March 18, 2020
Trust Safety Extends Annual Filing Deadline to April 30
The Law Society would like to assist lawyers and law firms during this uncertain time by extending the Trust Safety annual filing deadline. Firms will now have until April 30 to submit their annual reports to Trust Safety.

A reminder that opportunities for fraud/theft historically have arisen in times like this. It is more important than ever before to provide rigorous and consistent oversight of the trust funds in your care. We encourage all firms to review their processes to ensure that the appropriate amount of oversight is taking place. F or example: performing bank reconciliations pursuant to Rule 119.36 more frequently helps identify mistakes, track problematic transactions and identify fraud or accounting errors. 

As a Responsible Lawyer, a commitment to embracing, implementing and practicing strong internal controls is integral to ensuring the protection of trust funds in your care. Fraud risk assessment, management and response, continue to be a high priority for Trust Safety and we will be reviewing our risk assessment tools regularly to ensure that there are no gaps in our risk assessment procedures. Click here for proactive measures and tips you can take now to reduce the risk of theft in your practice.
 
Questions? Please contact Trust Safety via email . We are here to help.
Court of Appeal of Alberta: Notice - COVID-19
The Court of Appeal is reviewing matters daily to stay on top of the situation in the spread of this virus. Actions taken are being guided by the advice of Canadian public health authorities.

The Court’s Pandemic Response Plan is being adapted to meet concerns and challenges of COVID-19 with a view to mitigating negative effects on Court operations and the delivery of justice. Keeping the public and the profession informed is part of this Plan.

This notice includes important information regarding:

  • prevention and protection;
  • communications;
  • attendance;
  • filing deadlines and communicating with the Court;
  • single judge duty matters; and
  • appeal sittings and applications before three judge panels.
Reminder: Law Society, ALIA & CPLED Offices Closed
The Law Society of Alberta, Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association (ALIA) and Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) have extended the closure of our offices until at least March 30 and may continue to extend it as the COVID-19 situation develops.

Our staff have been, and will continue to work remotely until we are back in our office space.

We have dedicated a page on our website to posting all COVID-19 related announcements and resources. This page will be updated frequently and we encourage you to visit it for the latest information.
Customer Service During Office Closure
While the Law Society, ALIA and CPLED offices remained closed, our Customer Service team is working diligently to respond to all inquiries. At this time, our general contact line (403.229.4700, or toll-free at 1.800.661.9003) is voicemail-only, as we transition to a remote system to field phone calls.
 
To help lawyers and members of the public, we have developed an online form t hat will contact members of the Customer Service team directly, and where they can respond to you via email or telephone as required. If you have questions regarding bill payments, services offered to members or general inquiries of any kind, please contact Customer Service. For other inquiries or to contact specific departments, visit the Law Society website.
Playing Our Part in Social Distancing
There are resources available that underscore the importance of social distancing such as this coronavirus simulation article from the Washington Post. We strongly encourage Alberta lawyers and law firms to put social distancing measures in place as directed by Alberta Health Services and federal, provincial and municipal governments.