Audit Committee:

The Audit Committee monitors the financial affairs of the Law Society including oversight of the audit of the annual financial statements.

• Monte Gorchinski (Chair)
• Glenn Hepp (Vice-Chair)
• Craig Zawada, Q.C.
• Crystal Norbeck

Staff:

• Tim Brown, Q.C.

Competency Committee (Joint Committee of the A & E and PSC Committees):

• Admissions & Education Committee:

The Admissions & Education Committee (A & E) assists the Benchers in upholding the standards for admission to the Law Society by ensuring that only those individuals who are qualified are admitted and continue as members of the Law Society.  A & E is responsible for overseeing and developing policy related to admissions, membership, and education (including both continuing professional development and the Bar admission program), and as appropriate, recommending amendments to the Rules, Code and Act.  A & E also considers and determines applications, and conducts hearings and appeals, referred to the Committee or required by the Law Society Rules to be determined by the Committee, which relate to admissions or education matters.

• Professional Standards Committee:

The Professional Standards Committee (PSC) reviews practice-related trends and issues that arise as a result of complaints, practice advisor reviews, and concerns raised by the membership, from which it creates policies and best practices to help members maintain good practice management and competence standards. Members of the PSC also consider complaint matters referred to them by Professional Responsibility Counsel. The PSC also oversees the Practice Advisor Program, including the New Solo/Small Firm Program and the Expanded Practice Advisor Program.

• Glenn Hepp (Chair)
• Martin Phillipson (Vice-Chair)
• Jill Drennan (Vice-Chair)
• Will Lane (Vice-Chair)
• Cara Haaf (Vice-Chair)
• Suzanne Jeanson (Vice-Chair)
• James Korpan, Q.C. (Vice-Chair)

Staff:

• Andrea Johnston
• Stacey McPeek
• Kiran Mand
• Melanie Hodges Neufeld (as needed)

Conduct Investigation Committee:

The Conduct Investigation Committee (CIC) considers complaint matters referred to it by Professional Responsibility Counsel, investigating any conduct of a member that may constitute conduct unbecoming, and determining the direction to be taken in relation to potential discipline matters. The CIC is responsible for decisions regarding the appointment of trustees, interim suspensions, referrals to Conduct Review Committees, and/or directing the appointment of Hearing Committees to hear and determine charges of conduct unbecoming.

• Jeff Baldwin (Chair)
• Ian Wagner (Vice-Chair)
• Crystal Norbeck (Vice-Chair)
• Suzanne Jeanson (Vice-Chair)
• Monte Gorchinski
• Craig Zawada, Q.C.
• Evert Van Olst, Q.C.

Staff:

• Tim Huber
• Valerie Payne
• Stacey McPeek
• Jenna Kraushaar

Discipline Policy Committee:

The Discipline Policy Committee develops policies to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and fairness of the Law Society of Saskatchewan’s investigation and disciplinary proceedings; and recommends amendments to the Rules, Code, and Act which pertain to disciplinary proceedings of the Society. The Committee was also responsible for making recommendations to the Benchers respecting professional ethics and the development of, and revisions to, the Code of Professional Conduct.

Discipline Executive (Policy)

• Leslie Belloc-Pinder, Q.C. (Chair)
• Barbara Mysko (Vice-Chair)
• Nolan Kondratoff
• James Korpan, Q.C.
• Monte Gorchinski
• Lynda Kushnir Pekrul 
• Jeff Baldwin (ex officio) 

Staff:

• Valerie Payne
• Tim Huber
• Jenna Kraushaar
• Stacey McPeek

Equity and Access (Joint Committee of the Equity & Diversity and Access to Legal Services Committees)

• Equity & Diversity Committee:

The Equity & Diversity Committee assists the Benchers by monitoring developments and providing advice on issues affecting equity and diversity in the legal profession; exploring and recommending actions and/or initiatives to be taken with respect to equity and diversity within the legal profession; and making recommendations for and supporting ongoing education and awareness training for members of the legal profession relating to equity and diversity.

• Access to Legal Services Committee:

The Access to Legal Services Committee assists the Benchers by monitoring developments and providing advice on issues affecting the delivery of legal services in Saskatchewan; identifying deficiencies in the delivery of legal services in Saskatchewan; and making recommendations to improve access to legal services and to provide solutions for appropriate regulation.

• Martin Phillipson (Chair)
• Barbara Mysko (Vice-Chair)
• James Morrison, Q.C.
• John Morrall
• Kaitlynn McArthur
• Suzanne Jeanson

Staff:

• Kara-Dawn Jordan
• Melanie Hodges Neufeld
• Kiran Mand

Ethics Committee:

The Ethics Committee meets several times during the year to review matters of ethical concern which come to the Committee by way of either complaint or voluntary Request for Ruling by members. The Committee applies the provisions of the Code of Professional Conduct to the facts at hand and provides helpful interpretation of specific Code sections. Following their consideration of the issues in each matter, the Committee issues Ethics Rulings (“Lawyer X” Rulings) for the guidance of the membership generally.

