Our Practice Advisors are: 

• Deborah Book 
• Jonathan Griffith 
• Jesse Mackenzie 

They are available to provide the following services: 

• Respond to ethics-related inquiries based on your practice; 
• Mediate and arbitrate inter-lawyer disputes; 
• Assist lawyers in accessing resources for practice related issues (including stress or mental health and well being resources);  
• Presentations to firms and other organizations on a variety of ethics-related topics; and, 
• Participation in seminars, conferences and law school events on a variety of ethics related topics, by request. 

Practice Advisors in Alberta also provide their confidential ethics-related services and support to lawyers from the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. With increases in lawyer mobility in recent years, the Practice Advisors also field inquiries from lawyers outside Alberta with questions about practice in the province or related to the Mobility Rules. 

To assist the Practice Advisors, please provide as much detail as possible in your inquiry so they are better prepared to assist you. We also ask that you try to make your request – via phone call, email or online booking –  personally whenever possible, rather than via an assistant or other party. If you have reached out to a Practice Advisor to discuss a matter previously, please identify that in your message. 

As part of their work, Practice Advisors also serve as the Office of the Equity Ombudsperson, which provides confidential assistance with the resolution of harassment and discrimination concerns. In this role, Practice Advisors provide confidential advice, information and assistance to lawyers, articling students and support staff working in the legal profession on issues of discrimination or harassment by lawyers.

For more information or to contact the Office of the Equity Ombudsperson, visit the Office of the Equity Ombudsperson web page.

Our Practice Advisors respond to over 6,000 inquiries per year. They are available to lawyers to assist with accessing appropriate resources, respond to inquiries about ethical and practice matters, and give presentations to firms and organizations on ethics and practice-related issues on request. The following list clarifies the matters in which our Practice Advisors may provide advice and assistance.

The Law Society of Alberta offers practice advice to lawyers in a variety of different ways:

• AdvisorLink: A program where lawyers or students-at-law are provided with the contact information for lawyers in the community who have agreed to serve as a resource to less experienced members of the Bar. These lawyers are available to answer one-off inquiries in a wide range of practice areas.
• SoloNet: An online community hosted by the Office of the Practice Advisor for sole and small firm practitioners.
• Office of the Equity Ombudsperson: Provides confidential advice, information and assistance to lawyers, articling students and support staff working in the legal profession on issues of discrimination or harassment by lawyers.
• Resource Centre: A regularly updated library of Law Society-produced materials including articles, courses, model policies and checklists, webinars and more. You may also want to refer to the Legal Profession Act, the Code of Conduct or the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta.