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additional resources for those trying to put the pieces back together. The Slave Lake Fire Legal Hotline (1-888-644-8950), operated by Legal Aid Alberta, offers free legal information particularly about insur- ance claims, tenancy, employment, credit/ debt issues, and family law matters. Both legal aid and PBLA have developed web pages to provide further information. "The agencies which are partnering in this relief effort have very common goals when it comes to providing relevant legal services and access to justice," said Gillian Marriott, executive director of Pro Bono Law Alberta. "Simply by the nature of the business we are in, we also have a shared interest in helping people. We realized that the consequences of the fire would have legal implications for the community and we wanted to help as much as we could." Martin Ostensen, a legal aid vice presi- dent, says: "Legal Aid Alberta is a proud partner in this initiative and is pleased to be able to offer the technical infrastructure — the hotline itself, and expertise of our staff to assist a group of Albertans who are very much in need. With the province- wide launch of our Legal Services Centre model earlier this year, we are better suit- ed than ever to offer our assistance to the victims of the Slave Lake wildfires. Our staff are now connected in a way that they weren't before, and are trained in the use of innovative technology that provides clients with greater accessibility and cus- tomized service." "Not only are we seeing incredible work being done as a result of collabora- tion with our stakeholders, but we are also seeing overwhelming generosity from the Alberta legal profession, not only for their fellow lawyers, but for the community affected by the wildfire and subsequent flood two months later. I think the CBA has always viewed access to justice as a child that needs a village to raise it, and by helping the victims of the Slave Lake fire, this is one of the ways that we can carry Pro Bono Law Alberta's Slave Lake information site is at and Legal Aid Alberta's can be found at LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under licence. PCLaw is a registered trademark of LexisNexis Practice Management Systems Inc. © 2011 LexisNexis Canada Inc. All rights reserved. out that mandate," says Analea Wayne, president, the Canadian Bar Association - Alberta branch. Had the legal community not stepped up to offer its support, the residents of Slave Lake would have suffered an even greater hardship. "The legal profession offering support to Slave Lake residents gives me hope and optimism. This will show the residents that the legal profession cares and offer them hope to problems that might otherwise overwhelm them. The collaborative actions of the legal pro- fession coming together to offer support to these residents makes me honoured to belong to this profession," says Catherine Twinn, a Slave Lake lawyer. — DIANE L.M. COOK dianecook@shaw.ca Practice Management LexisNexis® PCLaw® Accounting software that SPEAKS LEGALESE. PCLaw® billing and accounting software combines what you need to track your time and money all in one system — from time and billing to trust accounting, cheque writing, financial statements, client identification and verification, automatic backup, offline file management, advanced reporting tools and more. Best of all, it's easy to use and ready to go to work instantly. Download and Try PCLaw for FREE* For more information, call 1-800-328-2898 or visit www.lexisnexis.ca/pclaw. * Download PCLaw free for 30 days. Certain conditions apply. www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com SEPTEMBER 2011 11 ntitled-3 1 12/9/10 4:12:40 PM lak e/ P a g es/def leg alaid.ab.c pbla.c v a/sla a/sla ault.asp x v e- elak e/