May 8, 2025

Welcome 2025–26 President-Elect, Bud Melnyk, KC

Bud Melnyk, KC, begins his term as the 2025–26 President-Elect of the Law Society of Alberta today. 

Bud joined the Board as a Bencher in 2018. Bud is a partner with the Red Deer law firm of Warren Sinclair LLP and he practices primarily in the areas of family law and civil litigation.

“It is with deep humility and immense gratitude that I accept the position of President-Elect. I am honoured by the trust that the Benchers have placed in me, and I accept this role with full awareness of the responsibility it carries — not only to our profession, but to the broader community we serve. The legal profession stands as a cornerstone of justice, integrity and service. Our Society, in turn, must reflect and uphold these values in everything we do. I am committed to ensuring that our organization continues to be a leader amongst Law Societies and that we continue to focus on our Strategic Plan.

I want to thank my colleagues, mentors and peers who have supported me along this journey. Your encouragement and collaboration have been invaluable. I also acknowledge the outstanding leadership of those who have come before me. I am stepping into large shoes, and I do so with respect and resolve.”

To learn more about Bud, visit the Board Directory. 

Updates to the Professional Corporation Rules (Rules 154-159)

The Law Society’ Board of Directors (Benchers) have simplified the Rules around Professional Corporations (PCs) to reduce duplicate documentation and simplify the requirements and associated language. PCs are governed by both the Business Corporations Act and the Legal Profession Act. While the legislative provision in both Acts have not changed, the Law Society has moved to simplify the associated Rules by reducing requirements for duplicate documentation and repetition of the provisions of the Legal Profession Act, making the process of applying for a PC more straightforward.  

The Law Society has also removed unnecessary information in the register of PCs and improved wording around how PCs are named. Language was adjusted to reflect the application process via the online lawyer portal.  

Additionally, the Law Society has added language that includes an explicit statement to remind lawyers that they may not practise as a barrister or solicitor through a PC that is expired. This aligns with the Legal Profession Act and is clearly stated to remind lawyers to keep their permits up to date and not let them lapse. 

For more information on PCs, contact Customer Service. 

Changes to Court Fees

The Lieutenant Governor in Council has issued the following Orders in Council to implement various changes to court fees effective May 12, 2025:

1. Alberta Rules of Court Amendment Regulation (AR 95/2025) – amends the Alberta Rules of Court (Schedule B) to increase various fees payable to court officials of the Court of King’s Bench and the Court of Appeal. It also increases the fees payable for court transcript production. View the Alberta Rules of Court Amendment Regulation.

2. Surrogate Rules Amendment Regulation (AR 94/2025) – amends the Surrogate Rules (Schedule 2) to increase various fees payable to court officials of the Court of King’s Bench for surrogate matters. View the Surrogate Rules Amendment Regulation.

3. Court of Justice Fees Amendment Regulation (AR 93/2025) – amends the Court of Justice Fees Regulation to increase fees payable to court officials in the Court of Justice. View the Court of Justice Fees Amendment Regulation. 

The process will remain for low-income Albertans to apply to the clerk of the court to have eligible court fees waived. View further information on court filing fee waivers. Those individuals with a subsisting certificate from Legal Aid Alberta continue to be exempted from many filing fees under rule 13.36 of the Alberta Rules of Court and section 3.3 of the Court of Justice Fees Regulation.

Federation of Law Societies of Canada Releases Landmark AML Compliance Report Ahead of FATF Review

As Canada undergoes a critical review of its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Framework by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Federation of Law Societies of Canada is proud to release a landmark document that highlights how law society regulation aligns with the FATF’s technical compliance requirements. 

The FATF’s 40 Recommendations serve as the global benchmark for combating money laundering and terrorist financing. These international standards require countries to implement robust measures, some of which are applicable to legal professionals and their regulatory bodies.

This newly released document is the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive analysis of how Canada’s law societies meet these standards. Developed by the Federation’s Standing Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, with input from all 14 Canadian law societies, it offers an in-depth look at the critical role law societies play in safeguarding the legal profession against money laundering. 

 View the news release for more information.

Gladue Report Program Evaluation – Program Community Survey

The Research and Evaluation Team from Strategy, Support & Integrated Initiatives (SSII), Alberta Justice, is conducting a program community survey as part of their evaluation of the Gladue Report Program (the Program). They are inviting lawyers who practice criminal law in the Alberta justice system (including provincial and federal Crown prosecutors, defence counsel, legal clinics and duty counsel) to participate in the survey.

The program community survey will help the evaluation gather critical feedback on how the Gladue Reports are being used and their overall impact on sentencing decisions, clients and justice system partners. In addition to the criminal law legal community, the program community survey is open to Alberta Parole Board officers, probation officers and community organizations that support Indigenous offenders. The judiciary will also be invited to participate in the evaluation through a separate survey.

The program community survey is available online from May 2 – 30, 2025. Participation in the survey is voluntary and anonymous.

Please note the survey has a ‘Save and Return’ feature that allows participants to save their responses at any time and return to complete it later while the survey is open. If you choose to do this, you will be asked to enter your email so a link to your survey can be sent to you. Email addresses are not provided with responses to the evaluators and so your response remains anonymous. If you do not wish to provide your email address, you would need to complete the survey in one session.

Questions regarding the survey can be directed to the Research and Evaluation Team.

Iris Barry Yake Robe Bank Update

Calgary lawyers can now access and drop-off donations of freshly dry-cleaned gowns and waistcoats at the Iris Barry Yake Robe Bank in the Calgary Courthouse at the Law Library. More information can be found on the Law Library website. If you have questions or want to make a donation of robes or provide financial support, please contact Katrina Edgerton-McGhan or Sarah Lulman.

In Edmonton, the Iris Barry Yake Robe Bank is still set up to receive donations at the Edmonton Courthouse. Please reach out to Moira Váně via LinkedIn or Twitter if you have any questions.

Learn more about the Robe Bank.

IBA ‘50:50 by 2030’ Project: Phase 2 – Women in Law Survey

The International Bar Association’s (IBA) 50:50 Project aims to explore the lack of gender parity across all levels of the legal profession, with a focus on those in senior positions. Phase 2 of the project comprises a global survey seeking views from women lawyers, as well as those who have recently left the profession, about a variety of topics, including:

• their experience as lawyers in the profession; 
• initiatives available and their impact; 
• barriers to practice; reasons for staying or leaving the profession; 
• areas or sectors of practice; 
• career satisfaction; and 
• the impact of family or other caring responsibilities on their careers.

Responses will be collected anonymously. Every response is valuable and will help to better understand the experiences of women working in the profession worldwide.  

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