The 2010/2011 Board of Directors
Click on the name of each Board member above to view their profile.
Board of Directors – Standing Committees
Through the use of Standing Committees, the Board of Directors undertakes the governance and stewardship of Legal Aid Alberta, facilitates both policy and development and ongoing policy revision, and enacts its decision making authority with respect to issues of coverage and taxation. A Board member chairs each committee, while committee members are appointed from members of the Board and members of the private bar.
Appeals Committee: The Appeals Committee represents the final level of appeal in coverage issues. The Appeals Committee also provides direction in unusual cases and making decisions regarding requests from lawyers for large disbursements and for coverage for appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada. Appeals Committee meetings are held in Edmonton (Northern) and Calgary (Southern).Audit Committee: This Committee is responsible for overall fiscal control and monitoring of the organization’s financial affairs. Complex Case Committee: This Committee considers appeals from the taxation of lawyers’ accounts and any requests for discretionary increases to lawyers’ accounts based on exceptional circumstances. They are also responsible for hearing requests from lawyers for additional coverage or time due to extraordinary circumstances that take the case beyond the usual fees allowed under the Tariff.
Human Resources Committee: This Committee is responsible for reviewing the compensation and classification structures for all Legal Aid staff and reviewing the performance of the CEO and Senior Counsel of the Youth Criminal Defence Office and the Family Law Office. In addition, the committee makes recommendations to the Board as required.
Regional Committees: Each LAA region has a regional committee comprised of lawyers and members of the public. Members are nominated by existing regional committee members and approved by the Board of Directors. The Legal Aid Rules provide the regional committees with their authority.
These committees are responsible for providing Legal Aid applicants with a local appeal process from staff coverage decisions. Regional committees may also provide direction for unusual cases within a region.Roster Committee: This Committee deals with complaints and concerns regarding the conduct of counsel.
Board Minutes
2010
271st Meeting of the Board - May 2010
270th Meeting of the Board - February 2010
2009
269th Meeting of the Board - December 2009
268th Meeting of the Board - September 2009
267th Meeting of the Board - June 2009
266th Meeting of the Board - April 2009
265th Meeting of the Board - Feb 2009
2008
264th Meeting of the Board - Dec 2008
263rd Meeting of the Board - Sept 2008
262nd Meeting of the Board - June 2008
261st Meeting of the Board - May 2008
260th Meeting of the Feb - June 2008
2007
259th Meeting of the Feb - Dec 2007
258th Meeting of the Feb - Sept 2007
257th Meeting of the Feb - June 2007
256th Meeting of the Feb - Apr 2007
255th Meeting of the Feb - Feb 2007
2006
254th Meeting of the Feb - Dec 2006
Board Members
Kirk MacDonald - Chair
Edmonton, AlbertaDirector since: 2005Membership status: lawyer
Kirk MacDonald is a criminal lawyer who practices with Pringle and Associates. Mr. MacDonald served on the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Social Planning Council from 1996-2000. He served as the council’s president from 1997-2000. Prior to serving on Legal Aid’s Board of Directors, Mr. MacDonald was a member of the Edmonton Regional Legal Aid Committee (1996-2000). He has also volunteered as an instructor for the Law Society of Alberta Bar Admission courses (Spring 2000-Spring 2004) He currently teaches Criminal Law Procedures at Grant MacEwan University. Member of:
Roster Committee
J. Patrick Stopa, Q.C. - Vice Chair
Calgary, AlbertaDirector since: 2009Membership status: lawyer
Pat Stopa is a partner with Caron & Partners LLP in Calgary. He was admitted to the bar in 1974 and appointed Queen's Counsel in 2004. He currently practices primarily in the areas of family and matrimonial law, specializing in the area of alternate dispute resolution as a family law mediator and collaborative lawyer. In addition, Pat also practices administration and municipal law acting as municipal solicitor to the City of Airdrie, Town of Cochrane and as board solicitor to the City of Calgary Subdivision and Development Appeals Board, Assessment Review Board, and Licensing and Community Standards Appeal Board.
