An MLA candidate from the Alberta Party for Red Deer South is spearheading an initiative to regulate paralegals in our province, something she says will help with the backlog in our court system and also makes sure they are held to a professional standard and subject to overview.

When it comes to dealing with the legal system, cases can get bogged down with things like paperwork and research gathering, and that's where a paralegal comes in. They help support lawyers within an office, but they are unable to provide legal advice to clients nor can they attend court at the higher levels.

However, there is currently no governing body overseeing paralegals in Alberta, and Vice President of the Alberta Association of Professional Paralegals Ryan McDougall wants to change that.

She says there are people who claim to be paralegals who work independently from a law office to help those trying to navigate the justice system on their own, and without oversight, that can cause problems.

“We need to ensure that the individuals that are going out to provide legal services to Albertans are regulated, have proper training and experiences, and work within a code of ethics to keep the reputation of the professional upheld and to protect the public.”

McDougall says currently anyone can apply for a job as a paralegal or legal assistant, and without any regulation over their roles, they could be potentially harmful to someone's case.

“Because there is nothing governing them, and there are all kinds of questionable areas as to liability insurance, what their role is, where the limitations are, and what they can and cannot do as independent paralegals. There are a number of self-represented parties right now in our legal system, which is one of the causes of the backlog in our courts. Having paralegals regulated would open up that profession, and regulate it, and ensure that the services that are being provided… have a standard of professional and a governing body to answer to, so those individuals that are not able to access legal services now would be able to through a paralegal.”  

McDougall and her team are in the middle of drafting the framework for legislation to regulate the paralegal industry, which she hopes they will have completed by the end of the year.