Code of Conduct Change for Official Language Rights

At the Dec. 1, 2022 Board meeting, the Benchers approved an amendment to provision 3.2-7 of the Code of Conduct to confirm that lawyers have an obligation to inform their clients of their language rights. A lawyer must, when appropriate, advise a client of the client’s language rights, including the right to proceed in the official language of the client’s choice.

View the updated Code of Conduct. 

Holiday Office Closure

Please note that our office will be closed on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022 and will re-open for regular business on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

We wish you a happy holiday season.

Court of King's Bench Announcements

Court of King's Bench 2022 Holiday Closure

The Court of King’s Bench will be closed on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022 through Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. On Dec. 29 and 30, 2022, a Justice will be available in Edmonton to hear any emergency matters during this time.

The Court of King’s Bench will resume normal operations on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023.

Read the announcement for further details.

New King's Bench General Practice Notes 1-4 – Effective Jan. 1, 2023

The Court of King’s Bench is consolidating, clarifying and re-issuing its practice directives, in an effort to make them easier to find and understand. As part of this project, a number of directives contained in Notices to Profession and Public are being re-issued in the form of new Practice Notes. Court of King’s Bench General Practice Notes 1-4 will come into effect Jan. 1, 2023 and are posted on the Court’s website under the Areas of Law tab.

Read the full announcement for more information.

Limited Release of Court of King's Bench Family and Divorce Filing Digital Service to Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge.

The King's Bench Family and Divorce Filing Digital Service is now available in the Judicial Centres of Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer and Lethbridge.

The Family and Divorce Filing Digital Service allows lawyers and legal assistants to file desk divorce application packages with and without children, Statements of Claim for Divorce and Pleadings. This service is available to lawyers and legal assistants only. This announcement does not apply to filings made by self-represented litigants.

Read the full announcement for more information.

Town Hall Meeting – Francophone and Bilingual Members of the Bar

The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta's third Town Hall meeting for the francophone/bilingual Bar members will be held in French on Friday, Dec. 9 at 12:45 p.m. by Webex.

Counsel interested in attending may request the link to the meeting by email.

Federal Court Announcements

Associate Judge Positions in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal: Evaluation of Candidates to Begin Jan. 15, 2023

The Commissioner of Federal Judicial Affairs is seeking applications from barristers or advocates who are members in good standing of any provincial or territorial Bar, and who have extensive professional experience spanning at least ten years, to fill one current and one pending Associate Judge vacancy at the Federal Court, in Toronto, and to update the pool of candidates for Ottawa and Montreal.

If they want to be considered, interested parties should submit an application by Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, when review of applications will begin.

View the announcement for more information.

Notice to Profession: Deemed Discontinuance of Incomplete Applications for Leave and Judicial Review in Proceedings under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act

As of Dec. 6, 2022, applications pursuant to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that remain unperfected following the expiry of the timelines in Rule 10 shall be deemed to have been discontinued by the Applicant, pursuant to Rule 165 of the Federal Courts Rules, without the need for formal notice by the Applicant or a Court Order. The Registry will provide notice to the parties by way of a recorded entry in the online docket on the Court website.

Read the full Notice.