Alberta defence lawyers to drop serious legal aid files

Alberta defence lawyers will not take on legal aid files pertaining to very serious criminal offences starting Sept. 1.   The Criminal Defence Lawyers Association (Calgary), the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association (Edmonton), the Southern Alberta Defence Lawyers Association and the Red Deer Criminal Lawyers Association issued a release Thursday saying members will "begin refusing new certificates for all criminal appeals," and "refuse new legal aid files involving the most serious criminal o