September 1, 2020
2020 Continuing Professional Development Cycle Reminder
Filing a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plan is not mandatory in 2020 and 2021. This means lawyers will not be administratively suspended for not filing a plan for these years.

Although the filing requirement is temporarily lifted, lawyers are still encouraged to develop and submit an annual CPD Plan. Taking the time out to schedule professional development activities benefits you, your law firm or organization and your clients.

You can access the CPD Planning Tool on the Lawyer Portal to develop and submit your 2020 CPD Plan until September 30, 2020.

All Alberta lawyers must remain committed to professional development activities that are of-interest or where there may be room for growth. The Law Society Code of Conduct, Chapter 3, imposes an ethical responsibility on lawyers to be competent in all legal services undertaken on a client’s behalf. It remains the responsibility of every Alberta lawyer to maintain their own competence and self-assess areas for improvement.

Read more about the path forward.
Walk with Assist, Together in Spirit but Physically Apart, on Sept 10
The Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist) is pleased to invite the legal community to its annual Walk for Wellness. While a group walk is not possible this year, raising awareness about lawyer mental health issues and Assist’s programs is more important than ever.
 
Please join Assist on a socially distanced Buddy Up Walk. You can walk with a friend, colleague or small group (while maintaining social distancing) on September 10 at noon for World Suicide Prevention Day.
 
You are encouraged to post a photo to your Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn account and tag Assist, or email photos to program-manager@lawyersassist.ca. Assist will select one photo to be displayed on the cover of its 2020 Annual Report.
 
In 2019, more than 10 per cent of Alberta lawyers accessed Assist’s professional counselling services. Approximately one in four articling students and one in three law students also used Assist’s resources. With such a significant number of lawyers accessing the services at Assist in a single year, it is important to promote these valuable resources and to encourage more lawyers to reach out for help. 

Assist is championing the Centre for Suicide Prevention’s Buddy Up campaign. These resources can help everyone communicate more openly and to provide support to anyone in distress. If you want more information about this program, email program-manager@lawyersassist.ca.

Our collective mental health continues to be challenged by the pandemic. Assist offers confidential and non-judgmental psychological assistance, peer support and education. Learn more about Assist’s programs on their website. 
Court of Queen’s Bench Announcement

With the implementation of Family Docket Court in Calgary and Edmonton, and in accordance with the new responsibilities assigned to Case Management Counsel (CMC) (now referred to as Resolution Counsel or RC), the Court is making a number of changes to the way it conducts case management.

Criminal matters that have formally been assigned into case management under Criminal Code s. 551.1 are not affected by this announcement.