Western Canada Competency Profile

Over the last year and a half, the Law Societies of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan have been working on a project to identify and validate the competencies needed for entry to legal practice. This initiative resulted in the development of the Western Canada Competency Profile (WCCP), which will inform lawyer training and education, including bar admission program development and experiential learning opportunities in the coming years. 

While the WCCP has been approved by all four western provinces, it is not being implemented at this time.  

We are sharing the WCCP now to keep the profession updated on our work around lawyer competency and to share the final product resulting from the validation survey that was disseminated last year. For the time being, students will not be assessed at the time of bar call based on the competencies listed in the WCCP, nor are principals responsible to integrate the competencies into learning plans. No action is required from articling students or principals at this time. 

The WCCP is the first step in a larger initiative and it will take time to fully implement. There is a significant amount of work that still needs to be done with the WCCP, particularly around where and how these competencies will be acquired and the appropriate method of assessment for these competencies.

For more information about WCCP and next steps, visit our website. 

Reminder: 2024 Articling Survey 

Are you a current articling student, new lawyer (under five years of call), principal, firm recruiter or mentor of articling students? There’s still time to provide your feedback. 

The Law Society of Alberta, in conjunction with the law societies of British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society, is seeking feedback on the types of training and mentoring articling students are receiving, issues related to discrimination or harassment and how prepared articling students feel to practise law in the 21st century. Through two distinct surveys—one targeting articling students and new lawyers, and the other tailored for principals, recruiters and mentors—we aim to identify parallel issues within the articling system from their unique perspectives. 

Take the Surveys 

Take the surveys at the links below: 

• For articling students and new lawyers 
• For principals, recruiters and mentors 

The surveys take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete and your survey responses are anonymous and confidential. Please encourage as many articling students, lawyers, principals, mentors and recruiters to complete the survey as possible. The surveys will remain open until end of day Thursday, June 20, 2024. 

At the end of the surveys, enter for a chance to win a free Legal Education Society of Alberta webinar or on-demand program of your choice (valued up to $95). 

A third-party consultant will analyze the data for trends and improvements, ensuring findings are not linked to personal identities when presented publicly. A summary of the findings will be shared once finalized. 

For more information on the articling survey, read our FAQ or contact Feedback. 

Court of King's Bench Announcement

Expansion of the King's Bench Filing Digital Service (FDS) to Include Civil Justice Chambers in Red Deer

Effective May 21, 2024, the Court of King’s Bench Filing Digital Service program will expand to include filings for Civil Justice Chambers in Red Deer for hearings scheduled on or after June 17, 2024.

View the full announcement.

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