Committees - Law Society of Alberta

Assurance Fund Adjudications (Finance) Committee

The mandate of the Assurance Fund Adjudications (Finance) Committee is to:

adjudicate claims made to the Assurance Fund;
make decisions on matters referred to the committee for determination;
refuse or approve with or without conditions all or any part of the amount of compensation that may be claimed by a person who submits a claim based on a lawyer’s misappropriation of funds or property entrusted to them in the course of their practice as a barrister and solicitor; and
report to Benchers all dispositions of the claims brought to it.

Members:

Grant Vogeli, KC, C	Kelsey J. Meyer
Vacancy	Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Mary Ellen Neilson
Glen Buick	Sandra Petersson, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Erin Runnalls, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
Levonne Louie	Nicole Stewart
Jim Lutz, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

Staff Support: Nancy Bains Jill Sletto

Audit and Finance Committee

The mandate of the Audit and Finance Committee is to:

work with the Executive Leadership Team to ensure transparent, efficient and proportionate processes are in place to support the budget work;
work with the Executive Leadership Team to ensure alignment with the business plan and budget with the Strategic Plan;
ensure compliance with the Contingency Reserves Policy;
provide oversight of the Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution Plans and report to the Executive Committee;
monitor the financial affairs of the Law Society including oversight of the audit of the annual financial statements;
act on behalf of the Board in regard to the review of quarterly interim financial results and investment performance;
set or recommend fees and costs payable by lawyers as required and as prescribed by the Rules;
make recommendations to the Board concerning financial matters; and
review the Law Society annual budget and recommend to the Board.

Members:

Jim Lutz, KC, C	Scott Matheson
Mary Ellen Neilson, VC	Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC
Glen Buick	Moira Váně, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Ex-officio: Elizabeth Osler, KC

Volunteers: Peter Bryan Andrew Grasby Brandon Schur Kayla Thompson	Staff Support: Nadine Meade Laura Scheuerman

Complaint Dismissal Appeals Committee

The mandate of the Complaint Dismissal Appeals Committee is to:

review and decide appeals from dismissals of complaints;
review the written record that was before the Executive Director when the direction to dismiss the complaint was made;
if necessary, review new evidence if it is relevant and material and was not reasonably available prior to the dismissal; and
upon completion of the review, direct that the matter be dismissed or referred to the Conduct Committee.

Members:

Grant Vogeli, KC, C	Bud Melnyk, KC
Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA, VC	Kelsey J. Meyer
Vacancy	Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Mary Ellen Neilson
Glen Buick	Sandra Petersson, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Erin Runnalls, KC
Kene IIochonwu, KC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
Levonne Louie	Nicole Stewart
Jim Lutz, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC

Conduct Committee

The mandate of the Conduct Committee is to:

provide timely, efficient, consistent and fair review and disposition of conduct matters;
review the conduct of a lawyer or student and direct that the matter be dismissed, or the conduct be dealt with by a Hearing Committee;
during the course of its review, refer matters to be addressed by other Committees or Law Society departments;
review applications, including Admissions of Guilt, discontinuances, and extensions for payment of hearing costs or fines; and
otherwise, hear and decide matters referred to it in connection with the professional status of students and lawyers.

Members:

Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA, C	Scott Matheson
A. Danielle Bourgeois, VC	Kelsey J. Meyer
Bud Melnyk, KC, VC	Mary Ellen Neilson
Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC, VC	Sandra Petersson, KC
Grant Vogeli, KC, VC	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Glen Buick	Erin Runnalls, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Nicole Stewart
Kene IIochonwu, KC	David Tupper
Levonne Louie	Moira Váně, KC
Jim Lutz, KC

Volunteers: C. Nduka Ahanonu Troy Couillard Tim Ellam, KC Laura Freeman Andrea Froese Sean Jeffers Ron Jewitt Bianca Kratt, KC Amanda Lindberg, KC Connie Mah Emily McCartney Waverly Muessle Kelly Osaka Richard Tchir, KC

Credentials and Education Committee

The mandate of the Credentials and Education Committee is to:

assess the competency and risk factors of an individual who wishes to enter or re-enter the practice of law in Alberta;
review and decide applications for admission to the Law Society and for a change of professional status, including reinstatement;
review and decide applications by students-at-law or persons wishing to become a student-at-law;
review and decide good character matters;
hear and decide appeals from decisions of the Executive Director; and
otherwise hear and decide matters referred to it in connection with the professional status of students and lawyers.

