rather than beside his or her lawyer at counsel's table. The accused in a criminal trial sits in the prisoners box often located on the side wall opposite the jury, or in the middle of the courtroom. However it is becoming increasingly common for accused persons to sit at counsel table with their lawyers or in the body of the courtroom, particularly when the accused is not in custody. In four provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario), the superior-level courts employ judicial officers known as Masters who deal only with interlocutory motions (or interlocutory applications) in civil cases. With such Masters dealing with the relatively short interlocutory motion/application hearings, trial judges can devote more time on more lengthy hearings such as trials. In the Federal Court, a Prothonotary holds a similar positions to that of a Master. See also Canadian legal system References Further reading Leishman, Rory, Against Judicial Activism: The Decline of Freedom and Democracy in Canada, McGill-Queen's University Press, 2006, External links a searchable database containing nearly all new and many older decisions emanating from all Canadian courts and most Canadian tribunals are available at the CanLII website and the decisions of individual courts are provided through that court's website (see partial list below) Department of Justice Canada Supreme Court of Canada Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal Tax Court of Canada Courts of the Northwest Territories Courts of Yukon Nunavut Court of Justice Courts of British Columbia Courts of Alberta Courts of Manitoba Courts of Saskatchewan Courts of Ontario Courts of Quebec Courts of New Brunswick Courts of Newfoundland Courts of Nova Scotia Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island Court Martial Appeal Court of Canada Canadian Judicial Council