Recruitment posting
Law Society of Alberta
Competition #: 842
Ministry : Justice
Opening Date : 2025/02/20
closing Date : 2025/03/05
Role : Public Representative (Lay Bencher)
It is recognized in Alberta as a fundamental principle and as a matter of public policy that all persons are equal. Diversity and inclusion are valued and supported on the boards of Alberta's public agencies.
The Minister of Justice is seeking applications from individuals interested in serving as a Public Representative (Lay Bencher) for the Law Society of Alberta. These are non-lawyer positions.
The Legal Profession is independently regulated, and the Law Society of Alberta derives its authority from the Legal Profession Act (the ‘Act’). The Law Society is financed entirely by the legal profession and regulates the legal profession in the public interest.
The board of directors of the Law Society of Alberta are known as Benchers. Of the 24 Benchers, 20 are lawyers elected by other Alberta lawyers or appointed pursuant to the Bencher Vacancy Policy, and four are Lay Benchers (non-lawyer public representatives) appointed by the Minister of Justice.
The role of a Lay Bencher is to participate in the governance and regulation of Alberta lawyers and participate in regulatory adjudications.
Benchers properly bring to their work for the Law Society a diversity of perspectives, including the context in which they live and work. Both Benchers and public representatives are there to act in the public interest and do not represent a particular constituency.
The role of a Lay Bencher is to participate in the governance and regulation of Alberta lawyers and participate in regulatory adjudications.
Candidates with community involvement, experience sitting on a board, commission, or a community committee will be given preference. Experience in conducting hearings and adjudicating cases based on relevant facts and administrative law is considered an asset.
Desirable skills and attributes for the appointed Benchers of the Law Society include:
- An interest in the regulation of professions
- The ability and time to deal with a significant amount of material in preparing for meetings and hearings
- Analytical and decision-making skills and experience
- An understanding of fairness as it applies in an administrative tribunal
- Experience sitting on a committee or Board
- Strong listening and communication skills
- Integrity and sound judgement
Final candidates will be asked to undergo a comprehensive background check, disclosure, and conflict of interest screening.
Lay Benchers are appointed for a term of not more than three years, renewable for two additional three-year terms for a maximum of nine years in total (section 11 of the Act). Appointments are made by Ministerial Order.
The Government of Alberta pays the travel and accommodation costs of public representatives, as well as providing an honorarium that covers meetings and preparation and travel time. Remuneration is paid based on the Order in Council 466/2007:
A member of a committee, other than the chairperson, shall be paid:
a. $164 for up to and including four hours in any day, or
b. $290 for over four hours and up to and including eight hours in any day, or
c. $427 for over eight hours in any day, spent on the business of the committee.
A member of a committee, acting as the chairperson of that committee, shall be paid:
a. $219 for up to and including four hours in any day, or
b. $383 for over four hours and up to and including eight hours in any day, or
c. $601 for over eight hours in any day, spent on the business of the committee.
Travel expenses will be paid in accordance to the Government of Alberta's Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expense Directive
The Benchers typically hold meetings five times each year, with one meeting being an annual planning retreat.
- Quarterly meetings are held for 1½-day periods on Thursdays and a half-day Friday (if needed). These meetings take place in person in Calgary.
- The Board retreat is in person and held for 4 days in early June.
- Typically, a Lay Bencher will spend about 500 hours each year on Law Society work.
In addition to your cover letter and resume, we require a biography. Click HERE to download the biography form.
Once the forms are completed, save them to your PC. When you click on submit application, you will be prompted to upload additional documents. Drag and drop or upload your completed biography form an others requested into the ‘Drop files below or click to upload’ section.
Carefully read the Recruitment Posting and the Position Profile to ensure this is an appropriate opportunity for you. Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements.
Online applications are preferred. To apply, click on the 'apply' button, create or sign into your account in the ePAAS system; upload your resume, view the listing under Current Opportunities and click on 'submit application'. The uploaded resume will be automatically attached.
Provide a short 4 line biography using the Biography template found under additional documents section. Your biography should include your name, current work experience, board/committee experience and relevant education. Please note that biographies may be edited for length and clarity.
Once your biography and other required form(s) are completed, save it to your PC. When you hit 'submit application', you will be prompted to upload additional documents. Drag and drop (or upload) your completed cover letter, biography and other form(s) into the 'Drop files below or click to upload' section before clicking the 'apply' button.
If you are unable to apply online, please submit a cover letter and resume, quoting the recruitment posting competition number, to the contact provided on the posting. We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to assess which candidates' qualifications most closely match the agency's requirements. Only those selected for interviews will be contacted to advance to the next step in the appointment process. You can check the status of each competition on-line at https://www.alberta.ca/public-agencies.cfm.
The personal information in ePAAS is collected pursuant to section 33(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The information will be used to administer and manage recruitment for current and future public agency appointment opportunities. Questions regarding the collection, use, or disclosure of this information, may be directed to the Public Agency Secretariat, Public Service Commission, 3rd Floor, Peace Hills Trust Tower, 10011 109 Street, Edmonton, AB T5J 3S8 or by calling 780-644-3060. Applicants will be required to identify any real or perceived conflicts of interest and may be required to undergo additional screening.
Please Note: Successful applicants will have the following information about them made publicly available on the Public Agency Secretariat Website: name, biography, public agency, and position title.