Board Structure
CBA Alberta is governed by a 13‐person Board comprised as follows:
- Five Executive Committee members (Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, President, Past President)
- Eight board members:
- 2 designated geographical members, 1 each from North and South (no designated Calgary or Edmonton);
- 2 Young Lawyers (North and South)
- 4 members at large
Election to the Executive Committee
The Secretary is the first step on the five‐rung Executive Committee ladder, which progresses in annual succession from Secretary to Treasurer to Vice President to President to Past President. The Secretary is elected by the eligible voters of CBA Alberta to a five‐year term of service on the Executive Committee, and eligibility for the Secretary position alternates between North and South. In 2025-26, the Secretary will be from South.
Service on the Executive committee is for a five year term for the 2025-26 Secretary and those considering a run for the Executive committee should be prepared to be available and to commit for the full five year term.
Eligibility
In addition to meeting the North requirement, each Secretary candidate must be a member in good standing of the CBA, not be bankrupt, and resident of Alberta. Former members of the Branch Board or the CBA National Board must wait a year before running as Secretary. Members cannot run for both the office of Secretary and the Board at the same time.
Powers of the Board and Executive Committee
All members of the Executive Committee serve on the Board, which is empowered to “manage and supervise the management of the activities and affairs of CBA Alberta and oversee the implementation of the policies and operations of CBA Alberta”. The Board’s three main roles will be setting the strategic direction of CBA Alberta, managing the resources of the organization and providing oversight of the Branch.
The Executive Committee serves to direct the implementation of the policies and strategies set by the Board.
Time Commitment
We anticipate that the time commitment for Executive Committee members will include:
Board responsibilities
- Three Board meetings;
- Annual General Meeting;
- Leadership Forum; and
- Annyal Board Retreat and Orientation (generally offsite in October.)
It is expected that all of the above meetings will be full‐day commitments, with the exception of the annual retreat meeting and orientation which will be two days. It is expected that Board members will be available and participate in each of these meetings. There will be travel involved as the meetings alternate between North and South (generally Calgary and Edmonton with the possibility of other communities as well).
Additional Executive Committee responsibilities
- Ten Executive Committee meetings (usually half day but often tied to another commitment, which may involve multiday travel between North and South, especially if meetings are combined with other responsibilities listed below ;
- Stakeholder meetings with the Courts, the Law Society of Alberta, the deans of the law schools (usually a dinner meeting tied to other Executive meetings when feasible and may involve travel);
- Meetings with the Ministers and other government representatives, which may involve travel;
- Branch conferences, if any;
- Annual volunteer appreciation dinners/receptions.
Board and Executive Committee meeting materials will be sent a week in advance and Board members should expect to allow a minimum of 2‐3 hours to review and prepare for deliberations.
Expenses for official Board and Executive Committee travel will be paid in accordance with CBA Alberta’s Travel Expense policy.
Over and above this basic requirement for service, Executive Committee members will also be asked to take on additional board committee or task force responsibilities, and some representative or ambassadorial duties. These include but are not limited to:
- speaking at swearing‐in ceremonies;
- attending welcome and recruitment events at the law schools;
- Section workshops;
- regional events;
- representing CBA Alberta on other boards, advisory councils or Committees and fulfilling related responsibilities;
- attending other stakeholder events like the WILL awards, the judges dinners and other special events or fundraisers.
The expectations for duties and time required increase with each step on the Executive Committee ladder. For instance, the Vice President usually attends the Law Society of Alberta Bencher meetings, and may serve on various award selection committees. The presidential year is by far the heaviest, with a number of responsibilities related to the national organization and speaking at industry events, as well as serving as the official media spokesperson for CBA Alberta. In recognition of this heavy workload, the President is paid an honorarium by the Branch.
Candidates for Secretary are encouraged to speak to the Executive Director, current Executive committee members or a past CBA Alberta President to more fully understand the commitments and responsibilities.
Election Process 2025
In 2025, the Secretary nominee must be from South Alberta.
A call for nominations will be made on April 1, 2025, and every nomination must be signed by three voting members of the Branch and returned by the close of nominations at noon on April 25. An online election, if required, will be held between May 1 to May 26.
An online election will be held if required. At the commencement of the voting period, the Voters (all eligible voting members of the Branch, namely Active Regular and Scholar members holding membership for year 2024 - 2025 and Honorary members who have paid the fees by end of day April 30, 2025) will be electronically sent biographical information on each of the Secretary candidates, along with the link to their ballots and the date to return their completed ballot. Election will be by a “first past the post” system.
The 2025-26 Secretary term year will commence on September 1, 2025.
For more information, please consult the CBA Alberta Bylaws or contact Executive Director Maureen Armitage.