David Girard

We are at an inflection point in the legal profession. New legislative frameworks, the evolving bilingual character of Alberta’s courts, renewed debate about how legal services are structured and delivered, and growing pressure on lawyer well-being are converging. These are not abstract policy questions. They are issues I encounter daily in my practice and among the reasons I am seeking to serve as a Bencher.

I am a partner at Dolden, practising in insurance, cyber, construction and professional liability, including matters at their intersection. This work gives me a valuable perspective on professional regulation. I routinely act for regulated professionals and engage with regulatory bodies, requiring careful consideration of the standards, structures and pressures that shape professional governance.

The LSA’s mandate to regulate the legal profession in the public interest is one I understand in principle and in practice, through the realities of regulatory decision-making and its impact on those governed.

My commitment extends beyond my practice. As Co-Chair of the CBA Alberta Access to Justice Committee, I have worked to understand and address the gap between the legal system Albertans need and the one they can access. That gap remains real and persistent, and in many respects is widening. How legal services are designed, delivered and regulated directly affects the public. The LSA has an important role in shaping that future, including through responsible regulatory innovation.

I am also one of a relatively small number of bilingual common law litigators practising in Alberta. As the province’s courts increasingly reflect their obligations under language rights frameworks, my experience navigating those realities — as a practitioner and as a member of the public the profession serves — offers a helpful and, I think, relatively uncommon perspective to bring to governance in the public interest. I take those responsibilities seriously.

Throughout my career, I have benefited from mentors who generously shared their time and knowledge, recognizing that the profession’s strength depends on each generation investing in the next. I believe I am now at a point where I can make a meaningful contribution in service of the public interest in return. Serving as a Bencher is an opportunity to do so. My background spans civil and common law jurisdictions, graduate study in international arbitration at the LSE, over a decade of involvement in professional governance through the CBA and TAS, and community leadership as President of the DWCA. I bring a broad, practical perspective informed by litigation, professional regulation, access to justice and community service. Effective self-regulation requires thoughtful governance, openness to new challenges and an unwavering focus on the public interest.

I would be honoured to serve the public interest as a Bencher.