A lifetime of leadership

Bianca Kratt is excited to launch into the latest in a long line of leadership roles.

She served as president of the Canadian Bar Association’s Alberta Branch and chaired the CBA National Finance Committee. Now, she’s beginning her term as vice-president of CBA National. Next year, she’ll take over from President Lynne Vicars.  

“I feel privileged to be in these shoes,” says Kratt, a partner at Parlee McLaws LLP in Calgary, where she leads the corporate, banking and real estate law practice group.

As a people person, she loves meeting others in the profession and chatting with them to find out their thoughts on things.

“I’m looking forward to being in a position to assist with access to justice issues and being in contact with people at the national level, not just in Alberta,” she says.

Access to justice means a lot to Kratt, whose intersecting identities as a woman, Indigenous person (she is a member of the Huron-Wendat First Nation), and bilingual solicitor who provides legal services in English and French, inform the issues she wants to address as vice-president.  

Kratt says access to justice involves many facets beyond the right to appear in court. She wants to advocate for system reforms that include simplifying legal procedures, introducing mechanisms for group claims to help address legal aid inadequacies and shortcomings, ensuring judges have the necessary assistance to render efficient and effective decisions, addressing systemic barriers like race, gender, and disability, and promoting holistic reforms beyond the courtroom.

Part of that is exploring alternative approaches to resolve matters more efficiently and collaboratively, such as discussions, settlements, mediation, or arbitration, without solely relying on the court system.

“We need to look at what we can put in place in communities to help people who can't afford lawyers still have access to the justice they seek through other legal systems,” Kratt says.

“By adopting alternative approaches, people may be able to avoid a lengthy court process and resolve their matter faster.”

She says ensuring realistic access to court is also important in addressing and reducing systemic barriers. For example, many Indigenous people don’t have equitable access to justice because of the remote areas where they live. Attending court in person is onerous for some and impossible for others, so courts need support to allow for alternative ways to attend.

Another key priority for Kratt is strengthening access and quality of legal services in French — not just translation and interpreter services, but also publishing legislation and court forms in both languages. A volunteer and past president of the French-speaking Legal Professionals Association of Alberta (AJEFA), which promotes access to justice in French, she wants to advocate for more members of the judiciary, court staff, crown prosecutors, and legal professionals to speak both official languages nationwide. She says this would help close language gaps and preserve the French language and its culture.

“To be heard and understood in French in court and by your solicitor, that's extremely important and is integral to the right to fair proceedings and representation in legal disputes,” Kratt says.

From personal experience, she knows how it feels to struggle to be understood in a second language. She grew up in a small town in Quebec, speaking no English “whatsoever.”

“Language was a barrier for me. I had to learn English as quickly as possible,” Kratt says, adding that trying to master a new language later in life took a lot of dedication.

Encouraging other women in law to take on leadership roles is another priority for Kratt, who leads a team of eight female paralegals in her office.

“Every day, I empower them to confidently speak their mind, drive the files, be clear with clients and other counsel, enabling them to develop decision-making skills and take on leadership roles within the team.”

She also volunteers with the Advisory Committee to the International Association of Women Judges, Canadian Chapter, which helps raise awareness about the inequalities women face in the legal profession and aims to empower women in leadership roles.

Kratt says while she’s always been a leader, getting to where she is now wasn’t easy.

“It took a lot of perseverance. I worked really, really hard.”

Earning her civil law degree at the Université Laval, her common law degree at the University of Manitoba, and her Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall, as well as finding work opportunities, meant moving cities often, which made it hard to stay connected to friends and family.  

During this time, Kratt joined the CBA to network, pursue professional development and meet people with whom she could build relationships. It wasn’t long before the association became “a family away from home.”

“It’s where I found my roots and built on that.”

One of the reasons she was inspired to run for the vice-president position was the opportunities it provides members to shape and influence the legal profession and the administration of justice in Canada.

“The CBA plays a crucial role in advocating for the profession’s interests and influencing legal policies and reforms. I felt like I could contribute to shaping the future through community involvement,” Kratt says.

“I decided that it was my duty to step up and take on the role of vice-president and to lead the organization. I am looking forward to dedicating my time to serving the profession and improving access to justice in Canada.”