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 […]
Updating availability
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 […]
Ask a Lawyer: What happens to pets during divorce proceedings?

Division of property is just one step of many for Alberta families in a divorce proceeding. You can split the couch, the car and the house, but what about the beloved pets? Does “pet custody” exist in the eyes of the court? This month on Ask a Lawyer: Legal Aid Alberta staff lawyers Sheila […]
News: Financial Eligibility Guidelines Changes
On Monday, April 1, Legal Aid Alberta’s Financial Eligibility Guidelines will be increasing. The primary impact for roster lawyers is that more Albertans will be eligible for legal aid funding, resulting in a larger pool of certificates in the long run. Over the next few weeks, however, the more immediate impact is likely to be […]
Merit Opinions: What Are We Looking For?
LAA is seeking the background information that you have as trial counsel so that we can determine if there is merit to fund an appeal for the matter. Our staff lawyers make the final determination on merit for every appeal file, but the information in your opinions helps us know what issues were at play […]