No need for merit opinion on supervision orders
Legal Aid Alberta is committed to continual review of current processes and strives to gain efficiencies wherever possible. During a recent conversation with some family roster lawyers, the question of the need for merit opinions on supervision orders was raised. The concern was valid, and our executive team took it into account while coming to […]
Consultation update: LAA Overview as shared with the Ministry of Justice
Hello LAA roster lawyers, Last week, the Ministry of Justice shared its plans for a legal aid consultation involving key justice system partners, including Legal Aid Alberta (LAA). As we mentioned before, we understand that not everyone is familiar with the complexities of our organization. We have provided the Ministry with detailed materials, an Overview of […]
Ministry-led consultation on legal aid
This week, Ministry of Justice shared its plans for a legal aid consultation involving key justice system partners, including Legal Aid Alberta (LAA). As you know from the new Governance Agreement (GA), this was agreed upon to be completed by March 2025 (Appendix 3). The three parties preferred this timing as it formalizes the Government […]
Ministry-led consultation on legal aid
Hello LAA roster lawyers, This week, Ministry of Justice shared its plans for a legal aid consultation involving key justice system partners, including Legal Aid Alberta (LAA). As you know from the new Governance Agreement (GA), this was agreed upon to be completed by March 2025 (Appendix 3). The three parties preferred this timing as it formalizes […]
Refresher: Be aware of the immigration consequences criminal matters can have on clients
There can be significant immigration consequences for permanent residents and foreign nationals (aka temporary residents such as visitors, students and workers) when they are charged with or convicted of criminal offences. This summary is to help criminal defence counsel understand the main problems that arise when clients who are not Canadian citizens are criminally charged […]
Register for Child Representation training
As you may be aware, Legal Aid Alberta established the Child Representation Panel on April 1, 2022, with a three-year term. Lawyers who have a minimum of five years’ experience practicing family law and are interested in applying to join the Child Representation Panel in April 2025, may be interested in attending this upcoming training […]
Becoming counsel of choice: sign up for LAA’s Lawyer directory
Roster lawyers who would like to be listed on the Legal Aid Alberta Lawyer Directory can request to be added at any time by emailing [email protected]. The directory makes it easier for clients to find the lawyer of their choice. Clients can search by name, courthouse location, area of law and language spoken.
Support national Duty Counsel Day in the classroom
October 27 is Duty Counsel Day – a national day of recognition of the vital role duty counsel play in our justice system. You can support the national Duty Counsel Day in the Classroom by sharing this curriculum-tailored teaching program with educators you know: Duty Counsel Day in the Classroom. And you can help raise awareness using these Duty […]
Need to reach duty counsel? The Duty Counsel email is your trusted go-to.
There are a lot of ways to get in touch with in-court duty counsel, but only one of them is absolutely reliable. If requesting an agency request or getting in touch with duty counsel for any reason, it’s important to only use this email address: [email protected] The reason for this is that things can change […]
Ask a Lawyer: LAA brings Duty Counsel Day to the classroom
Every day, thousands of people appear in courts across the country for the first time, with little understanding of legal procedures, what’s going to happen, or even that they have a Charter right to legal representation. Fortunately, duty counsel lawyers are on the front line of the justice system to protect our Charter right […]