Hi, newbie here,

I am interested in moving and requalifying as a lawyer in Canada.

I am a Solicitor practising Construction Litigation. I have an LLB from an English university and a Masters from a French university both in law and European Law.

I've read a few articles about how difficult it can be to requalify in Canada but was hoping to get some first hand experience/advice or some pointers to helpful sites/information.

Any words of wisdom would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Hello, constructionlawyer, and welcome to the BE forum.

I suggest you read the Wiki article called Lawyers-Canada excluding Quebec. The information in that article was assembled from the collective experience of British lawyers who post on this forum.

Hope that helps.
x

Judy's WIKI is a great starting point.

I see you say you are a construction solicitor. Just wondered if your thoughts of Canada are partially prompted by the current economic climate in that field in the UK.

Requalifying here is not a walk in the park. It takes a lot of dedication and time commitment, I am also not sure whether you already applied for your visa - I assume you would have to go the skilled worker route unless you have someone who can sponsor you to come here. If you do not have that sponsor, the process will take a few years.

If it would take many years for you to come here and you have your heart set on it, I strongly recommend you get your credentials assessed (more in the WIKI link) and then start taking the equivalency exams in the UK while waiting for that visa.

I also strongly suggest that you look at provinces other than Ontario and certainly try to avoid Toronto, as there is a severe shortage of articling positions here. A lot of foreign lawyers I know have started to volunteer to article for free, just so that they can qualify here. However, I know UK solicitors who had a much better time trying their luck in Calgary and Vancouver. The person in Vancouver may just have got lucky as she tells me their are many foreign qualified lawyers struggling out there, too. However, the source in Calgary says that it is much easier to find a position out there.

You do need that visa, though.

If you have any questions after reading through the WIKI, I am happy to try my best to answer them. There are a couple of other UK lawyers out there who may be able to share their views, too.

Thankyou both for your responses. The Wiki article is very helpful.

My main reason for wanting to move is the whole work/life balance thing (I'm a hugely keen skier and this has a large bearing on me wanting to leave!). As it happens, the current climate re: construction in the UK is actually very healthy for construction litigators but I'm thinking longer term - which seems lucky given how long it may take for me to qualify according to the Wiki article.

Thanks again, I guess I need to get on to the NCA to see what they say.

That is indeed positive news! I do hear that if you are on the litigation end of things, life looks a lot better in the UK right now.

If you are thinking long term, I'd get on to the NCA asap - get your credentials assessed. You do not need to take any of the exams in Canada - you can take them either at a university or at the Law Society - provided you pay some extra costs and arrange this all yourself.

The other thing you should probably explore is how to get the visa in the long run. I know the skilled worker category seems hopeless these days.

If you are looking for work-life balance, I also suggest avoiding Toronto. I think that it might be better than the UK, but not by much. But as a keen skier, I am sure you are considering other areas instead.