Volunteer.

Edmonton Community Legal Centre, Calgary Legal Guidance, and Pro Bono Law Alberta are looking for active lawyers and retired judges and lawyers to provide advice to Albertans dealing with debt.
We encourage you to support your local clinics. The Law Society’s full list of Approved Legal Service Providers is here.  

What to expect:

An entirely virtual project where lawyers can choose to provide summary debt and/or foreclosure advice or to take the file forward to try to negotiate an acceptable outcome for the client. While volunteers may help prep clients for court, they do not go to court. Perks of volunteering:
  • Weekly emails requesting availability and areas of interest.
  • Experienced lawyers available to mentor if needed.
  • The volunteer commitment varies and is based on your availability for the week​.
  • Helping Albertans in debt!

1. Active or Active for Pro Bono
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Status First

Active lawyers who wish to volunteer can proceed immediately to step 2.

If you are a retired lawyer or judge, your first step is to apply to the Law Society for reinstatement and to obtain Active for Pro Bono status. There is no fee for reinstatement when you elect “Active, Pro Bono” in Form 4-1.1. There is an annual fee of $231 to maintain Pro Bono status. You will be covered by the Law Society’s insurance on the basis that you only provide pro bono legal services with a Law Society Approved Legal Service Provider. You will need to choose a clinic to volunteer, but that choice can easily be changed later. Retired lawyers need to fill out form 4-1.1. Judges need to fill out both forms 4-1.1 and 4.2. Problems changing your status? Call Membership Services at 1-800-661-9003.

If you have active status and are in the process of changing to practice pro bono only, you can do so through Lawyer Portal by following the Law Society's  online guide.

2. Training Next

Your materials for the online Debtor Support Training are hosted on LESA’s continuing education website. They will be accessible 24/7 and will be available for your reference at any time. You may start your training while you wait for your Active for Pro Bono status from the Law Society. To get started, email [email protected] to obtain access to the course.

3. Pick a Service Provider Last

The last thing to do is decide where you want to volunteer. In the introductory module of the training course each clinic describes its programs. All service providers in the Alberta Debtor Support Project expect an increase in demand for advice in this area. You can volunteer at more than one organization, and we encourage trained volunteer lawyers to do so.

PLEASE JOIN US IN HELPING ALBERTANS WITH DEBT
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