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Lawyers Essential to the Success of Legal Aid Alberta
By Sarah Florio, Communications, Legal Aid Alberta
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Legal Aid Alberta is an organization dedicated to ensuring that their clients are connected with skilled lawyers. Private bar participation in legal aid is essential to the success and sustainability of its program.
Currently, LAA is experiencing the impact of a 61 per cent decline (since 2005) in the number of active lawyers on its roster (private bar). This decline has produced a noticeable strain on both LAA and the justice system overall as more unrepresented litigants appear in court every day. Legal Aid Alberta is challenged to make itself easier to do business with, so that lawyers are motivated to support the program.
In early 2008, a comprehensive survey of roster and non-roster lawyers provided LAA with a defined focus on how to maintain the participation of lawyers in legal aid work. Legal Aid Alberta appreciates that its tariff may often just cover operational costs for many lawyers, but is confident that improved processes and value-added services, combined with the legal profession's desire to aid those who cannot otherwise afford representation, will encourage lawyers to take on legal aid cases.
One particular improvement was seen in January 2008 when LAA introduced a new, simplified tariff which also made it possible for students-at-law to accept their own certificates. |
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Another step forward was seen with LAA's announcement that it would be designing a new, user-friendly online billing site. With the launch set for early 2009, the new online billing site will offer roster lawyers easy, secure access to their accounts online and accelerate the compensation process.
Also, LAA is developing a roster lawyer recognition program, a redesigned and interactive roster website portal, and a mentorship program for lawyers working on legal aid files. All of these improvements have been developed to assist Legal Aid's Roster partners in being successful with their files. Support for lawyers who do legal aid work is especially vital with the expansion of LAA's financial eligibility guidelines and the subsequent potential coverage of an additional 6400 Albertans in need.
The services that Legal Aid Alberta provides to low-income Albertans in need of legal support are vital to ensuring equal access to justice for all Albertans. Without the expertise and willingness of Alberta lawyers to accept legal aid certificates, the goal of ensuring equal access to justice will stall.
Legal Aid Alberta welcomes suggestions from the private bar as to how we can further improve our services and inquiries about how to join the LAA Roster. Please direct comments or inquiries to roster@legalaid.ab.ca  |
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*Legal Aid has since recognized that measuring the number of lawyers taking new files on an annual basis is not reflective of the number of lawyers working on LAA cases. It is changing the benchmarks to report on new cases taken over 2 years. Based on this (and a recent update of the LAA roster), there are currently over 900 active lawyers. | |
