June 28, 2022
Practice Advisors' Summer Months
The Law Society is introducing changes to the Practice Advisors’ response protocol from July to September to ensure the Practice Advisors maintain coverage and availability over the summer.

The Practice Advisors are available as a free and confidential service for Alberta lawyers. They support staff and articling students with legal, ethical and practice inquiries. They also serve lawyers from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. In 2021, our three Practice Advisors responded to over 6,000 inquiries, and this year have already responded to more than 2,800 inquiries.

Every day, a significant number of inquiries are flagged as urgent. To ensure that urgent calls receive a timely response, calls are triaged.

Inquiries that will receive a response within the same or following business day are:

  • Same-day real estate closings
  • Same-day court matters
  • Public, client and lawyer safety concerns 

The response time for non-urgent inquiries will be 3 to 5 business days.

Also, our Practice Advisors will limit conversations to a maximum of 30 minutes so that they can assist as many lawyers as possible in a timely and efficient manner.

New Mentor Moment Available
Mentor Moments shares the stories and experiences of the mentors in our mentorship programs. The initiative is meant to acknowledge the contributions made by volunteer lawyers and to encourage other Alberta lawyers to consider participating.

Read our latest Mentor Moment.

For more information on Mentor Connect, Mentor Express or the Indigenous Mentorship Program, visit our website.
Federal Court Announcement
The Federal Court has issued:

  • Update #8 and Consolidated Covid-19 Practice Direction – this practice direction consolidates and supersedes all prior COVID-19 practice directions.
  • Practice Guidelines for Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Law Proceedings – these guidelines consolidate and replace the following:
  • Practice Guidelines for Citizenship, Immigration, and Refugee Law Proceedings (Nov. 5, 2018)
  • Practice Guidelines – Immigration and Refugee Proceedings: Urgent Stay Motions for Removals from Canada (Feb. 18, 2021)
  • Applications for judicial review under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Citizenship Act: Hearing Time (Oct. 29, 2015)
  • Requests for Consent Orders on Applications under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (April 18, 2006)
  • Scheduling Practice for the Hearing of Applications (Oct. 24, 2018)
  • Stay of Release from Detention Protocol (Nov. 30, 2020)
  • Settlement Discussions in Proceedings under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Dec. 17, 2021)

These documents, which both reflect the new title of Associate Judge (previously Prothonotary), are available on the Court website.
Alberta Courts Positions Available
Justice of the Peace Positions Available - Medicine Hat and Edmonton

Applications are still being accepted for a part-time Justice of the Peace position in Medicine Hat and full-time or part-time positions in Edmonton. The application form is available on the Provincial Court of Alberta’s website.

Red Deer Master in Chambers Position Available

Applications are now being accepted for a full-time Master in Chambers position in Red Deer. The application form is available on the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta’s website. Additional information is available on the Government of Alberta’s online job board.
Court of Queen's Bench Announcements

Visit the Court of Queen's Bench website for an update on procedures related to booking civil and family judicial dispute resolutions.


Effective immediately, a new filing procedure is in effect for applications for the Judicial Review of decisions from the Alberta SafeRoads tribunal, including stay applications. This new filing procedure replaces the Court’s “SafeRoads Alberta Accelerated Review Procedure” announcement, dated July 9, 2021. Read the full announcement.
Consumer Debt Negotiation Project Made Permanent Service at ECLC
The pop-up Consumer Debt Negotiation Project, created by the UCalgary Faculty of Law, is now permanently housed at the Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC). This means that Albertans struggling with debt and foreclosure will continue to receive free online legal advice and representation for negotiation with their creditors. The service is available provincewide.

ECLC needs volunteers to meet the growing demand. A free online training course hosted by the Legal Education Society of Alberta remains available for all those interested in volunteering. Lawyers are encouraged to get involved by becoming a volunteer with ECLC, which is an Approved Legal Services Provider. For more information on volunteering, contact ECLC via email. Please continue to refer clients to the Consumer Debt Negotiation Project by directing them to the Help with Debt Alberta website or the ECLC website.
Upcoming Events
Well-Being in Practice | Oct. 4 – 5, 2022

Visit our website for a full list of upcoming events.