The mandate of the Appeal Committee is to:

• review and decide appeals from dismissals of complaints
• review the written record that was before the Executive Director when the direction to dismiss the complaint was made
• if necessary, review new evidence if it is relevant and material and was not reasonably available prior to the dismissal
• upon completion of the review, direct that the matter be dismissed or referred to the Conduct Committee

Members:

The mandate of the Assurance Fund Adjudications (Finance) Committee is to:

• adjudicate claims made to the Assurance Fund
• make decisions on matters referred to the committee for determination
• refuse or approve with or without conditions all or any part of the amount of compensation that may be claimed by a person who submits a claim based on a lawyer’s misappropriation of funds or property entrusted to them in the course of their practice as a barrister and solicitor
• report to Benchers all dispositions of the claims brought to it

Members:

The mandate of the Audit and Finance Committee is to:

• monitor the financial affairs of the Law Society including oversight of the audit of the annual financial statements
• review the Law Society annual business plan and budget and recommend to the Board
• act on behalf of the Board in regard to the review of quarterly interim financial results and investment performance
• set or recommend fees and costs payable by lawyers as required and as prescribed by the Rules
• make recommendations to the Board concerning financial matters

Members:

The mandate of the Bencher Election Task Force is to:

• develop strategies for increasing number and diversity of candidates running for Bencher.
• develop strategies for increasing voter engagement and turnout for Bencher election.
• develop recommendations for Bencher candidate campaign materials.
• develop recommendations for Bencher candidate education and orientation.
• make recommendations regarding how election results are shared with candidates and the profession.

Members:

The mandate of the Conduct Committee is to:

• provide timely, efficient, consistent and fair review and disposition of conduct matters
• as appropriate, dismiss a conduct matter or direct that the matter be dealt with by a Hearing Committee when appropriate
• hear and decide matters referred to it in connection with the professional status of students and lawyers
• refer conduct matters to the appropriate department of the Law Society as required

Members:

The mandate of the Credentials and Education Committee is to:

• assess the competency and risk factors of an individual who wishes to enter or re-enter the practice of law in Alberta
• review and decide applications for admission to the Law Society and for a change of professional status, including reinstatement
• review and decide good character matters
• hear and decide CPLED appeals
• otherwise hear and decide matters referred to it in connection with the professional status of students and lawyers
• as otherwise required, hear and decide appeals from decisions of the Executive Director

Members:

This committee was Bencher approved on December 5, 2019 and will be populated and approved by the Benchers on February 20, 2020.

The mandate of the Executive Committee is to:

• make recommendations to the Board for motions to be passed by the Benchers;
• monitor the Strategic Plan and Business Plan
• make decisions on any matter arising between Board meetings that in the opinion of the Committee requires immediate consideration
• determine the remuneration payable to the Executive Director

Members:

This committee was Bencher approved on December 5, 2019 and will be populated and approved by the Benchers on February 20, 2020.

The mandate of the Nominating Committee is to:

• recommend to the Board individuals for appointment to committees
• recommend to the Board individuals for appointment to other bodies as Committee members or representatives
• when additional people are required to staff a task force or sub-committee, make recommendations to the Board to fill vacant positions from the list of practicing lawyer applicants who were not appointed to a committee

Members:

The mandate of the Pension Committee is to:

• oversee the administration of the employee pension plans of the Law Society in accordance with the applicable pension legislation
• make recommendations to the Executive Committee related to changes in governance, funding and fund investment policies and other plan documents
• regularly review pension fund financial statements, actuarial valuations and investment performance
• oversee the ongoing administration of the pension plans by Law Society management

Members:

The mandate of the Policy Committee is to:

• as directed by the Executive Committee and in consultation with the Executive Director, support the Board’s policy making process by ensuring due diligence and analysis of policy issues before they are placed before the Board for consideration
• in consultation with the Executive Committee and the Executive Director, develop and maintain processes and tools to monitor the progress of all active policy initiatives
• generally coordinate, in accordance with the current Strategic Plan policy, initiatives that arise from time to time

Members:

The mandate of the Practice Review Committee is to:

• identify lawyers who may be encountering difficulties in their law practice
• take proactive steps to assist such lawyers, including providing timely, practical, and achievable recommendations to them
• as appropriate, refer such lawyers to Law Society staff for such assistance
• as appropriate, refer such lawyers to the Conduct Committee or a Hearing Committee
• monitor such lawyers’ progress over a reasonable period of time
• ensure appropriate reporting to relevant parties

Members:

The mandate of the Professional Responsibility Committee is to:

• determine whether or not to re-examine a complaint dismissed by the Executive Director, the Conduct Committee, or the Appeal Committee; and commence such determination only if the Chair of the Conduct Committee is of the view that the person dismissing the matter may have overlooked a significant legal or factual element or may not have been aware at the time of dismissal of all of the significant legal and factual elements

Members:

The mandate of the Trust Safety Committee is to:

• adjudicate claims to undisbursable trust funds
• hear appeals from decisions of the Manager, Trust Safety, or Executive Director
• ensure compliance with mandatory Trust Safety condition requirements
• ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements concerning lawyer trust accounts

Members: