Left to Right: Stacy Kaufeld, Executive Director, LASA; Keith Marlowe, Treasurer, LASA, Shaun MacIsaac, Q.C., Chair, LASA; and Jay Headrick, President, CBA.
On behalf of the Legal Archives Society of Alberta, I would like to thank the Calgary Bar Association for funding the completion of a publication using LASA’s vast collection of Oral History interviews.
The edited collection of stories from LASA’s Oral History collection to be published in book form, both in print and digital format. This book will explore the first-hand experiences of Alberta lawyers in practicing law and examine the development of the profession and the business of law in the province over the past fifty years. The collected stories will utilize the unique and vast repository of the LASA oral histories to create a work that will demonstrate the value of the collection and raise awareness about it among the profession, as well as providing an entertaining first-hand account of the practice of law in Alberta.
Over the years, the Calgary Bar Association has assisted LASA financially in order to continue this important program.
LASA established an ongoing oral history program in 1995 as part of its mandate to preserve and promote the legal history of Alberta. Prior to LASA’s establishment of its own oral history program, the Calgary Bar Association conducted interviews to capture these valuable stories. Those interviews are now housed in LASA’s holdings. To date the collection of interviews has grown to approximately 400. The collection encompasses a wide range of legal careers, from luminaries of the bench and leading members of the bar to small-town general practitioners and other lesser-known members of the profession. The program in more recent years has focused on women in the profession, individuals involved in legal service organizations, as well as other individuals, such as court reporters, who had first-hand experience of the law. Another recent initiative is to interview members of the bar who are visible-minorities, including indigenous lawyers and judges.
The interviews form an invaluable record on the practice of law in Alberta, how the practice has evolved, and the issues and challenges facing the profession, from the appearance of national and international law firms to the explosion of the self-represented in the judicial system. The oral histories are also a wonderful collection of stories and anecdotes on all the facets of the profession of law as experienced by Alberta lawyers. The oral history collection at LASA is also unique in Alberta, both in longevity and scope.
Researchers consult the interviews regularly but no one has taken advantage of the full scope of the collection. The popularity of books on legal humour and the success of the “Tough Crimes” titles, containing compelling stories of prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers, as well as legal thrillers, movies and televisions demonstrate that there is a considerable audience for stories regarding the practice of law, including first person experiences and anecdotes. The material found in LASA’s Oral History collection is ideal for this audience, and would have special appeal for lawyers and others associated with the profession as well as the general public. The proposed book will also seek to instruct and educate as well as entertain, and explore serious topics regarding the law. It will also capture a slice of the historical development of the law and the profession, as told by individual from first-hand experience.
The excerpts will be organized into chapters based on subjects and themes. Each chapter will have a short introductory essay to provide the reader with context. The precise choice of themes will be dependent on the material found in the interviews. The aim is to have a range of themes from the light-hearted and humorous to serious comment on the practice and business of law. The richness of the material and the number of possible subjects suitable to form a chapter could quite easily lead to several volumes over time if the first is a success.
The book will further fulfill LASA’s mandate to preserve and promote Alberta’s legal history, bringing stories about the law into the public realm with accompanying context. It will serve to effectively publicize LASA’s oral history program and collection among the legal profession, academics, and the public.
