Omnibus Report on Wellness in the Canadian Legal Profession Released

The Federation of Law Societies of Canada has released the Omnibus Report for Phase II of the National Study on the Psychological Health Determinants of Legal Professionals in Canada (the 'Omnibus Report'). 

Conducted under the scientific direction of Dr. Nathalie Cadieux from the Université de Sherbrooke, the Omnibus Report consolidates the findings of both Phase I and Phase II of the study, offering a detailed analysis of the mental health risks and protective factors identified among legal professionals. 

Phase II of the study involved in-depth interviews with legal professionals across every province and territory in Canada, providing a deeper understanding of the unique challenges they face. Pervasive issues such as high levels of stress, burnout, anxiety and depression within the profession are identified, with significant disparities observed based on gender, age and professional role.

The Omnibus Report also provides a series of actionable recommendations tailored to address these challenges. The report calls for systemic changes in work culture, enhanced support systems and the promotion of work-life balance to improve the overall well-being of legal professionals. More broadly, it recommends promoting mental health awareness and reducing the stigma around mental health issues.

View the new release.

2025 Recruitment Dates for Summer Students and Articling Students

Summer Student Recruitment Dates

The 2025 first year summer student recruitment period will be Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, to Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. No offer of employment shall be made before 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Such offers must remain open for acceptance for a minimum of 24 hours. An offer of employment may be made at any time after the recruitment period and shall be left open for a reasonable period of time. Please note the recruitment rules do not apply to employers located outside of Calgary and Edmonton. For further information, please refer to Rules 49.1 and 49.3 of the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta.  

Articling Student Recruitment Dates 

The 2025 articling student recruitment period will be from Monday, June 2, 2025, to Monday, June 16, 2025. Employers may only make offers of employment after 8 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the recruitment period (June 10, 2025). These offers must remain open for acceptance for 24 hours.  

The articling student recruitment rules do not apply to the following: 

• employers with previous summer students who make offers of articling employment to those students, if recruitment activity is completed and offers of employment are made prior to the start of the 2025 articling recruitment period;
• employers located outside Calgary or Edmonton; 
• third year law students; and,
• National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) students.  

For more information, please refer to Rules 49.1 and 49.2 of the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta or visit our website.  

Reminder: Signing Authority Requests

If you are a Responsible Lawyer and need to have another lawyer at a different firm approve withdrawals from your trust account temporarily, you must submit a signing authority request to the Trust Safety Department (Rule 119.27(3) of the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta). Once granted, the approval must be recorded in paper or digital form and maintained with the monthly reconciliation of your law firm’s trust accounts. 

Transferring signing authority temporarily to another lawyer can be a good way to plan ahead for any extended absences. Only active lawyers employed at another firm who are in good standing with the Law Society can be granted temporary signing authority approval. Non-lawyer staff cannot be granted signing authority. Active lawyers employed at the same firm (including secondary Responsible Lawyers) do not require approval from Trust Safety.  

Learn more about how to submit a signing authority request or contact Trust Safety if you have further questions.

Justice of the Peace Positions Available

The Alberta Court of Justice and Alberta Justice welcome the interest of qualified lawyers who want to be considered for appointment as a full-time or part-time Justice of the Peace. Applications are being sought for various locations across the province on an on-going basis. 

The application form is available on the Alberta Court of Justice website. 

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