February 23, 2023

Thank You to Outgoing President, Ken Warren, KC

We would like to thank our outgoing President, Ken Warren, KC. Ken joined the Board in the fall of 2018. He is a partner at Gowling WLG, where he practises primarily in the areas of commercial dispute resolution, mediation and professional liability.

"I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the work of the Bencher table and my year as President. It’s been a wonderfully rewarding experience that has helped me grow as a person…I can say without hesitation that I’ll miss this work and I’ll really miss the people. Without a doubt, I have benefited more from this role than I’ve been able to give back. It’s been my great privilege to serve with a very dedicated group of Benchers, and with the invaluable support of the Law Society staff to discharge our mandate to protect the public interest.

“I remind the Benchers that to achieve your highest priorities, you must be absolutely rigorous in saying ‘no’ to many other good ideas. That’s what being strategic is all about, saying lots of ‘nos’ so that you can achieve a few critical and timely ‘yeses’.”

We are grateful to Ken for his time, commitment and significant contributions as Bencher and President.

Welcome Bill Hendsbee, KC, President 2023–24

Bill Hendsbee, KC, begins his term as the 2023–24 President of the Law Society of Alberta today.

Bill joined the Board in 2018. Bill is a partner at Cummings Andrews Mackay LLP, where he has practised exclusively in plaintiff personal injury law for nearly 30 years.

“Everyone at the Bencher table is here because we care and want to make a difference – I’m looking forward to leading these efforts. The diversity of backgrounds and perspectives on the Board will continue to help us navigate some important and challenging work over the next year, including the development of a new Strategic Plan, our ongoing strategic work and upcoming fall Bencher election.”

To learn more about Bill, visit the board directory.

Welcome Deanna Steblyk, KC, President-Elect 2023–24

Deanna Steblyk, KC, begins her term as the 2023–24 President-Elect of the Law Society of Alberta today.

Deanna joined the Board in 2018. She is Senior Special Counsel to the Vice-Chairs at the Alberta Securities Commission, where she assists Commission adjudicators with legal research, preparation of oral and written decisions, and policy matters.

“We’ve been faced with some pretty significant problems to solve recently, including the concerning results of the articling student survey, navigating the pandemic, refining our CPD program, addressing the applicable TRC Calls to Action, transitioning internationally trained lawyers to Alberta practice, and working toward a profession that is equitable, diverse and inclusive. It’s clear that there is more work to do in all of these areas – and maybe even a lot of work – but we’re making progress that I’m extremely proud of.”

To learn more about Deanna, visit the board directory.

Code of Conduct Changes for Official Language Rights

At the Feb. 23, 2023 Board meeting, the Benchers approved amendments to provision 3.2-8 of the Code of Conduct, as well as the associated commentary. These are in addition to the approved amendment to provision 3.2-7 at the December 2022 meeting.

The further amendments and expanded commentary strengthen the Code to ensure lawyers inform their clients of their language rights.

Key highlights of the amendments include:

a lawyer should advise the client of the client’s language rights as soon as possible;
the choice of official language is that of the client, not the lawyer; and
a lawyer should ensure that they have the competency to effectively communicate with the client in such a way as to understand and be understood by the client.

View the Code of Conduct for the full amendments.

The Practice Advisors will release a resource on the amended Code of Conduct provisions 3.2-7 and 3.2-8 and the associated commentary in the coming months.

Upcoming Events

The Advocates’ Society: Virtual Fireside Chat with Chief Justice Khullar | Feb. 28, 2023

Visit our website for a full list of upcoming events.

Events Calendar

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