2024 Distinguished Service Awards Recipients Announced

The Distinguished Service Awards celebrate excellence in the legal profession. Jointly presented by the Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch and the Law Society of Alberta, these prestigious awards shine a light on the outstanding contributions Alberta lawyers provide.

Members of the legal community being recognized this year include:

• Service to the Profession: Robert G. Harvie, KC
• Service to the Community: Sandy Alison Vander Ziel
• Service to Legal Scholarship: Professor Roderick J. Wood
• Service to Promoting Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession: Andy Hayher, KC
• Special Mention: Alberta Surrogate Reform Project members

The event will take place in Edmonton on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. MT.          

Visit the CBA website for event details.

Last Chance to Complete the Survey: Have Your Say on the Future of Bar Admissions and Articling Requirements by Dec. 18

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback on the Western Canada Competency Profile (WCCP) so far. A reminder that there is still time to take the survey before the deadline, Monday, Dec. 18, to provide your feedback on the draft WCCP. 

The purpose of the survey is for lawyers to rate the WCCP competencies and provide ACT, a third-party consultant facilitating this engagement, with further data to validate the competencies as those required for entry to legal practice. If you are currently in active practice or you have held active practising status in Alberta at some point within the past five years, you are eligible to participate. 

The survey takes about 25 minutes to complete and participation is voluntary. You will be asked to rate the components of the competency profile and answer a brief professional background questionnaire.  

For more information on the WCCP and the survey, visit our website. If you require technical assistance with the survey, contact ACT. If you have further questions about the WCCP or the survey content, contact Education. 

Alberta Law Libraries’ Free Electronic Text Collection is Expanding

The Alberta Law Libraries (ALL) is a provincial network of law libraries existing to provide research support and information services to the legal community, self-represented litigants and all Albertans. ALL subscribes to a selection of online legal research resources that support provincial, federal and international legal research, and their electronic collection continues to grow. Access to the ALL remote collection is free for Alberta lawyers registered with their library. 

One such resource in their collection is Westlaw’s Topical Texts and Annotations, an electronic series of authoritative texts and annotations from leading experts, based on specific subject areas. ALL has recently purchased five new collections: Corporate Commercial; Family; Real Property; Insurance; and Privacy. This increases their collection to more than 165 remotely available texts in addition to other titles provided online from Irwin Law and Emond. 

Unlimited free access to Westlaw Canada databases and collections is available at ALL public locations. Lawyers who have an account with the library can also contact LawLibrary@just.gov.ab.ca for temporary remote access to Westlaw Canada. ALL also offers several customized legal research services to Alberta lawyers registered with the library.  

Visit the ALL website for more details and information on other changes coming into effect in January. If you have any further questions, please contact LawLibrary@just.gov.ab.ca or Ask a Law Librarian. 

Holiday Office Closure

Please note that the Law Society office will be closed from Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, through Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.

Our office will re-open for regular business on Tuesday Jan. 2, 2024.

We wish you a happy holiday season.

Upcoming Events

Family Lawyers and Shelter Workers Training: Improving Family Justice System Responses to Family Violence | Dec. 14, 2023

Danger Assessment Training | Jan. 18, 2024

Visit our website for a full list of upcoming events.

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