February 3, 2020
Congratulations 2019 Recognition of Service Recipients
The Law Society’s Recognition of Service Program honours long-standing lawyers in Alberta for their contributions to the legal profession.

We would like to congratulate the 30-year and 50-year recipients for reaching this important milestone in their legal career. View the 2019 recipients on our website here .

For more information on the Recognition of Service program, visit our website .
Introducing the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion and Lawyer Competence Advisory Committees
In Fall 2019, the Law Society put out a call for volunteers to participate on a Practice Foundations Advisory Committee. We received over 70 applications and were overwhelmed by the interest from the profession.

As a result of the high quality of applications, the Practice Foundations Task Force decided to split the Advisory Committee into two: Equity Diversity & Inclusion and Lawyer Competence. We are pleased to announce the members of the Advisory Committees .

We are grateful for the interest and support from the profession and look forward to holding more engagement opportunities to collect valuable input on the topic of articling and entry level practice.

The development of these committees was born out of the results from our articling surveys last year. You can view the full report on these surveys on our website here .
Participate in the Part-time Membership Pilot
Lawyers who are currently active can now participate in the part-time membership pilot by selecting part-time status directly through the Lawyer Portal. To qualify, lawyers must certify that they meet the part-time requirements. 

Lawyers who are not currently active and want to practise part-time should: 

  1. Review the rules for reinstatement (Rules of the Law Society of Alberta 115-118) to evaluate the requirements needed to reinstate;
  2. Submit an Application for Reinstatement; and 
  3. Select part-time status through the Lawyer Portal.

Students who applied online on or after April 1, 2019 who want to practise part-time can select part-time status through the Lawyer Portal once they are eligible to complete their Bar call ceremony. Students who applied prior to April 1, 2019 with a paper application will need to contact Membership to change their status to part-time. 

View this how-to guide on how to change your status using the Lawyer Portal. 

Upon receiving approval of part-time status from the Law Society, lawyers must track their hours and billable tasks to ensure they meet the part-time requirements. 

What are the part-time requirements?

After extensive engagement with the profession, part-time membership has been defined as a lawyer in private practice who:

  • works fewer than 20 hours per week on average and fewer than 750 hours per year in total on billable tasks, excluding pro bono work; and
  • has gross billings of less than $90,000 per year globally.

Lawyers who choose part-time membership status will pay half of the full-time membership fee of $2,730 (GST inclusive). The indemnity levy of $3,344 (GST inclusive) still applies in full to part-time membership.

Payment of Fees

Complete your status change no later than Feb. 11, 2020 to ensure that you are invoiced for the correct amount for the March 15, 2020 to March 15, 2021 membership cycle.

If you do not choose your status by Feb. 11, you will be issued an invoice for your current status. Changes to your status following Feb. 11 can still be made through the Lawyer Portal and adjustments to your invoice will be applied. See the 2020-2021 Pro-Rated Part-time Fees Schedule .

Questions?  

For further details on the part-time fees pilot visit this web page , read our FAQ or contact the Membership department.
Status Change Options Available through the Lawyer Portal
Alberta lawyers can now select their membership status online through the Lawyer Portal. Lawyers now have two options to change their status to one of the following:

  • Active, private practice
  • This is for lawyers who are practising in law firms or as sole practitioners
  • Lawyers who wish to practise part-time may apply here 
 
  • Active, in-house 
  • This includes lawyers who are employed by the government or corporations

Additionally, students who applied online on or after April 1, 2019 can also select “Non-Practising” and “Pro Bono” status online once they are eligible to complete their Bar call ceremony. 

If you want to change your employment and it affects your status, complete the Request to Change Contact Particulars Form on our website.

For more information, view the detailed how-to guide on how to change your status using the Lawyer Portal.
Practice Management 101 Sessions: Life Cycle of a File
The Practice Management team is offering two in-person sessions and one webinar on the basics of effective practice strategies from the beginning of a file through to the end. Join them for a discussion on these strategies that will increase your efficiency and decrease your risk.

To register and learn more about these sessions, click on one of the links below:
Internationally Trained Lawyers Conference
We are hosting two educational conferences in March for internationally trained lawyers looking to learn more about the process of becoming a lawyer in Alberta. The conference will feature information on the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), the articling process and the new Bar admission course, PREP, as well as advice on how to succeed in the Canadian legal profession.

If you or someone you know is an internationally trained lawyer, an international student-at-law or a Canadian with international legal education, this conference is an excellent introduction to the legal profession in Alberta. Click on one of the links below to learn more and register:


Password for both events: ITLCONFERENCE
Court of Queen's Bench: Notice to the Profession and Public
CanLII Survey
The Law Society of Alberta is supporting the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) in conducting a survey to obtain feedback on the needs and concerns of our members. The survey should only take five to seven minutes of your time to complete.

Answers to the survey are unattributed to individual members and will only be used in compilation with the answers of others. Click here to complete the survey.