Benchers constitute the governing body (the Board) of the Law Society and are responsible for ensuring that the Law Society’s mandate to regulate the practice of law in the public interest is carried out effectively. The Board is comprised of elected members of the Law Society from across the province, members of the wider Saskatchewan public appointed by the Ministry of Justice after consultation with the Law Society, and the Dean of the University of Saskatchewan College of Law by virtue of that office.

The Law Society Board is primarily a policy board and is responsible for the overall governance of the Law Society including setting and overseeing the delivery of strategy, providing financial oversight and setting and maintaining standards for the ethical and competent practice of law in Saskatchewan. Some Benchers also have the opportunity to participate in investigative and adjudicative functions of the Law Society through appointment to specific committees or the Law Society’s Hearing Committee Adjudicator Roster.

While member Benchers are elected by other members within their electoral divisions, Benchers do not represent a constituency. A Bencher’s fiduciary obligation is to the Law Society which has a legislated mandate of regulating the practice of law in the public interest. Where there is a conflict between the interests of members and the interests of the public, the interests of the public prevail.

Members considering running for election are encouraged to review the Bencher Code of Conduct, the current Strategic Plan, The Legal Profession Act, 1990, and the Law Society of Saskatchewan Rules.

Benchers are elected for a three-year term, with an option to run for a second three-year term. Benchers can expect to commit 15-20 days each year:

• Participating in Board meetings, known as Convocation (five meetings (in-person, virtual possible) throughout the year) 
• Participating in professional development and planning sessions (generally occurring in conjunction with Board meetings)
• Participating in committee meetings (Benchers are generally appointed to an average of three committees (virtual meetings))
• Reviewing materials and preparing to actively participate in Board and committee deliberations
  

In addition, some Benchers may serve as adjudicators on hearings related to admissions or conduct. Hearings will differ in length depending on the nature and complexity of the matter. Although it varies, Benchers on the Hearing Committee Adjudicator Roster might expect to sit on between one and three hearing panels during their term.

While serving as a Bencher is a time commitment, Law Society staff provide significant support to Benchers to carry out their work.

Benchers have the opportunity to be involved in shaping the future of the practice of law in the public interest at a time where there are many interesting opportunities and challenges facing legal regulators. Benchers also have the opportunity to improve professionally, gaining education and experience in areas such as governance, professional regulation, and adjudication. Benchers also establish professional relationships across Saskatchewan and Canada. 

With the exception of honorariums paid for serving in the office of President or Vice-President and for time spent serving on hearing panels, Benchers serve as volunteers, donating their time to regulate the profession. The Law Society does reimburse Benchers for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with their duties, including attending board and committee meetings, hearings, and meetings with outside organizations.

Members eligible to run include:

• Active members in good standing that maintain a principal place of practice/employment in Saskatchewan
• Inactive members in good standing that reside in Saskatchewan
  

There are nine regional electoral divisions in the province of Saskatchewan. Members must run in the regional electoral division in which they maintain their principal place of practice/employment or reside. Members who have been admitted to the practice of law for less than ten years (cumulatively in any jurisdiction) have the option of running in the New Lawyer electoral division, but they cannot run in both the New Lawyer division and their regional electoral division.

Student-at-law members are not eligible to run.

In addition to an understanding of the role of the Law Society, its public interest mandate, and the regulatory framework for the practice of law in Saskatchewan, qualifications such as open-mindedness, objectivity, social awareness, self-awareness, and a commitment to public service are important to serving in the role of Bencher. The Board requires a wide range of skills, experience and perspectives to regulate the practice of law in the public interest. Knowledge and experience in areas such as governance, professional regulation, financial oversight, as well as areas that will assist in advancing the Law Society’s Strategic Plan are beneficial. No one Bencher will possess all the relevant qualifications, which is why a diverse range of skills, experience and perspectives is important. Becoming a Bencher also provides the opportunity to learn and develop knowledge in many different areas, while leading with the unique skills, experience and perspectives each Bencher already possesses.

