Law Society of Manitoba (LSM) president Kyle Dear recently sat down with Law360 Canada to discuss the recent release of the law society’s 2025 annual report — a 31-page snapshot of the regulator’s latest fiscal year, which ran from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
Dear, who became the LSM’s 105th president back in May, called the report a “comprehensive” look into the state of the province’s legal profession — and the law society’s handling of it.
Kyle Dear, Law Society of Manitoba
The LSM’s new strategic plan replaces the outgoing 2022-25 plan. The new plan will build on the law society’s ongoing mission to turn an ear to members’ well-being — particularly when it comes to mental illness, addiction and job stress, said Dear.
This focus is not new. Lawyer well-being was a major driver for Dear’s predecessor, Gerri Wiebe, who was at the helm when the LSM launched its Wellness Challenge — an initiative through which participants engaged in various wellness-based activities over an eight-week period.
Helping the province’s legal profession with well-being remains a challenge, said Dear. However, the new strategic plan will continue to help address this.
“In our new strategic plan, that’s actually its own aim — that we’re trying to make sure that our lawyers are OK and supported,” said Dear, noting the LSM is working on “direct outreach to the profession to see how they’re doing and what they need.”
Dear acknowledged that challenges remain in convincing members to approach the LSM for assistance.
“We’re aware of it, and we’re taking steps to try and open up the path of communication and be a little less intimidating.”
Turning to page 14 of the report, Dear said the appointment of a Practice, Ethics and Equity Advisor may help take some stress out of the job for members.
According to the report, the adviser “offers guidance … on a wide rage of practice and ethics inquiries.”
“Since assuming this role in May 2024, the Advisor has received an average of 40 contacts per month,” states the report. “Inquiries have ranged from brief consultations … to complex matters requiring significant time and follow-up, often involving multiple issues.”
The adviser is able to deal with various areas of practice — from family law to wills and estates, from criminal law to civil litigation — and can address issues such as conflicts of interest, the duty of confidentiality, client capacity and a member’s duty to the court and their fellow lawyers.
According to the LSM’s website, the current Practice, Ethics and Equity Advisor is Noelia Bernardo.
Dear called Bernardo the “perfect person for the job.”
“It’s her passion to be accessible and help people,” said Dear. “And it’s not necessarily what people typically think of when they think of the law society — it’s more, we’re here to help you. We’re here to support you.”
The report also featured various statistics, including what sorts of complaints the LSM had received.
According to the report, the LSM opened 368 compliant files. As for areas of law, 27.8 per cent of complaints involved family law, while 13.1 per cent involved civil litigation, 15.2 per cent involved criminal law and 14 per cent involved wills, estates and trusts.
Other areas of complaint included real estate, labour and administrative, corporate law and “private grievance.”
As for the source of complaints, 45.5 per cent came from clients.
In terms of “education and competence,” the report states that 83 hours of new continuing professional development were offered in 2024-25. Subjects included access to justice, anti-money laundering, reconciliation and intercultural awareness, and “solo and small” firm practitioners.
Dear, who was called to the bar in 2000, is a partner at Taylor McCaffrey LLP. There, she practices in the areas of commercial litigation, insurance, construction and pension law.
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