Moose Jaw lawyer named president of Sask. Law Society

MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM — Suzanne Lalonde, a Legal Aid lawyer in Moose Jaw, has been named the president of the Law Society of Saskatchewan (LSS) for 2024 and has also received a provincial accolade honouring her efforts in her field.

At its Dec. 7 meeting, the LSS board elected Lalonde as president and Adam Touet as vice-president for next year; Lalonde had served as board vice-president this year.

The Law Society of Saskatchewan regulates the legal profession, which consists of more than 2,000 lawyers actively practising law. It sets and enforces standards for the admission, competency and professional conduct of its members. Twenty-three benches govern the society, including individuals who are not lawyers.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 18, the Ministry of Justice announced that 14 Saskatchewan lawyers — including Lalonde — were receiving the King’s Counsel (K.C.) designation for their contributions to the profession and overall public service.

King’s Counsel appointments are based on recommendations from a selection committee consisting of Saskatchewan’s Justice minister and attorney general, the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal or Chief Justice of the Court of King’s Bench, and past presidents of the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Bar Association and Law Society of Saskatchewan.

Lalonde graduated with distinction from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law in 2000 and began her law practice at Neil & Jeanson in Unity before joining the Moose Jaw Legal Aid office as a staff solicitor in 2008. Since 2014, her practice has been exclusively in criminal defence, including duty counsel work. 

Lalonde has been a bencher since 2018 and has served on several committees, including the King’s Counsel Selection Committee. She chaired the conduct investigation committee from 2022-23 and the competency committee from 2021-23. 

Her volunteer