The journey to becoming a licensed lawyer in Canada involves various stages of examinations and plenty of studying. We understand that sometimes, Internationally Trained Lawyers (“ITLs”) are unsure of which province to launch or recommence their legal career in. That is why in this blog post, we will examine the different licensing requirements of the major provinces in Canada that may assist ITLs in deciding which one compliments their experiences more.
British Columbia (“BC”).
The first step for ITLs to get licensed in BC is to complete a common law program at a Canadian law school and complete their National Committee on Accreditation (“NCA”) requirement. For information on completing NCAs, kindly click on this link. Consequently, they must complete the Law Society Admission Program that takes a period of 12 months. This program involves a 10-week Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC) examinations, and a 9-month articling period in a law firm or legal workplace. The PLTC essentially concentrates on building practical skills, ethics, and training for lawyers to use what has been taught in law school into practice. The examinations cover some of the core practice areas in which ITLs will be examined: business (commercial and company), real estate, wills, civil, criminal procedure, family, professionalism (ethics and practice management).
The final step in becoming a lawyer in BC is to apply for call and admission with the necessary documentation. Thereafter, new lawyers declare the barristers and solicitor’s oath in a call ceremony and become eligible to practice law in the province of BC. More information can be found on this link.
Alberta
Becoming a licensed lawyer in Alberta is a four-step process that begins with completing the NCA exams and obtaining a Certificate of Qualification. After this certificate is sent to the Law Society of Alberta, ITLs must apply for a student-at-law status. It is important to note that ITLs must secure an articling position before applying for the student-at-law status. The articling period can range from 8 to 12 months.
Continue reading “Becoming a Licensed Lawyer in Canada: A Marathon, not a Sprint.”
