Ask A Lawyer: Ensuring fair treatment in court for people with mental health issues
Legal Aid Alberta staff lawyers have a key role in Edmonton’s Mental Health Court Legal Aid Alberta staff lawyer Justin Hjelsvold’s role as duty counsel in courtrooms in and around Edmonton brings him into contact with people worried about the legal challenges they’re facing. Often, there’s more going on than criminal charges. “Almost […]
Time reporting
Legal Aid Alberta requires all lawyers to maintain proper time records, for a number of reasons: to enable us to respond to client billing inquires, for manual review of invoicing in specific situations, and to support post-payment random and complaint-based audits. Thorough and accurate maintenance of time reports helps us better serve our clients, and helps […]
Immigration workshop May 16
Have you registered yet? Legal Aid Alberta Immigration Team Lead Ruth Williams is hosting an online review of LAA’s immigration training from over the last year on Thursday, May 16, from 1 to 4 p.m. The focus will be on key advocacy concepts and tips, along with practice management. Key Takeaways: Mastering advocacy strategies: Gain valuable […]
Introducing Legal Aid Alberta’s South Roster Liaison
Legal Aid Alberta is pleased to announce the addition of Ashkay Verma to our team as the Roster Relations Liaison for the south region. Based in Calgary, Akshay is a former LAA roster lawyer with a criminal defence background. He joins our current Roster Relations Liaison, Paul Welke, also a former member of the roster, […]
Happy Charter Day
April 17 is Charter of Rights Day in Canada. Yesterday marked the 42nd anniversary of the Charter’s signing. We acknowledge the crucial role that roster lawyers play in upholding the rights enshrined in this fundamental part of our nation’s Constitution. We also celebrate our Justice of the Peace Bail team, who work seven days a […]
Introducing our South Roster Liaison
Legal Aid Alberta is pleased to announce the addition of Ashkay Verma to our team as the Roster Relations Liaison for the south region. Based in Calgary, Akshay is a former LAA roster lawyer with a criminal defence background. He joins our current Roster Relations Liaison, Paul Welke, also a former member of the roster, […]
More Albertans are eligible for legal aid under new guidelines
More Albertans are eligible for legal representation from Legal Aid Alberta, thanks to new financial guidelines that are now in effect. As of April 1, individuals earning a net annual income of $25,346 (approximately $30,000 gross) may qualify for legal representation in eligible criminal, family and immigration cases. The income amounts for larger […]
Planning leave or a vacation? Update your availability in the Lawyer Portal
Delays in appointing counsel can contribute to court delays, uncertainty for clients and unequal access to justice. Keeping your availability status up to date can mitigate these delays and ensure our clients get the help they need in a timely manner. If you are on leave or have a planned vacation coming up, use the […]
Time to celebrate: One-year milestone for LAA’s modernized Tariff
April 1, 2024, marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of our modernized Tariff. The modernized Tariff has received an overwhelmingly positive response, and we want to thank our colleagues for their patience during the implementation process. Legal Aid Alberta staff and our roster colleagues worked together to navigate various processes, including utilization of Extra […]
LAA roster lawyers named King’s Counsel
Congratulations to LAA roster team members who were recently named King’s Counsel in recognition of their contributions to the legal community. Announced March 28, a total of 103 lawyers across the province were recognized with the designation, including LAA roster members: Adebanke Adediran Michael Bates Suchetna Channan Shamsher Kothari Ian McKay Paul Moreau Kim Ross […]