The Law Society is excited to welcome Jessica Buffalo to the position of Indigenous Initiatives Counsel. Jessica will help guide our work as we continue down the path of making lasting and meaningful change around Indigenous initiatives in Alberta’s legal community.

Jessica joins the Education team and will assist the Law Society in continuing to advance the process of reconciliation within the justice system and the legal profession, provide supports for Indigenous lawyers and students, and advance cultural competency development for all lawyers and within the Law Society organization.

Jessica will work closely with the Law Society’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, members of the Education team and others at the Law Society, as well as collaborate with key justice system stakeholders to advance work on Indigenous initiatives affecting the Alberta legal community and the public. She will advance the groundwork provided through the requirement for all Alberta lawyers to complete The Path: Your Journey Through Indigenous Canada (Law Society of Alberta), provide training for the profession in areas such as cultural competence and generally advise the Law Society on issues relating to Indigenous peoples in Alberta.

Read our full announcement on the Law Society website.

The Law Society of Alberta is pleased to congratulate Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt, Timothy Nessim and Brandyn Rodgerson, this year’s recipients of the Viscount Bennett Scholarship.

A first-generation university graduate from Northwest Ontario, Ricki-Lee Gerbrandt has seized every opportunity to pursue her passion for the law.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (honours), double-majoring in Political Science and English Language and Literature at Western University in 2010, Ricki-Lee completed her Juris Doctor at the University of Calgary in 2014, clerked at the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench and completed her articles in Calgary, and then earned her Master of Laws from Harvard Law School in 2016.

Now entering Darwin College at Cambridge University in the U.K., Ricki-Lee’s continued commitment to both academia and the legal profession is born out of a love and respect for the law itself.

“I always knew what I wanted to do,” says Ricki-Lee. “When I entered law school, I fell in love with being a lawyer, but even more I fell in love with the law."

A born-and-raised Albertan, Tim Nessim’s academic performance has never been in question. His academic career began at the University of Alberta and his outstanding grades carried over to his law studies at McGill, where he received the Elizabeth Torrance Gold Medal with the best academic record in his 2018 graduating class. Starting his legal career in private practice, Tim then began working for the United Nurses of Alberta in March 2020.

Working remotely through the pandemic, Tim was able to return to the University of Alberta to start his LLM with the support of his employer. While many people would be daunted at the prospect of completing a Masters-level program while working, Tim discovered that he was not only able to represent Alberta’s registered nurses during the pandemic, he could also explore his academic pursuits further than he had planned, transferring to the PhD program in January 2022, with a focus on employee protection during employer bankruptcy.

Brandyn Rodgerson’s interest in the protection and promotion of human rights – particularly the right to health care – has been a consistent throughline of his education and career, from his undergraduate studies at the University of Saskatchewan, to his Juris Doctor with First Class Honours at the University of Alberta, to his recent admission to the LLM program at Harvard Law School.

After completing his degree at U of A, Brandyn has returned to his interest in the larger questions and protections that the law affords, particularly during his clerkships with the Court of Appeal of Alberta and the Supreme Court of Canada.

“My Supreme Court clerkship was the best experience I have had, at least regarding my legal career,” says Brandyn. “While demanding, delving into complex legal issues and contemplating what the law is and what the law should be was invigorating.

“The common law has been and continues to be an effective tool in advancing the rights of individuals around the world.”

The Viscount Bennett Scholarship is funded through a trust established by the late Right Honourable Viscount Bennett. It was put in place to encourage a higher standard in legal education, offered to support those interested in pursuing post-graduate studies in law. This prestigious accolade is awarded to individuals with an exceptional academic record and a clear dedication to contribute to their community through the practice of law.

Effective immediately, appearances that are one hour or less (i.e., Criminal Justice Seized Specials, Criminal “follow-up” PTCs, and matters heard generally at 8:45 a.m. or 12:45 p.m.) can be requested by completing an online form, found here.

Please note: This change does not apply to Criminal Case Management which will continue to observe existing practices.

For Civil and Family Matters, use this form.