A Calgary woman says she received nothing from a $13,000 civil settlement, raising new questions about safeguards for paralegal clients in Alberta.
A Calgary woman who settled a civil dispute for $13,000 says the paralegal she hired to represent her never delivered the money, a case now drawing scrutiny to the limited protections available to people who hire independent paralegals in Alberta.
Samantha Kirkpatrick, 38, told CBC News she hired John McDonald in October 2023 after looking online for help with a lawsuit against a contractor she said had done poor work on her garage. McDonald advertised paralegal services in Alberta and British Columbia, held a licence from the Saskatchewan Law Society and had served on the board of the Alberta Association of Professional Paralegals, according to the report.
Kirkpatrick said the contractor paid the settlement last July, but she has not received it. Emails she provided to CBC News show McDonald told her in August that the contractor had paid the settlement in cash and that he had deposited it into his account, with the bank holding the funds for five business days. Kirkpatrick said she was not given a receipt, statement or confirmation, and that McDonald later stopped responding to repeated calls and emails.
“This completely blindsided me,” Kirkpatrick told CBC News. She said she has taken her concerns to police.
The allegations have not been proven. McDonald, responding by email to CBC News about Kirkpatrick’s complaint and another former client’s concerns, said the matters were before regulators in two provinces and that it would be inappropriate to comment while they remain active. He also said he is shutting down his paralegal services, referring clients elsewhere and now works in an unrelated field.
CBC News reported that seven other people say they had problems after hiring McDonald, including withheld settlements, incomplete work or missed deadlines. Calgary police launched two fraud investigations connected to complaints from former clients; one was closed without charges and the other is ongoing. The Law Society of Saskatchewan also told CBC News it has opened an investigation connected to McDonald’s licence there.
The case highlights a broader regulatory gap. Legal experts told CBC News that Alberta does not regulate independent paralegals the way Ontario does, leaving clients with fewer avenues if money is mishandled or work is not completed. Lisa Trabucco, an assistant law professor at the University of Windsor, said rules vary widely across Canada, from full paralegal oversight in Ontario to no comparable system in Alberta. “People just operate without any oversight,” she said of Alberta.
Canadian law societies place strict rules on lawyers’ handling of client money, including trust-account requirements. But because Alberta paralegals are not regulated, clients who believe funds have been mishandled generally must sue or go to police, CBC News reported. The Alberta Association of Professional Paralegals said it has little authority to discipline members or warn the public in the way a formal regulator could.
CBC News said the Law Society of Alberta and Alberta’s Justice Ministry declined interview requests about whether paralegals in the province are self-governed and whether regulation is being considered. For Kirkpatrick, the immediate question remains whether she will recover the settlement she says she won but never received.
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