Alberta
The Advocates' Society is pleased to promote to our Alberta members the following opportunities to give back to their communities.
Calgary Legal Guidance
The organization: Over fifty years ago, a group of law students wanted to change access to legal services for the many people experiencing poverty and/or homelessness in Calgary. These students saw a growing need for legal support and wanted to help people experiencing the most significant barriers and vulnerable circumstances. Pre-dating Legal Aid Alberta, Calgary Legal Guidance was created through their vision in 1972. Calgary Legal Guidance is known as the first pro bono legal clinic in Alberta.
Calgary Legal Guidance (CLG) plays an important role in Alberta’s justice sector and increases access to justice through free legal programs and services to thousands of people every year. All programs and services are designed to support Calgarians who face financial and other barriers to accessing legal services. As a non-profit organization, CLG offers a wide range of legal support including legal information, advice, and assistance in areas not provided by Legal Aid Alberta.
CLG’s core service is to help people meet their legal needs but there are social determinants that may create barriers to achieving justice. People requesting legal services often have many other needs, including physical and mental health, family safety, and housing, that cause or impact their legal issues. An important part of CLG’s work is connecting people to community resources in ways that strengthen their justice outcomes.
Programs and Services:
Legal Information: Through collaborative partnerships, carefully curated resources and CLG-developed materials, CLG provides reliable and comprehensive information related to legal processes, areas of law, and legal topics. This may include public legal education seminars, community presentations, webinars, printed materials, and tool kits.
Legal Advice: CLG delivers short-term legal services through volunteer and staff lawyers to eligible clients. These services are free, single-session meetings between a volunteer/staff lawyer and a client to receive advice on a wide range of legal issues, including family, immigration, employment, criminal, and property law, as well as matters related to tenant issues, human rights, and civil claims. Services are delivered virtually or in-person and allow individuals to assert or advance their rights based on their values, means, and existing law/legal systems.
Legal Assistance: CLG staff deliver innovative and specialized programs to individuals who cannot represent themselves or who require additional support to advance their legal matter. This includes the following programs: Calgary Community Court, Homeless Outreach, Elder Law, Family Law, Immigration Law, Indigenous access to justice (Sahwoo mohkaak tsi ma taas), Sexual Violence Survivor Legal Support, and Social Benefits Advocacy. These programs use trauma-informed, culturally safe, and strength-based practices and approaches to meet the diverse needs of individuals accessing support.
Connections: CLG Advocates and Legal Services Specialists are skilled justice navigators who provide individuals with appropriate referrals for their legal issue. They also connect individuals to community support that can address their social needs, including housing, income support, mental health, medical health, addictions, and social isolation.
Volunteer Opportunities for TAS Members: CLG provides free summary legal advice clinics through the time and expertise of volunteer lawyers. CLG’s volunteer network includes sole practitioners, law firms of all sizes, retired legal practitioners, corporate counsel, in-house legal teams, and articling students seeking to support CLG’s mission.
Clinics operate Monday through Friday, with options for both in-person sessions at CLG’s Calgary office and remote consultations over the phone. Volunteer lawyers deliver free 45-minute consultations across multiple legal practice areas, including family law, immigration, tenant disputes, employment matters, foreclosure proceedings, bankruptcy, and criminal law. CLG provides flexibility to facilitate seamless integration of volunteer commitments into volunteers’ schedules.
CLG invites members of the Alberta Law Society to join their volunteer roster and support people in your community with your legal skills.
How to get involved: Please contact CLG directly at [email protected] or create a volunteer profile here.
Please click here to see further national opportunities for all TAS members.