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Ethics & Professionalism
Legal ethics are principles and values which, along with conduct rules and common law, regulate a lawyer's behavior.
| Resource | Summary |
|---|---|
| CPD Tips: Ethics and Professionalism | This competency requires a lawyer to possess not only knowledge of legal ethics but the skill to apply legal ethics in practice and conduct him or herself with professionalism as a representative of the Court and the justice system in Alberta. |
| An Ethical Trap: Dealing With Unmerited Fee Complaints | It’s unethical to settle a fee dispute in exchange for the client’s promise not to report a complaint or to withdraw a Law Society complaint. |
| Avoid the Penalty Box | The top recent insurance claims trends (inspired by the names of NHL teams). |
| Communicating with the Court | Lawyers frequently call the Practice Advisors’ Office to discuss the ethics of communicating with the court. |
| Conflicts Essentials | Webinar |
| Detecting Identity Fraud | Due to recent incidents of identity fraud, it is important to investigate this question if your newest client is such a borrower. |
| Employee Theft on the Rise: Are You At Risk? | Employee theft exposes lawyers and law firms to personal financial risk. |
| Ethical Queries and Quandaries: Issues Commonly Raised With Practice Advisors | From the Winter 2019 Edition of CBA – Alberta Branch Law Matters
The Practice Advisors see many of the same issues arising across the full spectrum of practice areas. |
| LinkedIn: Maintaining Authenticity in Your Online Profile | When you accept and publish LinkedIn endorsements that are suspect, are you violating the Law Society of Alberta’s Code of Conduct? |
| Navigating Not-For-Profits | The Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s Model Code of Professional Conduct encourages lawyers to act as directors of not-for-profit and charitable organizations. |
| Original Wills: Privilege and Lien Issues | Although it is recommended that lawyers give original wills to the testator client with appropriate instructions for storage, they sometimes remain in the lawyer’s file or vault. |
| Paying Practice Debts | A lawyer has a duty to carry on the practice of law and discharge all responsibilities to clients, tribunals, the public and other members of the profession honourably and with integrity. |
| Privacy Breached: Now What? | For hackers, lawyers represent a high value target. Billions of dollars flow through Alberta lawyers’ trust accounts every year |
| Real Estate | CBA Reports |
| Signing Court Orders | Lawyers owe a duty to the court to sign orders to which they have agreed or which have been granted by the court. |
| Solicitor-Client Privilege and Demands for Disclosure | In response to inquiries from lawyers regarding demands for disclosure, the Law Society of Alberta developed a position statement to provide guidance when they are faced with such demands. |
| Top Five Ways to Avoid Falling Into the Mortgage Fraud Trap | Given the recent economic climate, fraudsters may be on the lookout for ways to target unsuspecting lawyers. |
| Top Ten Ways to Avoid Law Society Complaints | Provide your clients with realistic timelines for their matter, and update those timelines when things change. |
| The Code of Conduct and Your Staff | A skilled legal assistant makes for happier clients, happier lawyers and, often, a better bottom line. With this in mind, you must also empower your legal support staff with the knowledge they need to succeed. |
| Trust Conditions Guidelines | Alberta lawyers appreciated the format of the previous Code rules respecting trust conditions – a familiar checklist or guide for working through trust conditions issues. |
| Untying the Knot: Withdrawing from a Client | Lawyers frequently ask the Practice Advisors whether circumstances justify firing a client. Even if the answer is yes, sometimes the lawyer is obligated to continue acting. |
| What Can a Student-at-law Do? | You will see that the right to give legal advice and appear before courts turns upon being a lawyer, barrister, solicitor, member of the bar, advocate, avocat, attorney, agent, counsel or officer of the court. |
| When a Lawyer Leaves a Firm | Lawyers are no longer committed to the same firm for their whole careers, and regularly move to new firms or leave to start their own practices. |