50 years of access to justice: Legal Aid Alberta celebrates its 50th anniversary
Share your story, join a webinar and more ways to get involved Legal Aid Alberta is marking its 50th anniversary with a year-long celebration dedicated to honouring our past and energizing for the future. For 50 years, Legal Aid Alberta has been at the forefront of the fight for equal access to justice. […]
Tackling the cycle of addiction and crime
Legal Aid Alberta is playing an important role in Alberta’s therapeutic courts, supporting fairness in the criminal justice system Drug treatment courts across Alberta are literally saving lives, according to the LAA staff duty counsel lawyers who represent their clients through the therapeutic court – and to the clients themselves. “I was entrenched […]
What to do when your client has new charges
We value the commitment of our roster lawyers to high quality, effective client service. By expediting the appointing process for clients facing new charges, we are able to serve Albertans more efficiently. To request additional coverage for a client who already has a certificate and is facing new charges, there are two approaches. Familiarizing yourself […]
Make good use of billable tariff 11.10 for Gladue Reports
If you have a client who identifies as Indigenous, First Nations, Metis or Inuit, tariff 11.10 compensates counsel for focusing on individualized sentencing. This tariff item is billable once per certificate and provides counsel with 3 hours to ensure Gladue Reports and/or Gladue submissions are prepared and presented in court, or, when an IRCA report/submissions are […]
Enhancing efficiency by streamlining newsletter delivery for roster lawyers
We are pleased to announce a significant improvement aimed at optimizing our services for roster lawyers. Starting August 1, we will be integrating the Roster Report mailing list with the Lawyer Portal, resulting in a seamless experience for roster lawyers. Here’s what you need to know: As soon as you join the roster, you will […]
We kindly request your assistance in maintaining up-to-date client information
As you may be aware, many of our clients lack reliable contact details when initially applying for our services. Please be aware that when an offer is issued by our Contact Centre, it includes all the contact information we currently have on file for that particular client. However, there are instances where new information becomes […]
Unlock extra hours on summary, indictable and major files
If you work on summary, indictable and major files, you can benefit from a presumptive maximum of extra hours. They should comprise a detailed timesheet showing that combined hours, associated with the claimed blocks, do not sufficiently cover the time spent on the file. Please be advised that only the timesheet that specifies the work […]
Ask a Lawyer: Legal challenges when co-parenting during the summer
Legal Aid Alberta staff lawyer Sunaina Kakkar joined Global News Morning Edmonton to talk about the challenges co-parents face during the summer and how overseas travel works when parents are in conflict. Summer is officially here: For kids, this is a time for fun activities with friends and family, to try new and exciting […]
Criminal tariffs and fees become billable in isolated and specialty courts
The modernized Legal Aid Alberta Tariff, which came into effect on April 1, 2023, embodies changes in Alberta’s ever-evolving legal landscape. Tariff items 11.16 (Mental Health Court fee) 11.17 (Indigenous Court fee) and 11.18 (Isolated Court fee) aim to recognize the extra time and attention that go into files appearing in certain specialty courtrooms. They […]
New Tariff certificates briefly impacted by software update
Please be advised of a software modernization affecting all certificates issued under the new Tariff from April 1, 2023 onward. For the time being, this change allows no information on the number of hours or dollar amount of disbursements that lawyers are requesting to be brought forward with the request. The matter is being promptly […]