May 7, 2020
A Message from Assist: Putting Lawyer Well-being at the Forefront 
Research out of the University of Calgary indicates that Calgarians are experiencing record stress levels. It is unlikely that these findings only reflect the stress level in Calgary, as unemployment, one of the key indicators, grows throughout the province during the pandemic.

The services, programs and resources of the Alberta Lawyers' Assistance Society (Assist) are readily available to lawyers, students and their families during these difficult times.

While lawyers help clients with their own problems, lawyers are not exempt from having problems of their own. Even though lawyers are collectively facing changing environments due to the pandemic, everyone faces different challenges. Lawyers need to set reasonable expectations for themselves that factor in personal and professional circumstances. Self-compassion is an important resilience skill for high achieving people in challenging circumstances. 

Assist knows there are lawyers and their families who are suffering at a deeper level. Assist provides free counselling services to lawyers, articling students, law students and dependent members of their immediate families. More information about counseling services and other programming is available in this article .
Changes to PREP admission requirements for 2020/2021
In direct response to concerns from students and the legal profession related to the pandemic, the Canadian Centre for Legal Education (CPLED) has changed the admission requirements for the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) for the 2020/2021 year.

Students with a Canadian common law degree or Certificate of Qualification from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada may register and complete PREP without secured articles for the June and December 2020 intakes.

This change provides students with an opportunity to complete their Bar admission program without delay. As well, it allows students to develop the necessary competencies and practice lawyer skills within PREP which they can apply immediately when they begin their articles.

During these difficult times, law firms and organizations are still encouraged to do their part in training the next generation of lawyers by hiring articling students. This decision was not intended to deter firms from hiring articling students but rather to help students who are having a difficult time finding an articling position continue on their path to becoming a lawyer.

For more information on this change, visit CPLED's website.
Court of Queen's Bench Announcement

To assist with scheduling, the Court of Queen's Bench is releasing the Roster Justices sitting in May 2020. Scheduling does not change; please continue to follow the appropriate protocol.