Nomination forms (Regional and the New Lawyer) must be completed and uploaded on the Bencher Election webpage by October 4, 2024 along with a photo (jpeg, png, maximum file size: 5 MB) and short candidate statement/biography (maximum of 2300 characters). The statement can include biographical information as well as information about interest in and relevant qualifications for serving as Bencher. Since Benchers make decisions as a whole and are expected to do so after consideration of the best data/information available and with the benefit of hearing the perspectives of their colleagues on the Board, campaign promises or similar content are discouraged and may not be posted. All candidate photos and statements will be posted to the Bencher Election webpage at the close of nominations.

Nomination forms must be signed by the candidate as well as by at least two members in good standing who maintain their principal place of practice/employment or residency within the electoral division in which the member seeks to be a candidate. For members running in the New Lawyer electoral division, the nomination form must be signed by two members in good standing who are eligible to vote in the New Lawyer electoral division (members who have been admitted to the practice of law for under ten years cumulatively in any jurisdiction).

The Law Society does not have specific rules around campaigning beyond compliance with a members’ ethical obligations as set out in the Code of Professional Conduct.

The Law Society provides the Bencher Election webpage to serve as a single platform that will give each candidate a place to post their information. Other forms of campaigning including electronic messages, social media, letter-writing or any other form of communication are at the sole discretion of the candidate and will not be supported by the Law Society directly.

All active and inactive members in good standing are eligible to vote in an election of Benchers. Members who reside in Saskatchewan must vote in the regional electoral division in which they maintain a principal place of practice or employment or subject to Rule 309(4), if inactive, their residence. Rule 309(4) provides that inactive members and members who do not reside in Saskatchewan may vote in a regional electoral division of their choice by advising the Law Society prior to the posting of voter lists, which will occur on September 12, 2024. There are nine regional electoral divisions in Saskatchewan which can be found at Schedule 2 to the Law Society of Saskatchewan Rules.

Lawyer members who have been admitted to the practice of law for less than ten years (cumulatively in any jurisdiction) are entitled to vote in the New Lawyer electoral division in addition to voting in their regional electoral division.

The Law Society will post voter lists on September 12, 2024. Each member is responsible to ensure that their name is on the correct voter list(s) prior to the election. In the event of an error, members should notify the Law Society by emailing [email protected].

Student-at-law members are not eligible to vote in an election of Benchers.

Voting will open on November 1, 2024 and will close at 11:59 pm CST on November 15, 2024.

Each member may vote for any number of candidates up to the number to be elected in the electoral division(s) in which the member is entitled to vote. In most electoral divisions this will be one vote for the member’s candidate of choice. The Regina City electoral division and the Saskatoon City electoral division each have five elected Bencher seats.

You can vote using eBallot, an independent, anonymous online voting platform.

If you are an eligible voter, you will receive instructions to access the voting platform as well as your unique voting credentials (username and password) directly from eBallot on November 1, via the email address you have on file with the Law Society. Please ensure that the Law Society has a current email address in advance of the election, which can be updated by accessing your Member Profile.

If you did not receive a copy of your voting credentials take the following steps:

• Confirm that your email is up to date with the Law Society by accessing your Member Profile
• Check your Junk/Spam folder in your email account
• Contact the Law Society for assistance by emailing [email protected]

Once a day, the Law Society will request that eBallot send out credentials to any member who has updated their contact information since the start of voting.

For issues logging into your ballot, contact eBallot at [email protected] or contact their Voter Support hotline at 1-866-984-3125. If you voted in the 2021 election, you may have your previous password saved in the password autofill field on the ballot. Please ensure you use the new password provided in your email to access the 2024 ballot.

If you update your email address in your Member Profile on or after November 1, the Law Society will notify eBallot to reissue credentials to you within one business day. If you update your email address on November 15, 2024 which is the last day of voting, you may not receive credentials in time to vote.