You can provide the name of a lawyer you prefer to work with during your application. Legal Aid Alberta will attempt to assign this requested lawyer. However, it is not a guarantee that this is the lawyer who will be assigned. Legal Aid will review the circumstances of your case when determining which lawyer is to be assigned. Ultimately Legal Aid Alberta has final discretion in assigning your lawyer.
Make sure to provide their name during your application. Legal Aid Alberta will review the circumstances of your case to determine if we are able to assign your file to that lawyer. A lawyer does have to accept a file from Legal Aid Alberta, so the lawyer will have to confirm they are interested in representing you when Legal Aid Alberta asks. Legal Aid Alberta has final discretion in assigning your lawyer.
If you have already paid a lawyer prior to contacting us, we may be able to assign that lawyer if they agree to represent you on behalf of Legal Aid Alberta. Please inform the Intake Officer you speak with when applying that you have already paid a lawyer, and they will explain what additional steps are required.
It is not a guarantee that Legal Aid Alberta will change your lawyer. We will review the issues you are having with your lawyer, will follow up with the lawyer, and then will determine the most appropriate solution.
If you currently have a Legal Aid Alberta lawyer and are considering changing lawyers, we first ask that you bring up your concerns directly with the lawyer to allow them the opportunity to address them. If after this discussion you wish to request a different lawyer, you can contact our office at 1-866-845-3425 to submit a request. We are open Monday to Friday from 8:15 am to 4:15 pm (excluding holidays).
Before firing a lawyer, you first need to speak with Legal Aid Alberta to try and address the issue. There is no guarantee you will be assigned a new lawyer if you fire your lawyer without speaking to Legal Aid Alberta.
If you believe an incorrect decision was made on your file you can submit a Request for Review form to have the decision reviewed.
If Legal Aid Alberta has assigned a lawyer to represent the interests of a child as per a court order, we require a new court order detailing that the lawyer is to be changed.
You can submit any feedback about your lawyer to [email protected]
You can provide information on your concerns to Legal Aid Alberta through email to [email protected]