This Week in Legal Ethics – Request for Ruling

May 18, 2016

By Melanie Hodges Neufeld

In previous blog posts, I explained that the Law Society’s Ethics Committee reviews specific fact situations involving lawyers that fall within the ethical “grey area” and makes Professional Conduct Rulings that are published anonymously as guidance for the profession. I would like to remind our members that they can request this guidance from the Committee by sending in a Request for Ruling. The Committee meets at each Convocation and requires the request in writing with the factual situation clearly articulated. The next meeting will be at the June 15 – 17 Convocation in Saskatoon. If you are facing an ethical situation, I suggest you contact one of our Complaints Counsel for immediate assistance or for more information on how to submit a Request for Ruling to the Ethics Committee.

And don’t forget that these rulings are published quarterly in the Benchers’ Digest and are available on our website in a searchable Professional Conduct Rulings database. The database contains rulings back to 1979 and is searchable by keyword, Code provision, and date.