Law Society of Alberta

Law Society Equity Survey

(November 2002 – January 2004)

In 1991, the Law Society of Alberta commissioned surveys of Alberta lawyers to gain data on the perceptions of the members of the profession on gender bias in the legal profession.  Subsequently, the Law Society developed a range of policies to address the inequities discovered in the survey.  The 2003 survey will update information on gender bias in the legal profession and explore other possible barriers to full participation in the profession on such grounds as race, disability, sexual orientation, and age.  Data on these issues will be collected by way of focus groups with lawyers, a written survey of lawyers, and exit interviews with lawyers who move from active practice to the non-practicing list.  The information obtained by these means informed the development of responses to inequalities and inequities revealed through the data collection processes.