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:

Jim Lutz, KC, C	Afshan Naveed
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Mary Ellen Neilson
Glen Buick	Sandra Petersson, KC
Arman Chak, KC	Erin Runnalls, KC
Stephanie Dobson	Ron Sorokin, KC
Adam Drew	Nicole Stewart
Kene Ilochonwu	David Tupper
Levonne Louie	Moira Váně, KC
Scott Matheson	Grant Vogeli, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Louise Wasylenko
Kelsey Meyer	Sharilyn Nagina, KC

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 budget and 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:

Bud Melnyk, KC, C	Sharilyn Nagina, KC
Mary Ellen Neilson, VC	Afshan Naveed
Stephanie Dobson	Moira Váně, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Ex Officio: Elizabeth Osler, KC

Volunteers: Tina Antony Peter Bryan Christopher Keliher Kayla Thompson Rory Tighe

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:

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

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 lawyers or students, and direct that matters be dealt with by Mandatory Conduct Advisory, by a Hearing Committee, or be dismissed;
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:

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

Volunteers: C. Nduka Ahanonu Jason Bodnar Troy Couillard Lee Cutforth, KC Tim Ellam, KC Lisa Hodgson Sean Jeffers, KC Bianca Kratt, KC Amanda Lindberg, KC Deanna Matchett Emily McCartney Lindsay Mullen Tara Petersen 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:

Jim Lutz, KC, C	Sharilyn Nagina, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Afshan Naveed
Glen Buick	Mary Ellen Neilson
Arman Chak, KC	Sandra Petersson, KC
Stephanie Dobson	Erin Runnalls, KC
Adam Drew	Ron Sorokin, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Nicole Stewart
Levonne Louie	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Grant Vogeli, KC
Kelsey Meyer	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

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 Call to Action 27;
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:

Kene Ilochonwu, KC, C	Adam Drew
Erin Runnalls, KC, VC	Mary Ellen Neilson
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Moira Váně, KC
Glen Buick	Grant Vogeli, KC
Arman Chak, KC	Ex-officio: Ryan Anderson, KC Stacy Petriuk, KC

Volunteers: Zachary Biech Emeryll Gumapas Noren Howg

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;
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:

Ryan Anderson, KC, C	Jim Lutz, KC
Stacy Petriuk, KC, VC	Bud Melnyk, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Sandra Petersson, KC
Levonne Louie	Past-President non-voting: Deanna Steblyk, KC

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 the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP);
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:

Levonne Louie, C	David Tupper
Kelsey Meyer, VC	Grant Vogeli, KC
Stephanie Dobson	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA
Adam Drew	Nicole Stewart
Bud Melnyk, KC	Ex-Officio: Ryan Anderson, KC Stacy Petriuk, KC
*Volunteers:* Tracy Brown Katrina Haymond, KC Adam Karbani

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;
recommend to the Board individuals for appointment as Bencher; 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:

Ryan Anderson, KC, C
Levonne Louie
Stacy Petriuk, KC
Ron Sorokin, KC
*Past President:* Deanna Steblyk, KC

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:

Ron Sorokin, KC, C	Afshan Naveed
Nicole Stewart, VC	Sandra Petersson, KC
Levonne Louie	Erin Runnalls, KC
Jim Lutz, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA
Kelsey Meyer	Ex-officio: Ryan Anderson, KC, Stacy Petriuk, KC

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:

Grant Vogeli, KC, C	Kelsey Meyer
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Sharilyn Nagina, KC
Glen Buick	Afshan Naveed
Arman Chak, KC	Mary Ellen Neilson
Stephanie Dobson	Sandra Petersson, KC
Adam Drew	Erin Runnalls, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Ron Sorokin, KC
Levonne Louie	Nicole Stewart
Jim Lutz, KC	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

Volunteers: Travis Bissett Katie Clackson Jared Craig Alison Gray Pat Heinsen, KC Carla Murray Jean-Pascal Siewe Nerissa Young

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:

Jim Lutz, KC, C	Grant Vogeli, 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:

Jim Lutz, KC, C	Sharilyn Nagina, KC
A. Danielle Bourgeois	Afshan Naveed
Glen Buick	Mary Ellen Neilson
Arman Chak, KC	Sandra Petersson, KC
Stephanie Dobson	Erin Runnalls, KC
Adam Drew	Ron Sorokin, KC
Kene Ilochonwu, KC	Nicole Stewart
Levonne Louie	David Tupper
Scott Matheson	Moira Váně, KC
Bud Melnyk, KC	Grant Vogeli, KC
Kelsey Meyer	Louise Wasylenko, CPA, CMA

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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