The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta has recently announced the expansion of the King’s Bench Filing Digital Service – Civil and the requirements to utilize the Surrogate Digital Service (“SDS”).
Effective November 15, 2023, the King’s Bench Filing Digital Service – Civil has been expanded to include many lawyers where the filing is exempt from filing fees. Qualifying lawyers with a Law Society of Alberta Bar ID will be able to submit filings in FDS for all King’s Bench locations in Alberta.
To submit filings to the King’s Bench using FDS, Alberta lawyers and legal assistants must create an account on the service. Lawyers who work for Government of Alberta departments, private law firms representing a Government of Alberta department, and clients with Legal Aid Certificate, may qualify for fee exemptions in FDS. Exemptions should be filed used existing methods. FDS will require proof of fee exemption status upon filing.
Effective November 17, 2023, Law Society of Alberta members are now required to utilize the SDS for all applications that SDS is capable of processing.
The Courts will permit a two-week grace period as new features are released on SDS, during which paper-based GA applications can be submitted to the Court for clerk review. Paper applications made after the grace period may be rejected.
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For more information on the SDS process, including what SDS can accept, please click here. For assistance with navigating the King’s Bench Filing Digital Service, visit the Government of Alberta notice and user guide here.
