Before Saskatchewan was established as a province in 1905 under The Saskatchewan Act, 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. In 1898, a new Ordinance, The Legal Profession Ordinance, established the election of Benchers to govern the Law Society of the North-West Territories. In 1907, two years after the Saskatchewan became a province, the Law Society of Saskatchewan was created under The Legal Profession Act.
The Legal Profession Act from 1907, and its more recent iteration, The Legal Profession Act, 1990, delegated to the Law Society of Saskatchewan the responsibility to govern the legal profession in the province, and it mandates that the profession be governed in the public interest.
Our independence from the government is primary to our mission; it is important to the administration of justice and is fundamental to maintaining a free and democratic society that respects the Rule of Law. That is, the legal profession is uniquely positioned in society to provide a check and balance on government power by ensuring citizens who are in conflict with the government have access to impartial legal representation and ensuring accountability in all areas of society.