harryabrams

I am a UK qualified Employment lawyer looking to move to Vancouver with my wife (Financial Services lawyer) as all her family are Canadian citizens. Anyone know of any Legal recruiters? Or have any info on transferring UK qualifications to BC?

Much appreciated

Harry

Almost Canadian

Do a search on "NCA" and you will find lots of posts about what you will have to do to requalify.

Legal recruiters here are very different from those in the UK. Here, they are paid by the employer to find employees. Most law firms will not wish to touch you until you are ready to begin your Articles and, for that, you will need to obtain your Certificate of Equivalence from the NCA.

You may be lucky and find a law firm that is willing to offer you a paralegal role until you are ready to article, but I wouldn't count on it.

harryabrams

Ok thanks - is it common that once I have my certificate I then apply for articles at the firm themselves? and therefore get paid as I do it..?

Almost Canadian

I don't know as I went through the process in Alberta. I suggest that you contact the Law Society of British Columbia for such information.

tweed_wearer

I am an English lawyer and I have done a lot of research in this. The picture I'm afraid is not a pretty one. Vancouver is quite over-lawyered. Unlike in london where when I pick up the phone to an MC firm and can expect to hear an Australian/kiwi/South African accent canadian lawyers tend to be educated and trained there and both the bar and the employers seem to want to make it hard for foreigners. I haven't been through the NCA process but it is tough. Long and short of it is, in my position 5 pqe in house commercial) I'd probably end up working as a contracts manager for a few years.

Jobs in financial services are certain to be more plentiful in Toronto. Only one bank I know of is headquartered in BC.

Good luck!

dishwashing

Wow sounds familiar..thanks

harryabrams

Thanks for the info - so wokring as a contracts manager, can you do this as a solely UK qualified lawyer? Ideally I am seeing if there is a market to hire UK qualifeid lawyers rather than having to transfer my qualification to Canadian law.

Almost Canadian

To do what exactly?

There are a few multinational firms that will simply use their offices in England to perform English contract work. If you wish to obtain a position working on Canadian contracts, why would a law firm use you rather than one of their own? Their employee will know Canadian law, will understand any cultural differences and will, likely, have experience dealing with the nuances of the particular topic (oil and gas for example).

What are you able to offer them?

I know a number of ex-English corporate lawyers that work in Calgary. They came from top tier firms in London. They were able to find work relatively easily.

If you bowl up to a Canadian law firm and basically pitch it as, "I really can't be bothered to qualify in your system here but I am a bloody good lawyer and you should both employ me and pay me as such" expect the door to be slammed very firmly in your face.

You may be able to find work as a contracts manager. I know very little about that.

As the NCA process is relatively easy, most of the ex-UK. ex-South African, ex-Australian, ex-American, etc. lawyers that I have met have simply bitten the bullet and gone through the requalification process.

Almost Canadian

I am amazed that anyone that qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales would describe the NCA process as tough. If they have been out of school for decades, they may find the prospect of having to study again slightly daunting, but the exams themselves are anything but tough.

harryabrams

ok - its good to hear that the requslification path is not too hard/time consuming...

I will speak to the NCA to find out how long it takes a qulified UK lawyer to do

tweed_wearer

One applicant was quoted as saying that they are called "challenge exams" for a reason. I'm not an academic. For me the thought if doing 8 university style exams fills me with dread. But that's just me and perhaps because I much prefer the practice of law to the academic side.

tweed_wearer

The advice I have seen is not to underestimate the NCA exams

JonboyE

A challenge exam means an exam you take without doing the course of study that leads up to the exam.

I am not a lawyer but I agree with AC that if you want to practice law you will need Canadian law qualifications. UK academic qualifications are treated as on a par with Canadian ones. Not so with vocational ones. UK vocational qualification = unqualified in Canada.

Mikeypm

8 isn't so bad, I have a total of ten university style exams to do obtain the Canadian equivalent of my professional qualifications. To me it's not a big deal and I consider it an investment in my future.

I suppose some people are more flexible, adaptable and willing to do what it takes

Almost Canadian

They are 3 hour, open book, exams, similar to what you would have written to obtain your LL.B. in the UK. Mine had no "essay" type questions, they were either "problem" type question that would be familiar to anyone that has written legal exams in the UK, or were simple answer type questions. For example: Is it true that the Prime Minister is Canada's Head of State? That question was in the Constitutional Law exam that I wrote and was worth 5 marks (5%) of the total marks.

The subject that most struggle with is Administrative Law. Everyone that I know that has failed has failed that exam.

I would not let having to write the exams prevent me from trying to requalify but I accept that others may have a different view.