About Us

History of the Law Society

 
Before Saskatchewan was established as a province in 1905, it was a part of the North-West Territories, which consisted of modern-day Alberta as well as Saskatchewan.  In 1885 an Ordinance was passed to set the guidelines for regulation of the legal profession in the Territories.  At this time, there were only 55 attorneys in the Saskatchewan territory, but by 1898 the number of legal practitioners had increased to 176.  That year, a new Ordinance, The Legal Profession Ordinance, was passed, and established the election of Benchers to govern the Law Society of the North-West Territories.  Although The Saskatchewan Act, which established the province of Saskatchewan, was passed in 1905, it was not until a couple of years later that the Law Societies of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created under The Legal Profession Act of each province.  There were only 168 members of the Law Society of Saskatchewan at that time.  The Law Society celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2007, and continues to grow stronger.  Today there are some 1675 members, with more lawyers being called to the Bar each year. 

The above information is taken from "A Century of Integrity: Law Society of Saskatchewan 1907 to 2007" by Iain Mentiplay, Q.C.  For a complete history of the Law Society, please follow the link below to order a copy of Mr. Mentiplay's book, which describes the Law Society's role in the development of Saskatchewan and its mission to protect the public with special focus on the changes the Society and the legal profession have endured over the past 100 years.

Purchase "A Century of Integrity: Law Society of Saskatchewan 1907 to 2007" by Iain Mentiplay, Q.C.