By: Melissa Luhtanen

Access to Justice Week focuses our awareness on the significance of providing equal access to legal programs and services for every person. As a human rights lawyer, I am privileged to witness the transformative impact of pro bono work, especially when the Alberta Human Rights Commission collaborates with community partners. In this blog post, I will outline some of the programs that the Commission has initiated to work toward improving services for Albertans and fostering access to justice.

The Alberta Law Reform Institute (ALRI) is proud to be part of a legal community dedicated to improving how the justice system serves the people of Alberta. While ALRI does not directly extend pro bono services to individuals in the traditional sense, our vision for just and effective laws aims to reduce the challenges faced by individuals navigating their legal issues. Working towards this greater good would not be possible without the many members of the legal community who volunteer their time to our law reform projects.

For over 55 years we have made recommendations in a wide range of legal areas from estate administration, rules of court, property rights and family law. Law reform doesn’t happen in a vacuum, however. Ensuring the law serves the people of Alberta requires an “all hands on deck” approach with the legal community being vital to our work. On top of managing their own files, they dedicate substantial personal time to reviewing briefing materials, participating in meetings and ensuring that the experiences of their clients and colleagues are adequately represented in our research.

Recent legislative changes that wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of practitioners include clearer property division rules for common-law couples. These new rules have reduced the burden on families with limited financial resources dealing with a relationship breakdown.

So, while the nature of ALRI's work may not align with the typical view of what pro bono services are, ALRI and the legal professionals who volunteer in our law reform projects are quietly reducing the burden on individuals navigating the justice system. To that end, ALRI will be developing a law reform network of lawyers. We’ll be seeking lawyers from all walks of life who have an interest in improving Alberta’s justice system and want to ensure their perspectives are considered in shaping new legislation. The first steps of this initiative will be announced in 2024. Visit our website at alri.ualberta.ca and sign up for our newsletter for updates on this initiative as well as all our other law reform projects.

This article was originally published in CBA Alberta's Law Matters publication on February 20, 2020.

By: Wayne Barkauskas, K.C.

The downturn in Alberta's economy has impacted both clients and lawyers managing family law issues in many different ways. Not only have the practical issues change, including more bankruptcies and challenges in finding ways to address significant debt loads in the midst of asset bases that have eroded, but also in addressing barriers to dispute resolution that are event more significant for families with reduced financial resources.

I was recently asked to do an interview for the evening news. The story related to the dramatic toll the economy is having on people dealing with issues related to their separation or divorce. It stemmed from stories of support payors committing suicide after experiencing difficulties changing child and spousal support payments following financial setbacks.

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This article was originally published in CBA Alberta's Law Matters publication on December 8, 2020.

By: Elsa Ascencio

I grew up in northwest Toronto in a vibrant community, filled with grandparents, immigrants, and blue-collar workers. Many were poor, including my family. My parents had immigrated to Canada from war-ridden El Salvador. They raised two daughters, and they taught my sister and me to dream big and dream for a better future for all generations.

I did dream big - despite our low-income status, I wanted to go to law school and become an advocate for my community. I've seen firsthand how laws can have a negative impact on marginalized communities on a broad range of legal issues from tenants' rights and social assistance to workplace rights, and immigration matters. I eventually did get into law school. I wanted to devote my career to social justice. Little did I know that making a difference and social justice comes at a very high price.

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By: Alberta Law Libraries

Alberta Law Libraries (ALL) is a provincial network of libraries that provide support and information services to all Albertans. The libraries, located in ten Alberta courthouses, help Law Society of Alberta members, the judiciary, self-represented litigants and the public find appropriate legal resources in print, online, or as referrals to other organizations.

Library staff at each location can help individuals locate the materials they need to understand their legal issues. We receive daily inquiries from the public through Ask a Law Librarian, email or in person. On average, we answered 300-400 questions a week from members of the public in 2021-22, which increased to 500+ a week in the second quarter of 2022. We are expecting numbers to continue to rise as the COVID situation improves.