Legal Aid Alberta has become aware that some individuals in custody have been unable to contact LAA in a timely manner due to COVID-19 safety precautions.
Legal Aid Alberta has become aware that some individuals in custody have been unable to contact LAA in a timely manner to apply for coverage. We understand this is due to temporarily enhanced COVID-19 safety precautions in remand centres to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
For some individuals, the only timely point of contact with LAA is the brief discussion with a duty counsel lawyer prior to a docket court appearance. Others have been able to contact us and apply as usual.
In response, Legal Aid Alberta has taken steps to temporarily adjust the intake process to support individuals in custody and get their application into the system without delay. The goal is to minimize court delays and the time it takes to get approved for a lawyer, while supporting our partners across the justice system during these exceptional times.
“Legal Aid Alberta has been able to mobilize quickly to provide a timely, short-term solution,” said LAA Director of Client Services Luci Werstiuk. “We’re grateful to our frontline teams for their flexibility and willingness to step up and help during these challenging times.”
As a reminder, LAA’s current intake process remains the same for all other Albertans who need legal assistance.
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