LawNow and the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and we would like to thank you – our dedicated LawNow reader – for your ongoing support! LawNow began as an in-house produced newsletter about the law and legal developments in the Alberta justice system. Over the past 40 years it has grown from its humble beginnings to the sophisticated online product that you see today. There have been so many changes, so many expansions of range and content, so many technological advancements and so many moments of excitement, trepidation, improvisation, fun, and pride. But some things have remained constant: our wonderful contributors whose generosity, intellectual curiosity, and spirit of engagement have made LawNow possible; CPLEA’s tireless and committed staff; and the support of CPLEA’s funders, in particular, the Alberta Law Foundation.
I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as CPLEA’s new Executive Director. I joined CPLEA in January 2015 as our new public legal education lawyer and was appointed as Executive Director in June 2015. While I may seem relatively new to the CPLEA family, my relationship with CPLEA actually began many years ago while I was completing my Master of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta. Issues around access to information and access to justice have always interested me and CPLEA was the perfect marriage of the two. Needless to say, I am excited to be back with CPLEA and look forward to leading us into the future.
I am also happy to announce that LawNow will feature three new columnists in the months ahead. Melody Izadi will provide lively and thoughtful analysis of criminal law issues. She is a lawyer in private practice in the Toronto area. Doug Hoyes will join LawNow as the new Debtor and Creditor Law columnist. Doug is a Trustee in Bankruptcy, Consumer Proposal Administrator and Founder of Hoyes, Michalos & Associates Inc. with offices in Ontario, and has extensive experience in resolving financial issues Caroline Wawzonek will reintroduce our readers to an Aboriginal Law column, which we have been sorely lacking the last few years. She is a lawyer practising with the firm of Dragon Toner in Yellowknife and is the Chair of the NWT Canadian Bar Criminal Law Section. We welcome these new contributors as they join our other superb columnists and feature article writers.
From all of us at CPLEA, thank you for your support and look forward to continuing to relate law to life in Canada for another 40 years!
Amelia Martin
About Amelia Martin
