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Legal Aid Society of Alberta

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Legal Aid Society of Alberta BOARD OF DIRECTORS Information for Candidates Qualifications There are currently two openings on the Legal Aid Alberta (LAA) Board of Directors for: a member of the Law Society of Alberta – ideally, with legal aid family law experience one member at large (non-lawyer) – ideally, with a formal accounting designation. The ability to bring an aboriginal perspective to the Board would be an asset. Employees or Benchers of the Law Society of Alberta and employees of Alberta Justice and Legal Aid Alberta are not eligible. What is required by a Board Member? First and foremost, one must strongly support Legal Aid Alberta’s mission and be committed to ensuring the sustainability of Legal Aid Alberta. Its mission statement is: We are a leader in the provision of quality, effective legal advice and representation that enables our clients to resolve their legal issues. The Board of Directors is responsible for the governance of LAA. Membership of the Board is pursuant to the April 1, 2016 – March 31, 2017 Governance Agreement and is comprised of a maximum of 6 lawyers and a minimum of 5 public members. All members are recruited by a Nominating Committee and appointed by the Benchers of the Law Society of Alberta. Members of the Board of Directors accept the responsibility to: attend and prepare for each of the meetings (generally held in Edmonton); develop an overall awareness of Legal Aid Alberta’s current issues and priorities; participate fully and knowledgeably in Board and committee meetings; recognize and ensure fiduciary responsibility; act as informed and engaged ambassadors to all Legal Aid Alberta’s stakeholders. Time Commitment The LAA Board of Directors meets approximately every two months or at least five times throughout the year culminating in its Annual General Meeting usually held in September of each year. Most Board meetings are held in Edmonton. Board meetings are normally a full day on a week-day, starting in the morning and working through lunch. For the past year, meetings have been held on Tuesdays. In addition to the time commitment for Board meetings, Board members will also need to devote time to Board committee work. Some committees meet regularly throughout the year, at lunchtime, while others meet only as needed. Some committee meetings are conducted by conference call. For most committee work, as well as for Board meetings, there is material that must be reviewed by the individual members prior to the meetings. Monthly time estimates for committee work range from two to eight hours. 1 Directors serve for a term of one to three years, commencing from the Annual General Meeting and may serve a maximum of two terms. Appointment Process Pursuant to the Governance Agreement between the Legal Aid Alberta, the Law Society of Alberta and the Minister of Justice for Alberta, the process for the appointment of the Board of Directors begins with the Nominating Committee. This committee, chaired by a member of the Board of Directors, comprises two representatives of the Law Society and two of the Ministry. After the closing date for applications, the committee will interview selected candidates. The committee will send the list of final nominations to the Law Society of Alberta for selection and appointment to the Board by the Law Society of Alberta Benchers at their convocation. Compensation Directors are entitled to be compensated for attendance at meetings of the Board or Board committees. They may also choose not to submit a claim or otherwise waive their entitlement to any remuneration for their services. All Board members are entitled to be reimbursed for traveling and other reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members. Conflict of Interest The Governance Agreement provides that of the six Directors who may be members of the Law Society of Alberta, only three of them may be related. The Agreement defines an unrelated director as one who is independent of management and is free from any interest and any business or other relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to materially interfere with the director's ability to act with a view to the best interests of Legal Aid Alberta. A related director is defined as any director who is not unrelated. Application If you have an interest in ensuring access to justice and would like apply as a candidate for the Board of Directors please contact Pat Bard at (780) 422-4403 or by email to [email protected] for an application form and information package. Completed applications should be submitted by e-mail to [email protected] or Attention: Pat Bard Legal Aid Alberta 400, 10320-102 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5J 4A1 2 .
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