In addition to Pat's many years of involvement with LAA on various committees, he also serves as a member on other volunteer boards and has served as a Dispute Resolution Officer since 2001.
Member of:Appeals Committee (Southern)Audit CommitteeComplex Case CommitteeRoster Committee
John Bachinski
St. Albert, AlbertaDirector since: 2008Membership status: public
John Bachinski is the Managing Director of the Beverage Container Management Board (BCMB). Prior to joining the BCMB, John worked with Alberta Justice as the Project Director for the Calgary Courts Centre. He was also Director of Court Operations at the Edmonton Law Courts, holding the appointments of Clerk of the Court and Sheriff. In addition to his many career commitments, John is an active member of the St. Albert Rotary Club.Member of:Human Resources CommitteeRoster Committee
Pierre Boileau
Edmonton, AlbertaDirector since: 2009Membership status: lawyer
Pierre Boileau is a family law lawyer who practices with Miller Boileau Family Law Group. His focus is in the area of alternative dispute resolution acting as a mediator, arbitrator or collaborative lawyer. Mr. Boileau is a founding member of the Association of Collaborative Lawyers (Edmonton). Prior to serving on the Legal Aid Alberta Board of Directors, Mr. Boileau was a member of the Edmonton Regional Legal Aid Committee (2000-2006). Mr. Boileau is currently the Chair of the Legal Aid Alberta Appeals Committee (Northern), and has served as a member of the committee for the past three years. Mr. Boileau has also volunteered with the Canadian Bar Association, the Legal Education Society, and Alberta Justice.
Member of:Complex Case CommitteeRoster Committee
Lance Clark
Edmonton, AlbertaDirector since: 2010Membership status: public
Lance Clark is a partner with BDO Canada LLP (Chartered Accountants). Obtaining his CA designation in 1984, Lance has spent the better part of the last 25 years focusing his professional practice in the area of litigation support/matrimonial property disputes and related matters. Lance has given evidence in the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench in excess of sixty times. In 2000, Lance received his specialist designation in Investigative and Forensic Accounting (IFA). He currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Association of Collaborative Lawyers/Professionals, where he is also a member at large. He is also a member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals.
Member of:Audit Committee
Michael Dinkel, Q.C.
Calgary, AlbertaDirector since: 2010Membership status: lawyer
Mike Dinkel is a criminal lawyer who has practised in the Calgary and Regional courts for over 20 years. He received his Queen's Counsel appointment in 2009. Prior to joining the Board of Directors, Mike served on the Calgary Regional Legal Aid Committee (2002-2007) and the Legal Aid Alberta Southern Appeals Committee (2007-2010). In addition, Mike is also currently serving as the President of the Calgary Criminal Defence Lawyers Association.
Member of:Appeals Committee (Southern)Complex Case Committee
Sean Johnson
St. Albert, AlbertaDirector since: 2009Membership status: public
Sean Johnson is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years experience with both public practice and industry. He has held senior management positions in the oil and gas, and commercial real estate development industry. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta and has a Bachelor of Commerce (with distinction) from the University of Alberta.
Dennis Kalma
Calgary, AlbertaDirector since: 2007Membership status: public
Dennis Kalma is currently an independent management consultant, specializing in information technology and strategy development. Previous experience includes holding a number of executive positions within oil and gas, property management, and chemical manufacturing companies both within and outside of Canada. Mr. Kalma holds a B.Sc from the University of Lethbridge.Member of:Complex Case Committee
Denise Lightning Hobbema, AlbertaDirector since: 2010Membership status: lawyer Bio coming soon!
Hobbema, AlbertaDirector since: 2010Membership status: lawyer
Bio coming soon!
Member of:Appeals Committee (Northern)
Richard Luciani
Calgary, AlbertaDirector since: 2009Membership status: public
Member of:Human Resources Committee
Martin West
Westaskiwin, AlbertaDirector since: 2010Membership status: lawyer