How Legal Aid Alberta has protected access to justice for Albertans across the province.
2025 was a critical year for Legal Aid Alberta (LAA) and our role in protecting the legal rights of Albertans.
This year, LAA delivered legal services to hundreds of thousands of clients across Alberta, from almost 125,000 duty counsel assists to 87,000 contact centre calls to the 49,000 clients represented by our lawyers in criminal, family and immigration cases.
Beyond the numbers, 2025 was full of important highlights that supported our mission and protected access to justice for all. Check out some of our favourites from the year.
Governance Agreement ensures strong future for Legal Aid Alberta
In July, LAA, the Government of Alberta and Law Society of Alberta signed a new Governance Agreement that strengthened the sustainability and future of legal aid in the province.
The five-year agreement runs through 2030 and reaffirms LAA’s role as an independent, non-profit organization committed to providing quality legal services to disadvantaged Albertans. All parties agreed that LAA’s current structure offers the best balance of flexibility, accountability and responsiveness.
“It reaffirms Legal Aid Alberta’s role as an essential partner within the justice system and ensures services remain responsive to community needs for years to come,” former LAA Board Chair Ryan Callioux, KC, said at the time.
Serving Albertans on Duty Counsel Day (and every day!)
Every year, LAA duty counsel lawyers support the Charter right of Albertans to legal representation and provide advice to hundreds of thousands of clients.
Duty Counsel Day, Oct. 27, showcases this essential service as legal aid organizations across Canada shine a spotlight and share the impact of duty counsel on family, criminal and immigration cases. There’s also an education component as legal aid organizations across Canada partnered with schools, home school associations, public libraries and youth groups so that students understand the role of duty counsel. Almost 40 schools and more than 1,100 students participated.
“Duty counsel are lawyers are in all sorts of levels of court, and what they do is they assist people who are coming to court, really for the first time, who don’t have their own lawyers and who really don’t know what to do. It’s a stressful thing as you can imagine,” LAA duty counsel lawyer Stephanie Ma said in an October interview with Global Edmonton.
“We’re there to give advice, we’re there to make sure that they know what to do as they make their way through the justice system and will help them resolve their matters as best we can.”
Advancing reconciliation in justice with first Indigenous Action Plan
This past fall, LAA reaffirmed its commitment to truth and reconciliation by launching the organization’s first-ever Indigenous Action Plan. The plan represents an important step forward in building culturally responsive, respectful and accessible legal services for Indigenous clients and communities.
While the plan outlines specific actions LAA will take to rebuild trust and amplify Indigenous voices for the 2025/26 – 2027/28 fiscal years, the Indigenous Framework acts as a guide for this work.
Rooted in cultural respect and informed by Indigenous perspectives, the framework ensures LAA’s services are transparent, equitable and culturally informed.
Say hello to our new Board executive, members
In December, LAA welcomed a new Board Chair, Vice Chair and three new members to the Board of Directors.
Brad Pickering and David Linder, KC, were appointed Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, while Roseanne Carey, Clint Warkentin and Tamar Epstein were appointed to the Board of Directors.
LAA also extended gratitude to outgoing Board Chair Ryan Callioux, KC, and Board members Owen Edmondson, FCPA and Hilary Rose, FCPA, for their leadership and dedication to ensuring all Albertans have access to justice and fair representation.
The appointments took effect Dec. 9, following the Board’s annual general meeting.
Protecting access to justice through public education, legal webinars
LAA’s role in protecting access to justice is a year-round endeavour that often involves educating the public and sharing knowledge with the legal community inside and outside the organization.
In 2025 LAA hosted 16 education sessions — including a record setting public webinar on the representation of children in high-conflict family cases and a five-part webinar bail series for lawyers.