Candidates forum · Monday, November 2, 2026 · 5–7 pm Mountain Time · Zoom
Questions and forum rules
These are the only questions the moderator will ask, published in advance so candidates can prepare. There are four on each of the five topics in the Bencher Voter Guide. Each asks about the Law Society’s role in one part of the topic, so every candidate can answer, whatever their own experience of it.
Please confirm by Saturday at noon
Candidates, please email Colin Lachance at Colin@pgya.ca by noon Mountain Time on Saturday, October 31, to confirm that you’ll take part and to give the numbers of your five questions.
The moderator’s opening statement
Benchers don’t represent particular interests, constituencies or causes. They exercise independent judgment in carrying out the Law Society’s public-interest mandate. These questions ask about the Law Society’s role in each topic. They don’t ask for promises about how you would vote or act as a Bencher.
How the forum works
Introductions
Every participating candidate has a two-minute spot to introduce themselves.
Your five questions
Each candidate may name the five questions below that they feel most prepared to answer, covering at least two of the five topics. Send them by number, such as “Pathways 3”, with your confirmation. The moderator puts each candidate’s questions to them from those five.
Questions as written
The moderator asks only the questions on this page, worded as they are here. Each is about the Law Society’s role, not a candidate’s preferences or background.
Follow-ups
Any follow-up is one of these four:
Which parts of this fall within the Law Society’s mandate, and which fall to others?
What would the Law Society need to know to understand this?
Whose perspectives would be relevant for the Law Society to hear on this?
How does this connect to the Law Society’s public-interest mandate?
What the moderator won’t ask
For commitments, such as “Will you commit to…” or “How will you vote on…”
What a candidate personally favors, including “How should…” questions
Questions that start from a premise, such as “Given that the burden is too high…”
For one candidate to respond to another, or for a candidate to speak for a group
AI
AI and the Practice of Law
How AI and other legal technology affect legal work, clients, professional obligations and regulation.
AI 1 What is the Law Society’s role in relation to lawyers’ use of AI in serving clients?
AI 2 Where do the Law Society’s existing rules on competence, confidentiality and supervision connect with lawyers’ use of AI tools?
AI 3 What role, if any, does the Law Society have in lawyers’ education and competence in technology?
AI 4 Some members of the public use AI tools for legal information or documents. Where, if at all, does that connect with the Law Society’s public-interest mandate?
Rural
Rural and Remote Practice
Both access to legal help in rural and remote communities and the realities for lawyers who practice there.
Rural 1 What is the Law Society’s role in relation to the availability of legal services in rural and remote communities?
Rural 2 Which aspects of establishing and maintaining a practice outside the major centers fall within the Law Society’s mandate, and which fall to others, such as governments, courts or community organizations?
Rural 3 What role, if any, does the Law Society have in professional support for lawyers practicing in rural and remote communities, such as mentoring, education or practice advice?
Rural 4 In what ways, if any, does a practice’s location bear on the Law Society’s regulatory work?
Regulatory Burden
Regulatory Burden on Solo and Small Firm
What professional regulation asks of sole practitioners and small firms, how it’s implemented, and the support available to meet it.
Reg 1 What is the Law Society’s role in setting and administering requirements such as trust accounting, reporting, insurance and audits for sole practitioners and small firms?
Reg 2 In what ways, if any, does the size of a firm bear on how the Law Society designs or applies its requirements?
Reg 3 What is the Law Society’s role in providing guidance, resources or practice support to help lawyers meet their obligations?
Reg 4 What sources of information does the Law Society have, or could it have, about how its requirements work in practice for sole practitioners and small firms?
Pathways
Pathways to the Profession
Entry into the profession, practical training, early careers, and lawyers trained in other countries or jurisdictions.
Path 1 What is the Law Society’s role in the routes to becoming a lawyer in Alberta, including articling and bar admission training?
Path 2 What role, if any, does the Law Society have in the early years of a lawyer’s practice, such as through mentoring or practice advice?
Path 3 What is the Law Society’s role in relation to lawyers trained in other countries or other Canadian jurisdictions who seek to practice in Alberta?
Path 4 What role, if any, does the Law Society have in relation to legal education in Alberta, such as law school capacity or new training programs?
A2J
Access to Justice through Allied Professionals
How people could get help through other legal professionals, related professions or collaborative service models, and the safeguards involved.
A2J 1 What is the Law Society’s role in relation to legal services provided by people other than lawyers, such as paralegals?
A2J 2 What role, if any, does the Law Society have where lawyers work with other professionals, such as mediators, social workers or community navigators, to serve clients?
A2J 3 Where services are provided by people other than lawyers, which aspects of public protection, such as training, scope of practice, insurance or complaints, fall within the Law Society’s mandate?
A2J 4 What role, if any, does the Law Society have in testing or evaluating new ways of delivering legal services?