Ask a Lawyer: Using Emergency Protection Orders to help families facing domestic violence
Across Canada, Alberta is ranked third in self-reported spousal violence. It is important to raise awareness of the issues surrounding domestic violence, ways to prevent it and the legal tools available to stop it. November is Family Violence Prevention Month – aimed at educating people on the warning signs of family violence and the resources […]
Classrooms, courthouses and connections: LAA celebrates fourth annual Duty Counsel Day
Lawyers and staff take to the community to help spread the word about the importance of duty counsel October 27 marks Duty Counsel Day in Canada — a day to recognize and give thanks to the unsung heroes of the justice system: duty counsel lawyers. Legal Aid Alberta held its fourth consecutive year of Duty […]
Apply now to join the duty counsel roster
Legal Aid Alberta has opened applications for roster criminal duty counsel. We are looking to add to our current DC complement, especially with lawyers whose primary court location is in or near underserved rural communities. Email [email protected] to begin your expression of interest. While we are happy to consider applications for any called lawyer who […]
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.