Law Society Launches Learning Centre and Small Firm Practice Course
We are pleased to introduce the Law Society Learning Centre, an interactive and informative collection of educational resources for lawyers. The first offering on the Learning Centre is the Small Firm Practice Course.
Designed to be self-paced and self-testing, the course offers modules on key areas of practice related to sole and small firm practitioners, ranging from practice management, trust accounting, technology issues and various other elements of operating a legal practice. Each module is made up of a textbook, a quiz and related resources. At this time, we have released 10 modules within the Small Firm Practice Course and will be releasing more in the coming months. Additional courses will continue to be developed and added over time.
We are working to be more proactive in our regulatory approach, developing comprehensive and relevant materials to support Alberta lawyers in delivering quality legal services.
Why begin with the Small Firm Practice Course?
Our statistics tell us that sole and small firm practitioners are disproportionately represented in concerns reported to the Law Society. Common concerns reported involve practice management or client service issues. For many sole or small firm practitioners, there is no one down the hall to get advice from – on a range of issues from technology to trust safety and everything else in between.
Armed with more information and better tools, we believe that sole and small firm practitioners will have a more efficient practice, a happier clientele, fewer concerns coming to the Law Society and perhaps even a stronger bottom line.
Why is the information on the Learning Centre publically available?
Lawyers have asked for easily available and comprehensive resources to help support them in their day-to-day practice management. All course materials in the Learning Centre are designed for lawyers and students-at-law in Alberta, but may also be of value to staff including legal assistants, paralegals and legal bookkeepers. While the Learning Centre is publically available, it is not intended to teach a non-lawyer how to practice law or to assist self-represented people.
The Learning Centre focuses on the business of operating a law practice in compliance with Law Society Rules and does not constitute legal advice. Learning Centre resources do not provide education on substantive law or legal theory. Providing practice management tools on an open basis does not facilitate the unauthorized practice of law, nor does it equip non-lawyers to develop legal knowledge.
While the information on the Learning Centre is valuable as a one-stop resource on selected topics, the Learning Centre generally does not contain information that cannot be sourced elsewhere.
The Law Society regulates the legal profession in the public interest. This includes providing tools and resources to assist lawyers in delivering quality legal services.
Do I have to login to take a course?
While you will be able to view all textbook material on the Online Learning Centre without registering, you must register to access the quiz material. You must create a new user account and password for the Online Learning Centre. Registration is not linked through the Lawyer Portal because this a separate platform and the Law Society does not track your quiz results.
Read more FAQs about the Learning Centre and the Small Firm Practice Course.
If you have any questions, email the Small Firm Practice Course Moderator.