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Laying down the law
Lawyer’s the name, law is the game. If you’re a lawyer, it’s your business to know the law, but that’s not all. You also have to uphold the law, and behave in a way that shows respect for it. Who makes sure that you do? Law societies exist in Canada for that very reason—to set the highest professional standards for lawyers in each province.
Law societies do all kinds of great work to protect the public and maintain good conduct among their members. For example, they decide what you have to learn when training to be a lawyer. They give lawyers the right to practise law, and provide them with important information so they can practise well. They also discipline lawyers who have broken the law or behaved inappropriately, and they can even take away a lawyer’s right to practise. Law societies are run mostly by lawyers to govern their own profession, and all practising lawyers become members of the society in their province.
Before Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces, they shared the Law Society of the North-West Territories. But in 1905, when these two provinces were formed, the lawyers had to decide whether to remain one law society. They debated, presenting arguments for and against the case, and eventually made a decision. In 1907, two separate law societies were created, one for each province.
On September 13, 2007, Canada Post celebrated 100 years of high legal standards with two domestic rate (52¢) stamps, one for the Law Society of Alberta and one for the Law Society of Saskatchewan. Case closed! |
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