Reminder: Register for the Well-Being in Practice Summit

We would like to invite all Alberta lawyers and students-at-law to Well-Being in Practice: A summit on taking care of yourself, your workplace and your profession.

The Law Society of Alberta, Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist), the Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association (ALIA) and the Canadian Bar Association — Alberta Branch are partnering to host this virtual summit.

Our speakers include lawyers willing to share their own mental health experiences as well as mental health professionals providing education, concrete tools and resources to take away from the Summit.

Well-Being in Practice will be held over two half days:

• Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, noon – 4:15 p.m. 
• Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Registration for this event is free to all Alberta lawyers and students-at-law. This event is open to the first 1,000 registrants, so we encourage you to register now.

To register or learn more about the event, review the agenda and visit our registration page.

Please note that a Zoom account is required to register for this event. If you do not have a Zoom account, sign-up is free and available here.

If you are unable to attend the live Summit, we encourage you to still register for the Zoom event. Registrants will receive a link to the recorded version and other materials following the Summit.

University of Toronto Study Reminder: Legal Ethics from the View of Practising Lawyers

There is still time to participate in the Legal Ethics study from the University of Toronto.

Dr. Albert Yoon, a professor in Legal Ethics at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, is conducting a study on how practising lawyers view legal ethics. Much of the current literature on legal ethics comes from a theoretical and normative framework, while this study focuses on how actual lawyers approach ethical issues in their practice.

To aid in his research, Dr. Yoon invites all Alberta lawyers to participate in a short survey on legal ethics. The survey is on a secure online platform and takes about 5 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and all responses are anonymous. Upon completion of the study, Dr. Yoon will share his findings with the Law Society of Alberta.

Participants who complete the study are eligible to enter a random draw to receive a new Apple Watch Series 7, iPhone 13 or iPad Air.

For more information and to complete the survey, view the study online.

Edmonton Community Legal Centre Seeking Volunteer Civil Lawyers

The Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) is looking for civil lawyers to join their volunteer team to provide summary legal advice in their legal clinic. Volunteer lawyers assist self-represented litigants by providing advice and tangible steps to help empower the client in the justice process. Articling students can volunteer to provide advice with the permission of their principal. ECLC provides shadowing and training opportunities. 

• Volunteer Role: Meet with clients by telephone or in-person and provide summary legal advice.
• Time Commitment: One two-hour shift per month. 
• Contact: Visit their website or email volunteer@eclc.ca. 

Reminder: Government Service for Family Law Lawyers

The following information was shared in a previous eBulletin and the phone number for the Employer and Lawyer Line has changed. 

The Maintenance Enforcement Program (MEP) and the Child Support Recalculation Program (RP) have a service to assist family law lawyers who are drafting child and spousal support orders. 

Family Support Order Services (FSOS) are available to answer questions about how these programs administer spousal support, child support, Section 7 expenses or court costs. They can also provide input on how a draft clause would be administered by either MEP or RP. Questions and inquiries can be sent to the FSOS Standards Unit at jsg.fsos@gov.ab.ca.  

This inbox is monitored daily, and staff will do their best to have a response to you within three business days.

Questions about specific MEP files should still be directed to the file’s Case Officer. To connect with the Case Officer, call the MEP’s Employer and Lawyer line at 780.422.5555 (dial 310.0000 first if calling from outside the Edmonton region).

Court and Justice Services Announcement 

Name Change for Masters in Chambers

Effective September 1, 2022, the Court of Queen’s Bench Act and various other Alberta enactments will be amended to change the title of the judicial office of Master in Chambers to “Applications Judge”.

This change, made at the recommendation of the Court of Queen’s Bench, is intended to promote a more inclusive and accessible justice system for Albertans. It also recognizes that the term ‘master’ is not gender neutral and carries negative historical and cultural connotations. The new title will more accurately reflect the judicial character of the work performed by Applications Judges in Alberta’s justice system.

Changes to Urgent Matters Chambers - Effective September 6, 2022

Effective September 6, 2022, the following types of applications will no longer be heard in Urgent Matters Chambers (UMC) but will be heard in Regular Chambers (Civil Chambers for Civil matters and Family Chambers for Family Matters) at the start of the list:

1. Consent Orders – Consent Orders related to protection orders will continue to be heard in UMC. For all other Consent Orders, Counsel/Parties have the option of appearing in Chambers or submitting their Consent Order by desk application;
2. Fiats – all applications for Fiats will be heard in Chambers and must be made on notice to the opposing party;
3. Adjournment Applications – unless you are aware which Justice is hearing your matter, in which case an adjournment application must be made to that Justice, all applications for adjournments from any process (trial, oral hearing, special chambers and regular chambers applications) will be heard in Chambers.

Urgent Without Notice Applications will continue to be heard in Urgent Matters Chambers. 

Elimination of Complex Desk Applications

In light of the return to in-person Justice and Applications Judge hearings commencing September 6, 2022, the Court will no longer hear complex family and civil applications by way of desk application. The following Notices and Announcements will therefore no longer be in effect:

• Notice to Profession and Public NPP2020-06: Family Applications with Written Argument
• May 25, 2020 Announcement: With Notice Desk Application Process – Civil Justice Chambers
• May 19, 2020 Announcement: With Notice Desk Application Process – Masters Chambers

Masters in Chambers Title Change to Applications Judge Effective September 1, 2022

Amendments to the Court of Queen’s Bench Act coming into force September 1, 2022 will change the title of “Master” and “Master in Chambers” at the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta to “Applications Judge”. At hearings, or in correspondence, Applications Judges should be addressed as “Judge” or “Your Honour”.

For more on this change and the importance of inclusive language in our Justice System, see the video featuring Chief Justice Moreau and Applications Judge Birkett.