Members:

Grant Vogeli, KC, C	Kelsey J. Meyer
Vacancy	Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Mary Ellen Neilson
Glen Buick	Sandra Petersson, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Erin Runnalls, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
Levonne Louie	Nicole Stewart
Jim Lutz, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

Staff Support: Grace Ajele Tina McKay Naina Singh

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The mandate of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee is to:

examine discrimination and harassment issues arising out of the articling survey including developing recommendations on safe reporting;
examine broader issues of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the legal profession including questions around retention in private practice including the implementation of entity regulation;
consider the intersection with the Law Society Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the work of the Indigenous Initiatives Liaison;
develop recommendations to address barriers to EDI in the legal profession considering both the proactive and reactive role of the Law Society; and
report to the Benchers and make recommendations in response to their findings.

Members:

Stacy Petriuk, KC, C	Sandra Petersson, KC
Levonne Louie, VC	Erin Runnalls, KC
Vacancy	David Tupper
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Ex-officio: Deanna Steblyk, KC; Ryan D. Anderson, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC

Volunteers: Noren Howg Bryan Hunter Jeffrey Westman	Staff Support: Avery Stodalka Barbra Bailey Cori Ghitter, KC Laura Scheuerman

Executive Committee

The mandate of the Executive Committee is to:

make recommendations to the Board for motions to be passed by the Benchers;
monitor the Strategic Plan and Business Plan;
make decisions on any matter arising between Board meetings that in the opinion of the Committee requires immediate consideration; and
determine the remuneration payable to the Executive Director.

Members:

Deanna Steblyk, KC, C	Sandra Petersson, KC
Ryan D. Anderson, KC, VC	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Jim Lutz, KC	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA
Bud Melnyk, KC

Staff Support: Elizabeth Osler, KC Cori Ghitter, KC Christine Schreuder

Lawyer Competence Committee

The mandate of the Lawyer Competence Committee is to:

examine the efficacy of articling as a training vehicle for new lawyers in Alberta and its intersection with CPLED;
examine strategies for ongoing training of lawyers beyond articling including changes to the Continuing Professional Development Program;
examine the role of wellness in lawyer competence; and
report to the Benchers and make recommendations in response to their findings.

Members:

Bud Melnyk, KC, C	Kelsey J. Meyer
Kene Ilochonwu, KC, VC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Nicole Stewart
Stephanie L. Dobson	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA
	Ex-Officio: Deanna Steblyk, KC; Ryan D. Anderson, KC

*Volunteers:* Raphael Jacob Adam Karbani Mandy Kinzel	Staff Support: Barbra Bailey Colleen Brown Cori Ghitter, KC Rachel Provencher Laura Scheuerman Rebecca Young

Nominating Committee

The mandate of the Nominating Committee is to:

recommend to the Board individuals for appointment to committees;
recommend to the Board individuals for appointment to other bodies as Committee members or representatives; and
when additional people are required to staff a task force or sub-committee, make recommendations to the Board to fill vacancies from the list of practicing lawyer applicants who were not appointed to a committee.

Members:

Deanna Steblyk, KC, C	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA
Ryan D. Anderson, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC

Staff Support: Elizabeth Osler, KC Cori Ghitter, KC Julie James Christine Schreuder

Policy and Regulatory Reform Committee

The mandate of the Policy and Regulatory Reform Committee is to:

as directed by the Executive Committee and in consultation with the Executive Director, support the Board’s policy making process by ensuring due diligence and analysis of policy issues before they are placed before the Board for consideration; and
ensure that all policy and Rule change initiatives take into consideration the direct and indirect cost and impact of regulation and to the largest extent possible align with the Law Society of Alberta Strategic Plan.

