I am seeking election as a Bencher of the Law Society of Alberta with 26 years of experience in law and public service, in regulation, prosecution, rule-making and now private practice. I understand the responsibilities that come with membership in a self-regulating profession, and the Society’s purposes under section 2.1 of the Legal Profession Act: ensuring the integrity, competence and ethical conduct of lawyers, regulating the practice of law, and supporting and assisting lawyers in serving the public.
In Pakistan, I served as District Attorney, District Public Prosecutor, Under Secretary in the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department and Additional Secretary in the Home Affairs Department of the Government of Balochistan, and sat on committees of several ministries. That work included prosecution, drafting and vetting legislation and rules, and public policy, where decisions had to be fair, proportionate and explained.
Since 2019 I have practised in Edmonton as principal of SJS Law, in real estate, corporate, and wills and estates law. I manage trust accounting, audits, insurance, billing and compliance myself, without a large back office. That daily experience has given me a practical understanding of the responsibilities lawyers carry for client funds, client confidentiality and risk, and of the cost and effort of meeting them in an independent practice.
Effective regulation requires sound judgment, fairness, transparency and proportionality. It requires an understanding of the practical realities faced by lawyers in firms of every size, and by the clients and members of the public who rely on them. It also requires listening carefully, considering differing perspectives, and deciding objectively on the evidence and in the public interest. Effective regulation also requires an understanding of how technology, including artificial intelligence, affects client confidentiality and the duties lawyers owe to the public. These tools offer benefits and present risks, and both call for careful, evidencebased consideration with input from members and the public.
In public service and in practice, I have learned that trust in a regulator is earned through openness, timeliness and reasoned decisions made in the public interest.
A Bencher’s duty is to the public interest in the administration of justice, not to any group of lawyers. I would approach the role with independence, diligence and an open mind, and would be honoured to contribute my experience to the Society’s work of protecting the public and maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice.
