By: Cori Ghitter, Deputy Executive Director and Director of Policy and Education, Law Society of Alberta

Looking for the right lawyer to help with legal issues can be overwhelming and that is why many Albertans turn to the Lawyer Referral Service (LRS), currently operated by the Law Society of Alberta. 

After many successful years being run by Calgary Legal Guidance, in March 2020, the Law Society took LRS back in-house. The goal in doing so was, in part, to better understand how the service meets the needs of the public. Through the first year of in-house operation at the Law Society, more than 17,000 Albertans contacted LRS and were matched with lawyers who participate in the program.

By: Central Alberta Community Legal Clinic 

The Central Alberta Community Legal Clinic continues to adapt its operations to fit the ongoing COVID-19 landscape in 2021.

Our core programs, including summary advice Legal Clinics, staff lawyer Follow-Up, Tenant Advocacy, Employment Advocacy and Immigration Advocacy, are currently offered over the phone. The CACLC has been set up for remote services since 2010 and has also been managing satellite Legal Clinics in Fort McMurray, Medicine Hat, and Lloydminster since 2018. 

By: Marie Gordon, Q.C. 

The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) announced last week that Patricia (Trish) Hebert, Q.C. of Bruyer & Mackay LLP in Edmonton, is the latest recipient of the Beverly McLachlin Access to Justice Award. The award, named for former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin, is awarded to a judge or member of the bar in the United States or Canada who has demonstrated innovative measures or extraordinary personal commitment and professional dedication to enhancing access to justice in their communities.

By: Michelle Newlands & Hero Laird, Digital Law & Innovation Society, University of Alberta Faculty of Law

​As a legal professional, your ability to deliver professional legal services is at risk if you do not understand how artificial intelligence (AI) impacts your business and the work you do for your clients. In today's world AI is not a hypothetical. It is already implicated in many important social interactions.
 
This is why the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension and the Digital Law and Innovation Society have launched a new professional development course beginning November 2021.

By: Legal Aid Alberta

Courts in Alberta are considered closed, but what does that mean for those seeking justice and legal help? During wave after wave of COVID-19, the need for access to justice has remained constant.

​“Domestic violence didn’t go away on lockdown,” says Legal Aid Alberta (LAA) President and CEO John Panusa, noting that people still need legal assistance – pandemic or not.

“What happens to vulnerable people who urgently need help but can’t afford it? They come to Legal Aid Alberta.”