Legal Aid Alberta continues to evolve and meet the legal needs of Albertans.
For more than five decades, Legal Aid Alberta (LAA) has been a cornerstone of access to justice, supporting Albertans through some of life’s most complex and urgent legal challenges. Today, LAA continues to build on that legacy with a clear focus on the future and expanding access to justice in communities across the province, strengthening quality for our clients and holding ourselves accountable to all Albertans.
LAA was established on May 24, 1973, as the legal aid movement started to take shape in Canada. From those early days, where 16 staff members helped oversee 7,500 case files, LAA has grown and adapted to serve the realities and needs of Albertans. Today, we are the largest provider of legal services in the province, with 300 staff and 1,200 roster lawyers across Alberta.
Our growth reflects not only Alberta’s prosperity and success as a province, but also some of the challenges that come with growth and the increasingly complex needs of our clients.
Last year alone, LAA handled 166,884 legal issues in criminal, family and immigration law. Our duty counsel lawyers provided on-the-spot assistance and legal advice to more than 100,000 clients who otherwise could have faced the system alone and overwhelmed. We protect families through Emergency Protection Orders, provide 24/7 legal advice to people in police custody and represent Albertans of all backgrounds at bail hearings and in specialized courts, including Indigenous Court, Drug Treatment Court and Mental Health Court.
As we continue to grow and evolve, we also reaffirm our commitment to excellence and to truth and reconciliation in the justice system. LAA’s Indigenous Action Plan and Indigenous Framework create a foundation for our lawyers to improve access to culturally responsive legal services for Indigenous Peoples while also strengthening relationships in at the community level.
As Alberta continues to grow and prosper, LAA remains focused on delivering on our mission to resolve legal problems for disadvantaged Albertans and, in doing so, protect the rule of law for the benefit of everyone.