• Scott Moffat (Chair)
• Andrea Argue (Vice-Chair)
• John Morrall (Vice-Chair)
• Will Lane
• Cara Haaf
• Kaitlynn McArthur
• Jill Drennan

Staff:

• Jenna Kraushaar
• Stacey McPeek

Executive Committee:

The Executive Committee provides direction and oversight for the strategic and operational planning of the Law Society and develops agendas for Bencher meetings to ensure that Benchers exercise their oversight, regulatory and policy development responsibilities.

• Gerald Tegart, Q.C., President
• Foluke Laosebikan, Ph.D, Vice-President
• Leslie Belloc-Pinder, Q.C., Past President
• Tim Brown, Q.C., Executive Director

Staff:

• Tim Huber
• Kara-Dawn Jordan

Firm Regulation Committee:

In December 2018, the Benchers of the Law Society of Saskatchewan approved, in principle, the necessary framework for the implementation of proactive firm regulation and approved the creation of the Firm Regulation Committee. The Committee is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of the framework to support proactive law firm regulation.  This work includes drafting rules and the required policies and procedures relating to law firm registration requirements, coaching and collaborative approaches, compliance and enforcement requirements and complaint procedures. 

The ultimate goals of law firm regulation and the Committee are, to foster a more collaborative relationship between the Law Society and its members, including firms, and to help lawyers and firms manage risk so that the likelihood of conduct leading to a complaint or negligence is minimized.

• Ian Wagner (Chair)
• Erin Kleisinger, Q.C. (Vice-Chair)
• Lynda Kushnir Pekrul
• Nolan Kondratoff
• Jill Drennan
• David Chow

Staff:

• Jody Martin
• Stacey McPeek

Governance Committee:

The Governance Committee oversees the overall governance and management of policy of the Law Society to ensure that the Benchers fulfill their legal, ethical and functional responsibilities. This includes:

Developing, reviewing and implementing governance policies and procedures, and monitoring compliance; overseeing Bencher elections and appointments; directing Bencher orientation and ongoing training; and conducting Bencher performance evaluations.

• Craig Zawada, Q.C. (Chair)
• Lynda Kushnir Pekrul (Vice-Chair)
• Glenn Hepp
• Crystal Norbeck
• James Korpan, Q.C.
• Ian Wagner
• Nolan Kondratoff

Staff:

• Tim Brown, Q.C.
• Kara-Dawn Jordan
• Tim Huber

SLIA/Insurance Committee:

Saskatchewan Lawyers’ Insurance Association Inc. (SLIA) is a non-profit corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Law Society of Saskatchewan. SLIA provides mandatory errors and omissions insurance to the members of the Law Society of Saskatchewan pursuant to The Legal Profession Act, 1990.

SLIA is a member of the Canadian Lawyers Insurance Association (CLIA). CLIA is a reciprocal insurance exchange, which offers mandatory liability insurance to lawyers licensed by a law society, and a voluntary excess insurance program. The program is run by in-house counsel and a claims coordinator, who report to a board of directors composed of both Bencher and non-Bencher members.

By establishing local control of files within the limits of the group deductible, lawyers insured through SLIA are assured that: their files are being both adjudicated and litigated by local counsel; their interests are being represented as stakeholders on the advisory board of their insurer; and profits following any given claims years are retained locally for their benefit.

• Perry Erhardt, Q.C. (Chair)
• James Morrison, Q.C. (Vice-Chair)
• Andrea Argue
• Monte Gorchinski
• Patrick Kelly, Q.C.
• Michael Milani, Q.C.
• Tom Schonhoffer, Q.C.

Staff:

• Brad Hunter, Q.C.
• Dave McCashin
• Tim Brown, Q.C.
• Melanie Hodges Neufeld

Trust Safety Committee:

The Trust Safety Committee was established as an ad hoc Committee to review and make recommendations regarding rules and practices governing trust accounts, the Special Fund and related matters.

If a meeting is required in 2020, the Committee will be populated at such time.

Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Group:

The Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Group provides advice to the Society on issues within the mandate of the Society affecting Indigenous people in Saskatchewan.  The Advisory Group achieves this purpose by assisting the Society in understanding the needs of its current and prospective Indigenous members, and Indigenous people both in the regulatory processes of the Society and in the Saskatchewan legal system and makes recommendations to the Society on how to address those needs.

Members: 

• Gerald Tegart, Q.C. (Co-Chair)
• Kaitlynn McArthur
• Sidney Fiddler
• Cara-Faye Merasty
• Kathy Hodgson-Smith
• Eleanore Sunchild, Q.C.
• Dr. Jaime Lavallee
• Mary Culbertson
• Nordika Dussion
• Riva Farrell Racette (contract consultant)

Staff

• Kara-Dawn Jordan
• Jody Martin