Authorization of limited licensing is an important recent development, past president says
The Law Society of Saskatchewan’s 2025 annual report spotlights its progress toward attaining the following goals: strengthening regulation; enhancing competency; increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI); advancing truth and reconciliation; increasing access to legal services and justice; and increasing wellness.
These six primary goals anchor the law society’s strategic plan for 2023–26.
Adam Touet, the law society’s past president, called 2025 “a year of meaningful progress” in a message in the annual report.
“With many new Board members joining us following the 2024 election, there was a sense of renewal within the organization, and the collective energy and focus of both returning and newly elected Board members enabled us to pursue an ambitious agenda in furtherance of our public interest mandate,” Touet said.
“In 2025, legal regulation continued to operate in an environment shaped by overlapping pressures, including challenges to the rule of law, declining trust in public institutions, political polarization and persistent access to justice gaps,” added Tim Brown, executive director.
Regulation
The law society explained that it aims to make transparent, informed, fair, and timely decisions that boost stakeholder confidence in its regulation of legal practice. To strengthen regulation, the law society shared that it has worked to:
- Spread awareness of its role through the public concerns pathway, the rule of law education campaign, and the stakeholder services working group
- Improve its communications concerning regulatory matters via complaints data analysis and monitoring
- Spur stakeholder dialogue and data use to regulate proactively and make more informed decisions
- Promote timely and quality regulatory processes and decisions in terms of administrative penalties, ethics rulings, and flexible articling arrangements
- Make its governance, including through its hearing committee, more effective
“The launch of the Public Concerns Pathway enhanced the ‘front door’ of regulation by providing a plain-language, self-guided tool to help the public understand professional obligations, assess concerns and identify appropriate avenues for resolution,” Brown said in a message in the annual report.
Competency
The law society emphasized the importance of the regulation of professional competence to its mandate of serving the public interest. To enhance competency, the law society shared that it has worked to:
- Spread awareness of the range of competencies necessary for quality legal services via the competency-based legal education project and the Western Canada competency profile
- Improve the resources for members to obtain and maintain such competencies through the new sole practitioner and small firm practice program, the practice management assessment tool, and the print renewal project
- Make professional development regulation and programming more effective via continuing professional development renewal and the in-person articling requirement
EDI
The law society stressed the importance of EDI to stronger legal services and the legitimate and responsive administration of justice. To increase EDI, the law society shared that it has worked to:
- Promote internal diversity, which it tracks through demographic data analysis and monitoring
- Make its board, staff, and members more competent in terms of human rights and EDI via a guide to advancing EDI for legal workplaces
- Decrease barriers to entry, advancement, and retention within the legal profession for equity-seeking or equity-deserving groups through the mentorship program and support for internationally trained lawyers
Truth and reconciliation
The law society emphasized the importance of promoting truth and reconciliation to the recognition of Indigenous peoples’ unique needs. To advance truth and reconciliation, the law society shared that it has worked to:
- Increase diversity within its ranks to reflect Indigenous perspectives
- Improve cultural competency pursuant to the Calls to Action and Calls to Justice via the Continuum of Legal Education in Truth and Reconciliation Symposium
- Reduce barriers faced by Indigenous peoples by supporting Indigenous law students and legal professionals
- Address the priority and focus areas recommended by its truth and reconciliation advisory group
- Work on the truth, reconciliation, and treaty implementation action plan, prepared in collaboration with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner
Access to justice
The law society stressed the importance of accessible legal services for better legal outcomes for members of the public. To increase access to legal services and justice, the law society shared that it has worked to:
- Tackle the barriers to access arising from its regulatory framework, including by incorporating limited licensees throughout its rules
- Make its board, staff, and members more competent in connection with access-to-justice issues through learning opportunities
- Support initiatives addressing unmet legal needs and promoting access to justice, such as Access to Justice Week, the Saskatchewan Access to Legal Information initiative, and assistance for incarcerated individuals
“One of the year’s most important developments was the Government of Saskatchewan’s authorization of limited licensing,” Touet said. “This achievement marked the culmination of a multi-year pilot project and represents a significant step toward improving access to legal services in Saskatchewan, particularly in underserved areas.”
Wellness
The law society noted that it seeks to promote a wellness culture within the legal profession through proper education and resources. To increase wellness, the law society shared that it has worked to:
- Increase understanding of mental illnesses, addictions, and other health concerns, which will help members identify and address issues and thus mitigate any risk to the public
- Offer regulatory options, such as alternative discipline processes, for tackling its members’ wellness-related concerns
