preside over cases as much as possible, hearing various cases from criminal to family matters in towns across the province. His dedication to continue to sit in the courtroom despite his new leading position, is part of his passion for the courtroom dynamic. 

And passion is something that Redman encourages all students to find for themselves. “If you don’t think you have a passion, become passionate about something,” he says. If you truly enjoy what you are doing, that will create opportunities.”

He encourages both students and lawyers to be outgoing, especially if they are thinking about someday pursuing a judicial career. “Don’t look at the law simply as a way to make a living because a lot of judges become judges because they’re well-rounded,” he says. Being well-rounded, with a diverse skillset and selfless involvement in your community in spite of a busy schedule is something that makes young lawyers and students not only great legal professionals but also great people as well. 

“Some of the best judges were never in a courtroom until they became a judge,” Redman says. “Give me an honest, thoughtful, patient, respectful person who understands the law – that person will be a great judge.”

By Geena Mortfield