Sustainability of Law Society Means Better Access to Justice | ||
Don Thompson, Q.C., Executive Director Beginning with 144 lawyers in 1907, and growing to an active membership of 8,000 lawyers 100 years later, the Law Society of Alberta is building on its past accomplishments and rising to its future challenges. We've come a long way in 100 years - yet we continue to address the changing needs of the public, and how we can best serve those interests. This is our centennial year, of which we can all be proud. There will be, and have been, a variety of celebratory events to mark this milestone in our history. This is also a time to take stock of what we have accomplished, and look ahead to where we want to go, and what we see developing in the future. As lawyers and as Canadians we tend to take for granted the rule of law, and the role of our profession in sustaining its important role in our societal interactions. Canadians rely on the law every day: it protects our rights, resolves conflict in a civilized fashion, provides orderly government, and provides certainty in commercial transactions. At the same time, we are cognizant of how difficult it is for average Canadians to access justice. For most people, access to justice means getting advice and representation, before the courts and in other settings. Frequently this requires access to a lawyer. But for many individuals, access to legal services is beyond their means. |
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What are we doing about this? The Law Society of Alberta has a long history of working to increase access to legal aid. As our centennial legacy project, we have launched Pro Bono Law Alberta, a network to facilitate even more pro bono work by lawyers, and to find innovative pro bono projects between partners. We are working with other law societies across Canada to explore increases in the supply of legal services for ordinary Canadians. The Law Society of Alberta is also striving for excellence in our role as a regulator. Determining who becomes a lawyer, and dealing with the conduct and competence of lawyers in practice, are core parts of our mandate. We are working to continuously improve these important parts of our business. We also support the competence of our regulated lawyers, through the Alberta bar admission course, continuing legal education and professional development, practice advice, the equity ombudsperson, law libraries, the Alberta Law Review, a short-term counselling and referral program, environmental scanning to identify best practices, practice review and loss prevention. We have much to be proud of in the past 100 years of service by the legal profession. While there are challenges ahead, our record of addressing emerging issues in relevant and meaningful ways shows that we are up to the challenge. The Law Society of Alberta has been a leader in regulating the legal profession in Canada and internationally, and we intend to continue to hold ourselves to the vision of being a model regulator. |
| When: | October 4, 2007 6:00 p.m. |
| Where: | Calgary, RoundUp Centre: MC - Allan Shewchuk Edmonton, Northlands: MC - James A. Wachowich |
| Schedule: | |
| 6:00 p.m. | Reception (Cash Bar) |
| 7:00 p.m. | Program and simulcast begins |
| 8:30 p.m. | The Honourable Peter Lougheed |
| 9:00 p.m. | Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin |
| 9:30 p.m. | Closing - Jim Peacock, QC, President of LSA |
| (Both speeches to be simulcast) | |
| 100th Anniversary Commemorative Book Launch | |
| When: | October 23, 2007 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. |
| Where: | Lougheed House 707-13 Avenue SW, Calgary RSVP: By October 17th, 2007 |
| (403) 229-4779 or | |
| Brooke.hunter@ lawsocietyalberta.com | |
| 100th Anniversary Conference | |
| When: | Oct.26 - 27, 2007 |
| Where: | Lister Centre and Faculty Club |
| University of Alberta, Edmonton | |
| Friday, October 26, 2007 | |
| Keynote Speech: Harry Arthurs | |
| Former President, York University | |
| Saturday, October 27, 2007 | |
| Keynote Speaker - The Honourable A. | |
| Anne McLellan, PC | |
For more details on the conference program, panelists or to register online, please visit: www.lawsocietyalberta.com  | |
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