Alberta does not currently have a regulatory body for paralegals. A regulatory body would need to define a paralegal’s scope of practice, set out professional standards, and ensure those standards are followed.
Imagine you need help with a legal problem and find someone offering paralegal services. What should you expect before placing your legal problem in that person’s hands?
Alberta does not have a regulatory body (an organization with authority to oversee a profession in the public interest) for paralegals, although there are limits on what non-lawyers can do when providing legal services. The Law Society of Alberta recognizes that paralegals and other agents can deal with certain legal matters without a lawyer’s supervision.
“Unregulated” does not mean a paralegal can provide any legal service they choose. It means there is no professional regulator that sets mandatory standards for everyone using the paralegal title.
For Albertans seeking legal help, that raises questions about education and competency, professional standards, liability insurance, complaints and discipline, public protection and public confidence. The central question is this: when an Albertan hires someone to help with a legal problem, what protections should they expect?
What Does “Paralegal” Mean?
Defining the term “paralegal” in Alberta is not straightforward.
The Government of Alberta’s ALIS profile describes paralegals as people who perform legal work independently or under lawyers’ supervision, and who have knowledge of the law and legal processes. Their work may include drafting legal documents, researching law, assisting with court cases and assembling evidence.
According to the Alberta Association of Professional Paralegals (“AAPP”), the main difference between paralegals and legal assistants is that paralegals perform legal work rather than mainly administrative tasks. AAPP also has criteria for professional designations – titles awarded to individuals who meet established qualifications – including the Alberta Registered Paralegal designation.
The term “paralegal” can vary from one legal workplace to another. If organizations and workplaces describe paralegal work differently, what can an Albertan assume when someone uses the title?
At minimum, a person considering hiring a paralegal should understand what the title means and whether that person has the right knowledge and experience for the services they offer.
What Should the Title Guarantee?
Someone seeking legal help should be able to assess whether the person they are considering hiring is competent to do the work.
If Alberta were to regulate paralegals, it could set minimum education and entry-level competency requirements. Alberta already has voluntary professional standards through organizations like AAPP. AAPP’s membership categories and designations have minimum education and experience requirements. Those standards do not apply to everyone using the paralegal title because membership is voluntary.
Education is not the only way to measure competency. Experienced paralegals may gain substantial knowledge and practical skills through years of legal work rather than a single educational program. Any regulatory model would need to consider how to recognize education and experience. For the public, the question is how an Albertan can be sure of a paralegal’s competence when hiring one.
What Professional Standards Apply?
Competency is only one protection. People seeking legal help should also understand what professional and ethical standards apply to the person handling their matter.
There is an important difference between a paralegal working under a lawyer and one providing paralegal services independently.
The Law Society of Alberta’s Code of Conduct allows competent non-lawyers with specialized education or training to perform work under a lawyer’s supervision. In that setting, the client has the added protection of the lawyer’s professional obligations and the regulatory framework that applies to the lawyer.
The situation differs when a paralegal provides services independently. While AAPP has professional and ethical standards for its members, it is a professional association rather than a regulatory body for all paralegals in Alberta. Its standards apply to its members, not everyone using the paralegal title. These voluntary standards show that expectations around professional conduct can exist without formal regulation.
What If Something Goes Wrong?
Even competent professionals make mistakes, including lawyers. People seeking legal help should understand what financial protection and accountability exist when something goes wrong.
Unlike lawyers, Alberta paralegals do not have to carry professional liability insurance. Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions insurance, provides financial protection when a professional’s mistake, negligence or failure to perform a service can result in a covered claim for financial loss.
There is also no regulator responsible for receiving complaints or disciplining someone who fails to meet professional standards. However, the AAPP has a Director of Professional Conduct & Disciplinary Review who addresses complaints about its members. Unlike a statutory regulator, AAPP does not have authority over everyone providing paralegal services in Alberta.
Regulation could provide both mandatory insurance and a complaints and disciplinary process. These protections serve different purposes. Professional liability insurance could provide financial protection where a covered professional error causes a client loss. A complaints and disciplinary process could provide a way to investigate misconduct and hold a paralegal accountable when they don’t meet required standards.
These protections, however, come with trade-offs. Insurance premiums, licensing fees, continuing education and regulatory administration cost money. If regulation resulted in these costs, how much might paralegals’ rates increase?
The issue is not simply whether these protections are needed but how to balance public protection with cost and accessibility.
What Can Alberta Learn from Other Provinces?
Other Canadian provinces show that there is more than one approach to paralegal and non-lawyer legal services.
British Columbia recognizes paralegals working under lawyer supervision, with competency requirements for delegated work. The supervising lawyer remains professionally responsible.
Saskatchewan introduced limited licensing in 2026. This allows qualified non-lawyers to provide certain legal services in defined areas while being licensed and insured.
Ontario provides another model. It has regulated paralegals through the Law Society of Ontario since 2007. Licensed paralegals complete an education and licensing process, work within a defined scope of practice, and must follow professional rules about competence, confidentiality, conflicts and other responsibilities.
These approaches do not mean Alberta should follow another province. They show there is more than one way to address competency, scope of practice, accountability and public protection. Looking at other provinces, we can ask: which protections should Alberta provide, and what model could provide them without creating unnecessary barriers or costs for the public?
What Should Albertans Expect?
When an Albertan hires someone to help with a legal problem, they should understand who they are hiring, whether that person is competent, what services they are allowed to provide, what professional standards apply, whether financial protection exists, and where they can turn if those standards are not met.
Regulation could make the paralegal title more meaningful by allowing the public to verify qualifications, understand the professional standards that apply and know where to turn if something goes wrong. That could contribute to public confidence.
But a regulated title could also confuse people into thinking that a regulated paralegal can provide the same services as a lawyer. Any regulatory framework would need to clearly define a paralegal’s scope of practice. The public would also need to understand what a regulated paralegal can and cannot do.
Regulation is one way of providing these protections, but any protections must be balanced against the costs and barriers they create.
When we consider these issues, we are left with the question: what should a person expect from someone who calls themselves a paralegal?
Once Alberta answers that question, the discussion about whether, and how, regulation should provide those protections becomes much clearer.
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DISCLAIMER The information in this article was correct at time of publishing. The law may have changed since then. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of LawNow or the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta.
About Tara Edwards