Members:

Sandra Petersson, KC, C	Erin Runnalls, KC
Ronald A. Sorokin, KC, VC	Moira Váně, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Grant Vogeli, KC
Mary Ellen Neilson	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA
Stacy Petriuk, KC	Ex-officio: Deanna Steblyk, KC; Ryan D. Anderson, KC

Staff Support: Elizabeth Osler, KC Cori Ghitter, KC Colleen Brown Shabnam Datta Jennifer Freund Julie James Noria Neuhart Rachel Provencher

Practice Review Committee

The mandate of the Practice Review Committee is to:

receive Statutory referrals from other departments and committees to review a lawyer’s practice or receive a referral pursuant to the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta relating to an application for reinstatement;
delegate to the Practice Management department:
- review of lawyers’ practices and work with and support lawyers who may be encountering difficulties in their practice;
- identify specific challenges and take proactive steps to assist by providing timely, practical and achievable recommendations;
- request undertakings to implement the practice improvements being sought; and
- work with lawyers over a period of time and request status reports to gauge progress;
for Statutory referrals, review the Final Report from Practice Management and determine whether the lawyer can be released from undertakings (if given), if undertakings should remain in place, if the Practice Management file may be closed and any other applicable directions, including reporting to the Conduct department or the Conduct Committee Panel or directing that Practice Management continue to work with a lawyer;
for reinstatement referrals, sit as a reinstatement panel to hear and decide reinstatement applications including directing conditions as appropriate; and
ensure appropriate reporting is provided during and at the end of a referral.

Members:

Jim Lutz, KC, C	Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC
Levonne Louie, VC	Mary Ellen Neilson
Vacancy	Sandra Petersson, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Glen Buick	Erin Runnalls, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Nicole Stewart
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Grant Vogeli, KC
Kelsey J. Meyer	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

Volunteers: Sandra Badejo Travis Bissett Katie Clackson Vanessa Cork Alison Gray Pat Heinsen, KC Carla Murray Jean-Pascal Siewe	Staff Support: Karyn Kraemer Donna Moore Laurie Sniher Tera Yates

Professional Responsibility Committee

The mandate of the Professional Responsibility Committee is to:

determine whether or not to re-examine a complaint dismissed by the Executive Director, the Conduct Committee, or the Appeal Committee; and commence such determination only if the Chair of the Conduct Committee is of the view that the person dismissing the matter may have overlooked a significant legal or factual element or may not have been aware at the time of dismissal of all of the significant legal and factual elements.

Members:

Grant Vogeli, KC, C

Jim Lutz, KC, VC

Trust Safety Committee

The mandate of the Trust Safety Committee is to:

adjudicate claims to undisbursable trust funds;
hear appeals from decisions of the Manager, Trust Safety or Executive Director;
ensure compliance with mandatory Trust Safety condition requirements; and
ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements concerning lawyer trust accounts.

Members:

Grant Vogeli, KC, C	Kelsey J. Meyer
Vacancy	Sharilyn C. Nagina, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Mary Ellen Neilson
Glen Buick	Sandra Petersson, KC
Arman M. Chak, KC	Stacy Petriuk, KC
Stephanie L. Dobson	Erin Runnalls, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Ronald A. Sorokin, KC
Levonne Louie	Nicole Stewart
Jim Lutz, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

Staff Support: Bernadette Charan Julia Langdon

Committees conduct governance work associated with our core regulatory functions. View members and mandates for the following committees:

Assurance Fund Adjudications (Finance) Committee

Members:

Audit and Finance Committee

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Complaint Dismissal Appeals Committee

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Conduct Committee

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Credentials and Education Committee

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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee

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Executive Committee

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Lawyer Competence Committee

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Nominating Committee

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Policy and Regulatory Reform Committee

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Practice Review Committee

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Professional Responsibility Committee

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Trust Safety Committee

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