Demographic Data Collection

One of the goals identified in the Law Society’s Strategic Plan 2019-2022 is to increase “equity, diversity and inclusion in the Law Society and legal service provision.” In the public interest, the Law Society promotes and supports inclusion, equity and diversity within its leadership and staff, and among Saskatchewan firms, lawyers, other legal service providers and the public.

In order to understand progress in meeting this goal, the Law Society needs to understand baseline information on the diversity of its membership and acquire this data over time. A human rights-based approach recognizes that data is key to identifying and understanding inequalities and establishing accurate measures is good practice for organizations that value diversity. The aggregate statistics drawn from this data will help the Law Society to better understand demographic trends in its membership and the legal profession, and to inform the development of programs and initiatives that advance equity, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and in the provision of legal services.

The information will be used to help fulfill the equity, diversity, and inclusion goal in the Law Society’s Strategic Plan. Members who self-identify assist the Law Society in understanding how its membership compares to the demographics of the profession and the population at large, track progress in meeting diversity goals, and inform programs and initiatives. When used or published, information will be compiled in aggregate so that individual members are not specifically identified.

The information provided is kept confidential by the Law Society in a secure system. Access to the information is restricted to limited Law Society staff members who require access for the purpose of data entry, reporting aggregate information, and analyzing trends. Data will be stored indefinitely or until updated by a member to help measure results of diversity initiatives over time.

Members are encouraged to provide demographic data, but it is provided entirely voluntarily. It is mandatory to complete demographic questions for annual renewal, but members choose their response and every question contains the choice “prefer not to answer” as well as the opportunity to explain any response.

No. The questions are consistent with provincial human rights legislation and other laws and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has prepared a Report noting the importance of data to identify and understand inequalities. The Law Society has adopted the principles to a human rights-based approach to data collection outlined by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

For questions about demographic data collection and self-identification, you can contact the Law Society’s Equity Office:

Equity Office

1-866-444-4885

[email protected]

There are a number of resources available to help members learn more about equity, diversity, and inclusion. The Government of Canada provides a glossary and common acronyms and mypronouns.org offers resources on using personal pronouns. The Law Society also has Continuing Professional Development content available on important equity, diversity, and inclusion themes: