In this article, we will talk about the law profession and help you understand how to validate your education and experience to work as a lawyer in Canada. It is important to mention that anyone who is not a permanent resident or Canadian citizen, must have a work permit to be able to work in the country legally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Canada is one of the top immigration destinations in the world and every year welcomes thousands of skilled professionals. One example of these professionals are lawyers, which can practice under a number of titles in the country. A lawyer working in Canada has an average salary of CAD$ 100 000\/year, with some experienced professionals earning even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Canada, occupations can fall into two types: non-regulated<\/strong> and regulated<\/strong>. For non-regulated occupations, a license or certification is not required, like, for example, in most IT occupations. For regulated occupations, a license or certification is required to work, and in this case, the license or certification will be issued by the provincial or territorial regulatory authority responsible for the occupation. Most healthcare and engineering occupations are regulated, among many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Law is a regulated occupation in Canada, all lawyers are required to be a member of a law society<\/strong> in order to work. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada<\/strong> (FLSC<\/strong><\/em><\/a>) is the national coordinating body of the 14 provincial and territorial law societies which regulate law professionals. It ensures that the standards of law education and professional practice are met. However, each provincial or territorial law society has autonomy to choose its own processes and requirements for licensing professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Internationally educated lawyers are required to apply to the National Committee on Accreditation<\/strong> (NCA<\/strong><\/em><\/a>) before applying for a law society (except Quebec, which has its own process). The NCA<\/em> will assess the legal education and experience acquired outside Canada and assign requirements to be completed in order to issue a Certificado de Qualifica\u00e7\u00e3o (<\/strong>Certificate of Qualification<\/a><\/em>. The certificate qualifies the professional to apply for a provincial or territorial law society. An application with NCA<\/em> can be done from outside Canada, making it easier for the applicants to acquire all the required documents from their home country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25cf Law Society of British Columbia<\/a> The NCA <\/em>assessment includes the following steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 1. <\/strong>Submitting the application<\/strong><\/a>, form with all documents and payment (CDN $350 - Nov\/2020). The required documents<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25cf Official transcripts for the legal education, sent directly to NCA by the law educational institution All documents that are not in English or French, must be translated by a certified translator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 2. <\/strong>Assessment of the legal education and experience<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 3. <\/strong>Completion of requerimentos (assignments<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, given by the NCA<\/em> to qualify for law society admission (write NCA<\/em> exams and\/or take courses at a Canadian law school)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 4. <\/strong>The NCA <\/em>\u00a0certifies that all requirements were met by giving a Certificate of Qualification.<\/a><\/strong> \u00e9 dado ao candidato<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once NCA<\/em> have finished the assessment, they will offer one of three paths for meeting the assignments:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25cf Write and pass the NCA exams<\/strong><\/a>, or NCA exams are fact-based<\/strong> and take three hours<\/strong> to write. Past exams are available at some Canadian law school libraries for reference. The NCA<\/em> offers study materials<\/a><\/strong>, practice exams for each subject and a guide<\/strong><\/a> on how to answer fact-based law exam questions. The NCA<\/em> offers offers four exam sessions<\/strong> per year: January, May, August and October. The fee is CDN $300 per exam (plus taxes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Applicants must research Canadian law schools on their own and choose the one they wish to attend to meet the requirements. Some schools reserve spaces for NCA<\/em>, applicants but others do not. Generally, the NCA<\/em> assigns these five core law subject areas to all applicants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25cf (Canadian Administrative Law<\/em>)<\/a><\/strong> Once all the assignments are completed, the NCA<\/em> will issue the Certificate of Qualification. With that in hand, professionals are allowed to apply for the law society in the province or territory they intend to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All applicants are required to have a good proficiency in at least one of Canada\u2019s official languages: English or French. If academic qualification was in English or French, applicants will not need to provide any official test in language proficiency. Otherwise, applicants will have to complete an IELTS<\/strong><\/a> test for English (minimum overall score of 7.0) and the TESTCan<\/em><\/a><\/strong> test for French (minimum overall score of 4.5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each provincial or territorial law society has its own admission process, yet there are common requirements for a lawyer to be called to the bar<\/b> (called to the bar<\/em><\/strong>being licensed to practice). Most law societies require training in the legal environment. Professionals are required to complete 10 to 12 monthsarticling)<\/em>, of articling, where they will gain experience working supervised by a licensed lawyer, and 8 to 10 months of practice program<\/strong>, where they will gain practical legal knowledge and competencies in lawyer skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The practice program required in some law societies is the PREP<\/strong> (Practice Readiness Education Program – PREP<\/em><\/a>)<\/strong> offered by the Canadian Centre for Professionals Legal Education<\/strong> (CPLED<\/em>). In others, the program is offered by Canadian universities (e.g.: Ryerson University\u2019s Law Practice Program<\/strong><\/em><\/a> <\/em>in Toronto). The complete training processes can cost around CDN $4000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once all the requirements by the provincial or territorial law society admission process are met, including paying the fees, submitting all the forms and having no good character issues, professionals are eligible to be licensed to practise law and to attend a call to the bar ceremony.call to the bar ceremony)<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following are some websites with more information for internationally educated lawyers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u25cf University of Alberta’s Internationally Trained Lawyer Pathway<\/em><\/a>Provincial and Territorial Law Societies<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Law Society of Alberta<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Saskatchewan<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Manitoba<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Ontario<\/a>
\u25cf Barreau du Qu\u00e9bec<\/a>
\u25cf Chambre des notaires du Qu\u00e9bec<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of New Brunswick<\/a>
\u25cf Nova Scotia Barristers\u2019 Society<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Prince Edward Island<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Yukon<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of the Northwest Territories<\/a>
\u25cf Law Society of Nunavut<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNCA Assessment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf A resume of the education and work experience
\u25cf An official letter or certificate of good standing, sent directly to NCA from the home country association where the professional is registered<\/p>\n\n\n\nRequerimentos (Assignments<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf Complete assigned subjects<\/strong> at a Canadian law school<\/strong><\/a>, or
\u25cf Complete a combination of exams and assigned subjects<\/p>\n\n\n\nNCA Exams<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Assigned Subjects<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf (<\/strong><\/a>Canadian Constitutional Law<\/em><\/a><\/strong>)<\/strong><\/a>
\u25cf (<\/a>Canadian Criminal Law<\/em><\/a>)<\/a><\/strong>
\u25cf (<\/strong><\/a>Canadian Professional Responsibility<\/em>)<\/a><\/strong>
\u25cf (Foundations of Canadian Law<\/em>)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nLanguage Requirement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Law Society Admission<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u25cf York University – Osgoode Law School<\/em><\/a>
\u25cf How to Become a Lawyer in Ontario<\/em><\/a>
\u25cf How to Become a Lawyer in British Columbia<\/em><\/a>
\u25cf Internationally Trained Applicants in Manitoba<\/em><\/a>
\u25cf Internationally Trained Lawyers in Alberta<\/em><\/a>
\u25cf Becoming A Lawyer in Saskatchewan<\/em><\/a>
\u25cf Canadian Bar Association<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
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