FAQs

The Canadian Bar Association is a professional organization that provides educational and networking opportunities for lawyers. We represent more than 36,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada, with over 5,200 in Alberta. Our commitment is to enhance the professional and commercial interests of our diverse membership and protect the independence of the judiciary and the bar.

In Canada, law societies in each province and territory govern the legal profession in that jurisdiction. In each province/territory, a lawyer must be a member of a Canadian Law Society in order to offer his or her services as a lawyer to the public. The Law Society of Alberta is a self-governing body, acting as a regulator to set the standards for Alberta lawyers. Law Societies make sure their members meet professional standards. Law Societies make sure their members meet professional standards. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada is an umbrella organization for the provincial/territorial law societies.

The Department of Justice website provides detailed information on Canada's justice and court systems. The Department also produces an online booklet, called Canada’s System of Justice, which gives a good overview of the Canadian legal system.

Every province of Canada has Public Legal Information organizations that educate and inform the public about the law and the legal system. The Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association operates Dial-A-Law annually in conjunction with Law Day, a free service available by phone, which provides free 15 – 20 minute consultations with volunteer lawyers.

The Canadian Bar Association does not discipline lawyers or mediate lawyer-client disputes. The Law Society of Alberta is responsible for making sure that lawyers practise law competently and ethically. They can discipline lawyers who do not meet these standards. You might be able to resolve your concern if you get in touch with your lawyer right away. It might be a simple misunderstanding that can be cleared up with a conversation. If a resolution between you and your lawyer cannot be reached, contact the Law Society of Alberta here with the details of your concern.

Legal aid services are government-funded or subsidized legal services available for people with difficulties affording legal services, and who qualify for the services. To find out more about qualifying for legal aid, contact Legal Aid Alberta.

A variety of pro bono (free) legal services are also available to Albertans through legal clinics and other organizations. Pro Bono Law Alberta has a list of these services available on their website here. Please note that you may also be required to qualify to access these programs.

You can consult our Find a Lawyer search tool to find a CBA member lawyer who specializes in for the area you require. Most Law Societies also provide a lawyer referral service in each province and territory. The Law Society of Alberta offers a Lawyer Referral Service in this province. It can be accessed by visiting the Law Society of Alberta website.

The Law Society of Alberta offers a public lawyer directory, which lists all practicing lawyers in the province of Alberta. 

The Canadian Bar Association cannot make a determination of a lawyer’s good standing. The law societies in each province/territory are responsible for ensuring that lawyers practice law competently and ethically. Contact the Law Society of Alberta for more information.

Training and qualification requirements for lawyers from outside Canada can be obtained from the National Committee on Accreditation of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.

Login problems are usually due to unpaid or overdue membership fees so check your records to ensure your dues are up-to-date.

Then, ensure that you are entering your username (email address) and password correctly. If you have forgotten your password, you can retrieve it by clicking the “Forgot Your Password?” link on any login page.

If you are still having difficulty logging in, contact the CBA Membership Department at 1-800-267-8860 or memberservice@cba.org so we can confirm your status. Assuming your membership is up-to-date, we will put you in touch with one of our technical staff to help you troubleshoot your access problems.

To retrieve your membership number, contact CBA Member Services at 1-800-267-8860 or email memberservice@cba.org.

Please contact CBA Member Services at 1-800-267-8860 or email memberservice@cba.org.