Information for foreign-trained lawyers
(4112) Verified: 2008 07 31
Information on requirements to practise
Entry into the legal profession is regulated by the rules and regulations of the law society - and by the laws - in each province and territory of Canada. In Quebec, there are two law societies: the Chambre des notaires du Québec, which governs the notarial profession, and the Barreau du Québec, which governs lawyers according to the civil law tradition from France. Because laws vary to some degree from one jurisdiction to the next, the regulations for admission to each law society may also vary. When you know where you wish to settle in Canada, you should contact the appropriate regulatory body (see list below) for details.
The fourteen provincial/territorial Law Societies (in Nova Scotia, the Barristers' Society) form the national Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC), and you may contact the FLSC for further general information at:
- Federation of Law Societies of Canada (FLSC)
- World Exchange Plaza
1810 - 45, rue O'Connor Street- Ottawa ON K1P 1A4 Canada
- Phone : 613-236-7250
- Fax : 613-236-7233
- Email : info@flsc.ca
- http://www.flsc.ca/
Information on assessment of qualifications
With the Council of Canadian Law Deans, the FLSC established the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) to evaluate the credentials of law professionals from Quebec who wish to be admitted to the bar in another province, and the credentials of foreign-trained lawyers who want to be admitted to bar in the law society of any other province or territory. You may contact the NCA for more information at:
- National Committee on Accreditation, FLSC (NCA)
- World Exchange Plaza
1810 - 45, rue O'Connor Street- Ottawa ON K1P 1A4 Canada
- Phone : 613-236-7250, ext. 229
- Fax : 613-236-7233
- Email : nca@flsc.ca
- http://www.flsc.ca/en/foreignLawyers/foreignLawyers.asp
Please note that the NCA certificate does not give foreign-trained lawyers the right to work in Canada - it only allows them to apply for membership to a provincial or territorial law society. If you wish to practise in Quebec, you must contact directly the appropriate regulatory body.
The FLSC Web site also allows you to consult on-line its information notes for foreign-trained lawyers and for foreign legal consultants. Most jurisdictions in Canada permit foreign lawyers to practice as Foreign Legal Consultants. Foreign lawyers licenced as Foreign Legal Consultants are permitted to practice the law of their home jurisdiction and international law. Details on the Foreign Legal Consultants programs are available from individual law societies (see below).
You may also contact an evaluation service and consult our Fact Sheet No. 2, "Assessment and recognition of credentials for the purpose of employment in Canada." Although the evaluation services offer expert advice on how qualifications obtained abroad compare with credentials obtained in a Canadian province or territory, the evaluation is advisory only and does not guarantee recognition of your qualifications for employment or certification purposes in Canada. Please note that they charge a fee for their services.
Other relevant information
For a general description of duties and employment requirements, you can refer to the information prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada regarding:
Specific provincial/territorial information
You may also be interested in the CICIC information pages for:
List of provincial/territorial law societies
Alberta
- Law Society of Alberta (LSA)
- 919-11th Ave. S.W., Suite 600
- Calgary AB T2R 1P3 Canada
- Phone : (403) 229-4700
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-661-9003
- Fax : (403) 228-1728
- Email : comdir@lawsocietyalberta.com
- http://www.lawsocietyalberta.com/
British Columbia
- Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC)
- 845 Cambie Street, 8th Floor
- Vancouver BC V6B 4Z9 Canada
- Phone : (604) 669-2533
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-903-5300
- Fax : (604) 669-5232
- Email : memberinfo@lsbc.org
- http://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/
Manitoba
- Law Society of Manitoba (LSM)
- 219 Kennedy St., Suite 201
- Winnipeg MB R3C 1S8 Canada
- Phone : (204) 942-5571
- Fax : (204) 956-0624
- Email : admin@lawsociety.mb.ca
- http://www.lawsociety.mb.ca/
New Brunswick
- Law Society of New Brunswick (LSNB)
- 1133 Regent Street, Suite 206
- Fredericton NB E3B 3Z2 Canada
- Phone : (506) 458-8540
- Fax : (506) 451-1421
- Email : general@lawsociety-barreau.nb.ca
- http://www.lawsociety.nb.ca/
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador
- P.O. Box 1028
196-198 Water Street- St. John's NL A1C 5M3 Canada
- Phone : (709) 722-4740
- Fax : (709) 722-8902
- Email : peter.ringrose@lawsociety.nf.ca
- http://www.lawsociety.nf.ca/
Northwest Territories
- Law Society of the Northwest Territories (LSNWT)
- P.O. Box 1298
5004-50th Street
- Yellowknife NT X1A 2N9 Canada
- Phone : (867) 873-3828
- Fax : (867) 873-6344
- Email : lawsocnt@lawsociety.nt.ca
- http://www.lawsociety.nt.ca/
Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia Barristers' Society (NSBS)
- 1645 Granville Street, Suite 1101
- Halifax NS B3J 1X3 Canada
- Phone : (902) 422-1491
- Fax : (902) 429-4869
- Email : info@nsbs.org
- http://www.nsbs.org
Nunavut
- Law Society of Nunavut
- P.O. Box 149
Bldg. 812, Unit 4- Iqaluit NU X0A 0H0 Canada
- Phone : (867) 979-2330
- Fax : (867) 979-2333
- Email : lawsoc@qiniq.com
- http://lawsociety.nu.ca/
Ontario
- Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC)
- Osgoode Hall
130 Queen Street West- Toronto ON M5H 2N6 Canada
- Phone : (416) 947-3300
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-668-7380
- Fax : (416) 947-3924
- Email : lawsociety@lsuc.on.ca
- http://www.lsuc.on.ca/
Prince Edward Island
- Law Society of Prince Edward Island (LSPEI)
- 49 Water Street
P.O. Box 128- Charlottetown PE C1A 7K2 Canada
- Phone : (902) 566-1666
- Fax : (902) 368-7557
- Email : lawsociety@lspei.pe.ca
- http://www.lspei.pe.ca/
Quebec
- Barreau du Québec (BQ)
- 445, boul. St-Laurent
- Montréal QC H2Y 3T8 Canada
- Phone : (514) 954-3400
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-361-8495
- Email : information@barreau.qc.ca
- http://www.barreau.qc.ca/
- Chambre des notaires du Québec (CNQ)
- 1801, avenue McGill College, bureau 600
- Montréal QC H3A 0A7 Canada
- Phone : 514-879-1793
- Phone (alternate): 1-800-263-1793
- Fax : 514-879-1923
- Email : information@cdnq.org
- http://www.cdnq.org/
Saskatchewan
- Law Society of Saskatchewan (LSS)
- 2002 Victoria Avenue, Suite 1100
- Regina SK S4P 0R7 Canada
- Phone : (306) 569-8242
- Fax : (306) 352-2989
- Email : reception@lawsociety.sk.ca
- http://www.lawsociety.sk.ca/
Yukon
- Law Society of Yukon (LSY)
- 302 Steele Street, Suite 202
- Whitehorse YT Y1A 2C5 Canada
- Phone : (867) 668-4231
- Fax : (867) 667-7556
- Email : info@lawsocietyyukon.com
- http://www.lawsocietyyukon.com/