1960s - 1980s
The compiled list of events were collected through archives, newspapers, old annual reports and interviews with Legal Aid Alberta employees.
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in Alberta is made by the law society and the attorney general.
in Edmonton and is extended to Calgary shortly thereafter.
is put forward by a joint committee chaired by Judge S.S. Liberman. The proposal recommends agreements rather than legislation as the basis of the legal aid plan.
through a law society/attorney general agreement. The proposal forms the basis of the legal aid plan, which has continued to exist in Alberta since that time. The rate paid to lawyers who take legal aid cases is set at $15/hour.
as a non-profit society under the Societies Act with offices in both Edmonton and Calgary. LAA hires 12 employees for the Edmonton office operating on the third floor of the McLeod Building and four staff members operating out of the Calgary Courthouse.
Credit: Canadian Press
through the establishment of a joint committee, which later transitioned to a board of directors in 1980.
with Banff-Gleichen becoming the pioneering location for duty counsel services in Alberta.
with a new office in Lethbridge and one full-time administrator.
in provincial criminal and juvenile courts across the province.
By 1981, LAA maintains nine offices across the province including: Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, St. Paul, Peace River, Grande Prairie and Wetaskiwin. A part-time service agreement is in place for Fort Macleod.
is implemented by the Government of Alberta after lawyers threaten to boycott legal aid cases because of the hourly rate.
Material republished with the express permission of: Edmonton Journal/Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
allows Canada to have control over its Constitution and provides guaranteed legal rights to all Canadians.
and responds by opening its first Fort McMurray location. The number of issued certificates rises to 17,267. The Board establishes an executive committee.
and LAA lawyers begin working with youth legal aid applicants. LAA lawyers work on 501 youth cases that year and by 1987 complete 4,525 cases. By 1993, youth cases rise to 8,458.
with LAA opening a new service location in Hinton, its 11th regional office in the province.
for youth offenders. The government program eliminates the need for youth to formally apply for legal aid, while also offering counsel a higher rate of compensation compared to other legal aid cases.Description Here
giving clients the freedom to choose their own lawyer. Previously, lawyers were offered legal aid cases on a rotating basis.
and is now available in 47 locations across Alberta.
Photo credit: Provincial Archives of Alberta, A17364.
prompts Legal Aid Alberta to begin representing Albertans at mental health review panel hearings.