Rule Amendments from November 28, 2024 Board Meeting
New Option for Conduct Committee Panels – Letters of Caution
At the Nov. 28 Board Meeting, the Benchers approved amendments to Rule 88 of the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta, allowing a new option for Conduct Committee Panels (CCP) when considering conduct that does not require a discipline hearing.
Previously, the only alternative to a hearing available to a CCP to address a complaint where a matter had met the Threshold Test was to direct the matter to a Mandatory Conduct Advisory. The Letter of Caution offers another option when the Threshold Test is met.
Letters of Caution would not form part of a lawyer’s public disciplinary record. Adding a Letter of Caution option allows for greater flexibility and efficiency in our regulatory processes and is consistent with the processes of other law societies across Canada.
Information about the Law Society’s complaint process and related guidelines and protocols can be found on our website.
Payment of Prior Years’ Inactive Fees
At the Nov. 28 Board meeting, the Benchers approved amendments to Rule 115(2)(d) of the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta. With this change, lawyers seeking to reinstate from an administrative suspension are no longer required to pay the annual inactive status fee for each year of non-payment during their suspension.