Calling UK qualified solicitors
Aug 4th 2018, 8:18 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 66
Calling UK qualified solicitors
Hi,
I'm currently living and working in Vancouver for a tech-start up. I'm currently in a sales position but hopefully migrating into a legal role within the next few months.
I applied to the Law Society of BC for a Practitioner of Foreign Law permit and their response was that because I hadn't practised as a solicitor for 3 out of the previous 5 years I would need to be supervised by a solicitor who does have the requisite experience. The Law Society have clarified that the supervisor need not live in Canada or work in the same office.
Does anyone know of any commercial solicitors (residing in Canada or the UK) who would be interested in providing such supervision? The type of work I'd be doing would be very limited in scope (i.e. advising on the negotiation of international contracts) and so would be very easy to supervise.
Thanks (feel free to DM me)
I'm currently living and working in Vancouver for a tech-start up. I'm currently in a sales position but hopefully migrating into a legal role within the next few months.
I applied to the Law Society of BC for a Practitioner of Foreign Law permit and their response was that because I hadn't practised as a solicitor for 3 out of the previous 5 years I would need to be supervised by a solicitor who does have the requisite experience. The Law Society have clarified that the supervisor need not live in Canada or work in the same office.
Does anyone know of any commercial solicitors (residing in Canada or the UK) who would be interested in providing such supervision? The type of work I'd be doing would be very limited in scope (i.e. advising on the negotiation of international contracts) and so would be very easy to supervise.
Thanks (feel free to DM me)
Aug 11th 2018, 3:15 am
#2
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 267
Re: Calling UK qualified solicitors
Hi, I am a sol from England and Wales but unfortunately like you I have not practised for 3 out of the 5.
I did look into taking a legal position and applying for a Practitioner of Foreign Law status but I was concerned about the required undertaking not to advise on BC laws. I've just started the dreaded NCA process btw.
Good luck!
I did look into taking a legal position and applying for a Practitioner of Foreign Law status but I was concerned about the required undertaking not to advise on BC laws. I've just started the dreaded NCA process btw.
Good luck!
Aug 11th 2018, 5:08 am
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2016
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 183
Re: Calling UK qualified solicitors
Another UK qualified and holding a current UK practising certificate solicitor here, but I'm not in BC yet (we had to postpone our move a bit for work reasons) and under the terms of my current partnership, I'm afraid I can't supervise a third party.
I've been through the NCA process. The main issue for me was getting some of my old exam results - when I moved from NSW to Victoria over 25 years ago, I had to sit ethics and trust accounting again to be admitted, and the bridging course I did operated entirely on paper, and the university no longer held any records. The same with the UK - I did the QLTT in ethics and trust accounting at the College of Law in 1999 and had a bit of to do trying to track down the successor in title to that institution. Fortunately I'd kept copies of everything and sent those to the institutions and whatever they did worked as the NCA assessed my credentials without incident or making any requisitions of me.
I've been assigned 5 exams to do - Foundations of Canadian Law, Federal Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Criminal Law and Ethics. Ethics (and trust accounting) must be the subjects I know the most about. I've studied them and sat exams in them 3 times - NSW, Victoria and the UK!!! And I've really never had to handle trust monies! I'm planning on sitting Foundations and Ethics later this year (and then the others next year, and possibly after I've moved to Vancouver). I've started looking at the syllabus - Foundations strikes me as a jurisprudence-style subject. Ethics is straightforward, and Fed Con , Admin and Crim all look the subjects I studied in Australia for my law degree (which was admittedly a long time ago). I'm just glad I got away with those 5. I would have dreaded having to study Property or Evidence all over again.
I've been through the NCA process. The main issue for me was getting some of my old exam results - when I moved from NSW to Victoria over 25 years ago, I had to sit ethics and trust accounting again to be admitted, and the bridging course I did operated entirely on paper, and the university no longer held any records. The same with the UK - I did the QLTT in ethics and trust accounting at the College of Law in 1999 and had a bit of to do trying to track down the successor in title to that institution. Fortunately I'd kept copies of everything and sent those to the institutions and whatever they did worked as the NCA assessed my credentials without incident or making any requisitions of me.
I've been assigned 5 exams to do - Foundations of Canadian Law, Federal Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Criminal Law and Ethics. Ethics (and trust accounting) must be the subjects I know the most about. I've studied them and sat exams in them 3 times - NSW, Victoria and the UK!!! And I've really never had to handle trust monies! I'm planning on sitting Foundations and Ethics later this year (and then the others next year, and possibly after I've moved to Vancouver). I've started looking at the syllabus - Foundations strikes me as a jurisprudence-style subject. Ethics is straightforward, and Fed Con , Admin and Crim all look the subjects I studied in Australia for my law degree (which was admittedly a long time ago). I'm just glad I got away with those 5. I would have dreaded having to study Property or Evidence all over again.
