The 7 Steps to Becoming an Lawyer in Canada
The average salary for a Lawyer is $102,026 per year in Canada. Salaries estimates are based on 304 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by Lawyer employees in Canada. What is the highest salary for a Lawyer in Canada? The highest salary for a Lawyer in Canada is $171,602 per year.
This leave allows you to take up to 10 days of leave to engage in activities, such as:
Who is the best lawyer in Canada? The Best Lawyers™ in Canada 2021. David MacDougall – Energy Law (Halifax) David T.S. Fraser – Information Technology Law (Halifax) Marjorie A. Hickey QC – Administrative and Public Law (Halifax) Michelle Awad QC – Corporate and Commercial Litigation (Halifax)
Steps to become a Lawyer/Attorney in Canadian Provinces / Territories
If you attend a foreign law school and wish to become a Canadian lawyer, your education must be approved by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA). You must submit your qualifications and experience in law to the NCA. The NCA will then determine what, if any, further coursework you must complete at an approved Canadian law school prior to licensure as a lawyer in your province. You may also be asked to complete examinations in order to qualify for licensure. If you qualify, you will be issued a Certificate of Qualification, which you may use to seek entry to your province’s law society.
Ontario requires applicants to complete the Barrister Licensing Examination and the Solicitor Licensing Examination. Both are self-study, open -book exams. The Barrister Examination tests your knowledge of Practice Management Issues; Litigation Process; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Problem/Issue Identification, Analysis and Assessment; Establishing and Maintaining the Barrister-Client Relationship; Ethical and Professional Responsibilities; and Knowledge of Ontario law, Federal legislation and Case Law. The Solicitor Examination tests your knowledge of Ontario, Federal and Case law, along with all policies, procedures and forms; Ethical and Professional Responsibility; Establishing and Maintaining the Solicitor-Client Relationship; Practice Management; and Fulfilling the Retainer. Each exam takes seven hours to complete and can be done online. Check out this video for more information on the licensing exams for Ontario.
To become a Student-at-Law, you must complete the Law Society of Alberta Admission Program . This entails completing the Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) course and a clerkship/ articling period.
The Bar Admissions process of the Nova Scotia Barristers Society involves completing a Skills Course and year of Articling, and a Bar Examination. The Skills Course covers Practice Management Skills (online); Interviewing, Negotiation and Litigation Skills (in-person at the Society offices in Halifax); Legal Writing Skills (online) and Legal Drafting Skills (online).
Once you are a Student-at-Law, you will serve 12 months of service in articles of clerkship approved by the Society to a member. This member may be a judge of the Northwest Territories/Nunavut Court of Justice; a Judge of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Canada or of a superior court of a province or territory; or a barrister and solicitor who does not live in Northwest Territories/Nunavut but is an active member in good standing and has practiced law for at least five years.
The Law Society of Ontario#N#The Law Society of Ontario requires that you graduate from a law school approved by Convocation in order for your law education to be provincially recognized. All schools listed under “Law Schools in Canada” below are approved by Convocation.
Because Canadian education is regulated on a provincial level, there are no national accreditation bodies for Canadian colleges and universities. Government organizations recognize certain colleges and universities within their jurisdiction. There are certain national associations that establish quality standards and regulate colleges and universities, including:
There are many perks to practicing law in Canada, starting with the salary which averages around $137,500 per year. Apart from this, every province and territory in Canada benefit from free basic education and public healthcare, and Canada is also known for its diversity and high quality of living. Lawyers are labeled under the National Occupation Classification (NOC) skill level A (skilled workers) and have many immigration pathways open to them in Canada.
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Canada is in need of plenty of skilled workers in order to curb its crucial labour market shortages. One of these skilled occupations is as a lawyer which can practice under a number of titles. However, before you can practice law in Canada, you will need to evaluate your current qualifications and apply for conversion through ...
Many foreign-trained lawyers find themselves unable to practice law in Canada because their credentials are not recognized.
The National Committee on Accreditation (or NCA) is a standing committee of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC). According to the FLSC website:
Internationally trained lawyers can apply for the NCA assessment at any time, even prior to coming to Canada (citizenship and residency are not looked at during the assessment process). FLSC identifies the following formalities that are necessary in order for the NCA assessment to be processed:
Each application is looked at on an individual basis, evaluating candidates’ experience and qualifications, the length of the program and subjects of studies, academic performance, the type of legal system where education was acquired, and other similar criteria.
Applicants that received their NCA assessment can register for the NCA examinations. Each examination follows an open-book, paper-and-pen, pass-or-fail format, and lasts approximately 3 hours. Candidates must pre-register for each exam session, and they can do that as early as 4-6 weeks prior to the start of the exam.
When picking a law school, you will consider many things, including the size of the school, its distance from your home, the type of law it specializes in, the composition of the student body and faculty, whether it offers courses or a degree in French, and the philosophy of the school.
Many students participate in trial advocacy and client counselling competitions, volunteer at legal clinics or non-profit organizations, and participate in student-led clubs and social events at the law school. This is a great way to meet people with similar interests and find out how you can apply your legal training outside of academics.
Nearly all Canadian and US law schools require the standard LSAT. The 'regular' LSAT is held online, thus may be taken in any country where there is reliable internet service. Not valid are the specially-designed LSAT for entry into law schools located in India, and the specially-designed Spanish-language LSAT for law schools located in Puerto Rico.
The first step is to apply to the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), a division of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The NCA will evaluate your education and experience, as well as set out any other steps you need to take to be considered as having academic qualifications equivalent to Canadian law school.
Once you have the NCA certification, the next step is admission to the provincial Bar. Each province has its own Law Society and a lawyer with the NCA certification is usually treated the same way as a Canadian law school graduate.