Category Archives: Legal Education

Law Society of Alberta Responds on TWU Law School Issue

By: Jennifer Koshan

PDF Version: Law Society of Alberta Responds on TWU Law School Issue

Back in February we posted a letter sent by signatories from the University of Calgary and University of Alberta law schools to the Law Society of Alberta concerning the process for approval of Trinity Western University (TWU)’s proposed new law school and the admission of TWU graduates as students at law in Alberta. We asked the Law Society to reconsider its delegation of decision making power to the Federation of Law Societies, or in the alternative, to work together with other Canadian law societies to consider amending the approval criteria to address the issues raised by TWU Law School and its Community Covenant. We received a response from Law Society of Alberta President Kevin Feth QC late last week. The letter:  Continue reading →

U of C and U of A Law Profs’ Submission to the Law Society of Alberta on Trinity Western University Law School

By Jennifer Koshan, Jonnette Watson Hamilton and Alice Woolley

 PDF Version: U of C and U of A Law Profs’ Submission to the Law Society of Alberta on Trinity Western University Law School

Commented on: Letter from members of the Faculties of Law at U of C and U of A to the Law Society of Alberta

On January 28, 2014, over 30 law professors and members of affiliated institutes and centres from the University of Calgary and University of Alberta submitted a letter to the president and president-elect of the Law Society of Alberta.  The purpose of the letter was “to express our concerns on the decision making process taken to date for the approval of Trinity Western University School of Law’s program and the eligibility of TWU’s graduates to become students-at-law in Alberta.”  Trinity Western University (TWU) received approval from the British Columbia government on December 18, 2013 to open a law school. The school is anticipated to commence operations with its first class of 60 law students in September 2015. TWU is a private, Christian university which requires its students and staff to abide by a Community Covenant Agreement (available here). It is in this context that these concerned legal academics submitted the following letter:

Continue reading →

In Memoriam: The Law Society of Alberta Code of Professional Conduct, 1995-2011 (1995 Code)

PDF version: In Memoriam: The Law Society of Alberta Code of Professional Conduct, 1995-2011 (1995 Code)

Comment on: The new Law Society of Alberta Code of Conduct.

In the fall of 2011 the Law Society of Alberta implemented a new Code of Professional Conduct.  The new Code is based on the Model Code of the Canadian Federation of Law Societies.  Its implementation resulted in the repeal of the prior Law Society of Alberta Code of Conduct (“1995 Code”), the implementation of which in 1995 may be the most innovative step ever taken by a Canadian law society.  The 1995 Code rejected the Canadian Bar Association Model Code, which all Canadian law societies had to that point followed, more or less, with its narrow scope and tendency towards the aspirational.  Instead the 1995 Code set out clear and comprehensive guidelines establishing the essential obligations of lawyers working across practice contexts, and covering the spectrum of the tasks that lawyers do.

Continue reading →

Introducing LawNet Alberta, formerly known as ACJNet Alberta

Thanks to the Alberta Law Foundation, the Access to Justice Network, ACJNet, a well-known Canadian public legal information and education site, has been comprehensively restructured and re-launched as three attractive web portals: LawNet Alberta, LawNet Canada, and LawNet Français. The new LawNet Alberta portal has some interesting new features, including a Special Topics section that features items related to issues of interest to Albertans. That section currently includes information on topics such as “Full Body Scanners in Airports”, “Grandparents’ Rights” and “Privacy and Facebook.”

Legal ethics and academic freedom?

Considered: Task Force on the Canadian Common Law Degree Final Report

PDF version: Legal ethics and academic freedom?

Introduction

Last week the Federation of Law Societies issued the “Final Report” of its Task Force on the Canadian Common Law Degree. The Final Report is the third document issued by the Task Force, the first being an initial Consultation Paper in September 2008, the second being its Interim Report issued in March 2009.

Continue reading →