gotoronto

Judy

It's a very good WIKI article that covers the most important points. I have made two minor additions and will have a think about whether there is anything else that I may be able to contribute.

Thanks for doing this.

montreal mike

Judy

Yes well written. But understandably it doesn't include QC. This is made clear but not until the end of the wiki. As it now stands could I suggest that in the interests of accuracy the title be changed to read

LAWYER - CANADA (EXCLUDING QUEBEC PROVINCE).

Judy in Calgary

Thanks for tweaking the article, gototoronto.

Thanks for the suggestion, montreal mike. I have implemented your recommendation. If you click on the old link, you automatically are redirected to the new article. The contents are those of the old article, but they're in a new place.
x

Almost Canadian

I lived in the UK for the first 36 years of my life.

Not quite, but I will be called to the Bar in Alberta in May/June of next year.


I have experience of both countries; working in the legal profession of both and drinking beer and having BBQs in both. I think those are the qualifications that give me authority to comment on what you have said.

It cost me $2,500 ish to pay for the 5 NCA exams I had to write, not extortionate in the circumstances. The only people I know of that rubbish their exams are those that have failed them. The process isn't perfect (in fact it is far from perfect) but it is a relatively cheap and accessible way of obtaining a Certificate of Equivalency. Now, it does take self discipline and effort so, if one lacks those, then an alternative may be to take courses at a Canadian University that accepts NCA students. If you choose that course of action, you must be prepared to pay the fees which, in comparison to "foreign" student fees at most English Universities, aren't that expensive. Horses for courses I say...

I doubt anyone chooses to live in a different country purely to test their ability to re-qualify in a strange jurisdiction but, if one wants to live in another country and has to requalify, they need to research how they have to do it and then make a decision. Unfortunately, your initial rant didn't really help.

I will requalify just over 2 years after I landed in the country and that includes a year of Articles. I didn't know that Ontario forces its lawyers to site the Bar Exam before they can commence Articles (in Alberta the Bar Exams is sat whilst Articles are underway (a bit like the PSC but longer) and I really do not see how anyone that actually bothered to put the work into each NCA course could fail the exams (I would only say this after I passed them all !!). Many students were taking 6 + exams at a time when I sat mine which, to an English LL.B. student would be 1 & 1/2 years of their LL.B. course. One sadist/clever bastard took 10 in one shot and passed them all - so they cannot be that difficult.

My two penneth worth

Almost Canadian

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gotoronto

:[/QUOTE] I didn't know that Ontario forces its lawyers to site the Bar Exam before they can commence Articles :[/QUOTE]

It's actually a bit more complex than that. You have to enrol in the Licensing Process before you can do your articles. To enrol, you have to apply between October-December of each year.

Whilst a Canadian law student can enrol in the Licensing Process before graduation, a NCA student cannot enrol in the process before getting the NCA Certificate. Therefore, unless the NCA Certificate is obtained before the application deadline for the Licensing Process has passed, things may get delayed by a year.

The general rule is that you cannot article before you have done the bar exams/completed the Licensing Process. However, the Law Society may make an exception in individual cases. If someone has obtained an articling position and their law firm is prepared to apply to the Law Society to make such an exception, then it is possible to article before entering the Licensing Process and sitting the bar exams. Very few law firms are prepared to take this step, though.

I know, it is all very confusing and complex.