The Legal Branch (french: links=no, Branche des services juridiques) is a
personnel branch of the
Canadian Armed Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
(CAF). It primarily deals with the Canadian Forces' legal affairs. Legal officers are primarily accepted through the Direct-Entry Training Program, and must have a degree in law as well as be a member of a Canadian provincial or territorial bar. However, the CAF also selects a few currently serving members each year to attend law school and join the Legal Branch through the Military Legal Training Plan.
Training
Military Law Centre
The
Military Law
Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodies ...
Centre on the grounds of the
Royal Military College of Canada
'')
, established = 1876
, type = Military academy
, chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister)
, principal = Harry Kowal
, head_label ...
(RMC) in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toront ...
, which is staffed with nine military lawyers, oversees the education of officers and troops in legal matters ranging from the Forces' own
code of conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization.
Companies' codes of conduct
A company code of conduct is a set of rules which is commonly writt ...
to the
laws of war
The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war ('' jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territ ...
. It trains military lawyers and advises Ottawa on matters of policy and doctrine. The centre integrates
legal education
Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular ...
into the regular training that Forces members undergo and establishes its growing importance within the military hierarchy.
The Whig Standard - Ontario, CA
/ref>
Selected RMC cadets participate in Law of Armed Conflict international competitions each fall with cadets from the United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academy in El Paso County, Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs. It educates cadets for service in the officer corps of the United States Air Force and Un ...
, the United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, the United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...
and the United States Coast Guard Academy. In spring 2008, RMC cadets were selected to participate in a competition on the Law of Armed Conflict at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law
The International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL) is an independent, “non-profit, humanitarian association having social values as its objectives”, founded in 1970 in Sanremo, Italy. Its headquarters are situated in Villa Ormond, while a ...
in Sanremo, Italy.
See also
* Law of the Sea
* Law of Armed Conflict
* Law of land warfare
The law of war is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war ('' jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of warring parties (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and terri ...
* Law of occupation
* Command responsibility
Command responsibility (superior responsibility, the Yamashita standard, and the Medina standard) is the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes.
* International law
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
* International Humanitarian Law
International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war ('' jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by pr ...
* Just war
The just war theory ( la, bellum iustum) is a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics which is studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists and policy makers. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure that a war i ...
External links
Canadian Forces RecruitingCanadian Forces and Department of National Defence
Order of precedence
References
Canadian Armed Forces personnel branches
Canadian Armed Forces
Military history of Canada
*
Legal occupations in the military
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