Practice Advisors Availability Between July 1 and Sept. 30

July 13, 2023

The Practice Advisors will be alternating time off in the coming months, and during these periods the department will have fewer staff available to take calls and emails. To accommodate this, the standard response protocol for non-urgent matters will be adjusted.

The response time for non-urgent inquiries between July 1 and Sept. 30 will be up to five business days. Inquiries may receive a response earlier depending on call and email volumes, but callers should be prepared for up to five days.

The Practice Advisors are available as a free and confidential service for Alberta lawyers. They support staff and articling students with legal, ethical and practice inquiries. They also provide their confidential services to lawyers from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Every day, a significant number of inquiries they receive are flagged as urgent. To ensure that time-sensitive calls receive a timely response, inquiries are triaged. Matters that are considered urgent and will receive a response within the same or following business day are:

  • same day or next day real estate closings;
  • same day or next day court matters; and,
  • public, client and lawyer safety concerns (Please note: Safety concerns are defined as immediate threats of harm by clients or the public to themselves or to others, including the lawyer).

Other matters submitted as time sensitive or urgent will be reviewed by the assigned Practice Advisor and they will prioritize accordingly in their call queue.

Practice Advisors will try to limit conversations to a maximum of 30 minutes so they can help as many lawyers as possible. To ensure a timely response, please do not send multiple requests.

For additional information, visit the Office of the Practice Advisor web page.