FirstRatofftheShipUK

Set aside an average of 2 to 4 years of your life, mostly depending on your immigration status, $, and ability to find articles post-NCA.

Almost Canadian

In Alberta, none of the Universities permitted NCA students to attend any classes when I went through the process. There was no option but to move Province or self study. The exams are very straightforward so I would not recommend that anyone attends classes.

When I did mine, an American was taking 9 exams one after the other for the best part of 5 days straight (morning exam; afternoon exam).

IIRC, I took my first 2 exams within 3 weeks or so of receiving the syllabi. Had I known how straightforward they would be, I would have taken all 5 at the same time. When I went through the process, exams could only be written twice a year, as they can now be written 4 times a year, it is a judgement call for you to make as to how many you write at each session. Once you have written the first exams, your fear of the unknown will subside and you will likely wish to polish off the remainder at the next session.

Best of luck

shire

Thank you for this. How many exams did they have you write and do you practice now?

shire

This is very helpful. Thank you so much. Do you practice now? How hard was it to get an articling post?

shire

Thank you to the above replies. They really help me. I actually went through the accreditation process back in 2000, and was told to write 8 exams and to attend a university. It didn't seem to give me the option to write exams on my own - at least in how it was worded. Due to life circumstances (long story) and getting a very good job in senior leadership in a global organization where I used my law in a different way, I never wrote the 8 exams in the timeframe they gave me, given that I would have had to attend University and didn't live near one.

My circumstances have now changed I am now re-applying through the NCA and I am expecting to be asked to write more than the 8 exams because I graduated from my LL.B in 1996 and my LL.M in 1999. Both are from the UK. I am submitting a resume to show my 'practicing' experience from my job and will wait and see if the NCA think it's relevant or not. I did represent the company in a good number of mediations, and arbitrations and other hearings. I was the main point of contact for whether we outsourced work to outside legal counsel or handled it in house (through myself or my staff). There was others things, too, but I'll just have to wait and see if the NCA see it all as relevant (fingers crossed).

Did anyone out there take a similar journey as I did and eventually start practicing law? I am really quite excited at the prospect of studying law again.

Almost Canadian

I do.

When I first arrived, I obtained a position within 2 weeks of starting to look for work and they offered me Articles. 10 months later, a large firm that I had sent an email to when I first started looking for work (I did not really appreciate how seeking employment works in Canada) replied to my email and asked me if I was interested in working for them. They offered me Articles to and I remained with them until I decided to set up my own practice.

In Alberta, virtually all of those that seek Articles obtain them. However, unlike my experience of the UK (where firms look to continue to employ those on Training Contracts after finishing unless they screw up) here it seems to be accepted that a firm will, for example, offer Articles to 100 students, with a view to retaining the best 25% once Articles have been completed.

The big advantage here is that, once called to the Bar, there is no minimum period post qualification before being permitted to set up one's own practice.

Almost Canadian

It is likely that you will be asked to write fewer than you were originally asked.

The NCA permits you to write the exams where you live (if you are outside Canada). If this applies to you, I suggest you write them where you are so that you can apply for Articles the minute you arrive here.

FirstRatofftheShipUK

I caught 7.
Yes - I just started back up in BC.
I should say that I had immigration status on my side though.

Good luck.

redmoose

I don't mean to be the voiced of discouragement here but my NCA exam experience was a little bit different from that of some other posters. I took 4 exams last August and found the preparation pretty time consuming. There is an awful lot of reading assigned to each course and little indication about what may or may not be relevant for exam purposes.

The exams themselves were pretty challenging in my opinion. Now that I am a practising lawyer (well, articling at least) I may find them easier. I had never worked as a lawyer before and my only experience of law exams had been at law schools in the UK and Canada. The exams were definitely more practice orientated than academic which I found tough. I have no idea how a non-native speaker would pass them.

I spent about 3-4 months preparing for my 4 exams by studying full time. I may have overdone it but I have no way of knowing if I scraped by or got 99%. In any event I passed them all, so it was worth it. There is a also a significant chance that I am considerably denser that the average would-be lawyer.

I found this link which may be of interest:
http://www.itlp.utoronto.ca/wp-conte...ul21-final.pdf
It is a report on an NCA exam prep program in Ontario. They recorded an average pass rate of 75% in 2011 with an alarming 33% for admin law (which was my toughest exam too) and that is after a 10 month training course!

This article has no sources but suggests a 38% success rate over a 10 year period:
http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/426...tmpl=component

shire

This is valuable insight. Thanks. Based on what you know now, would you recommend that new Internationally Trained Lawyers Program that I have seen at the University of Toronto? Not sure if it's just another money grab.

FirstRatofftheShipUK

Make no mistake...all such programs are part of the overall protectionist money grab. That said, if you have the $, and time, it cannot hurt.

I think one good academic textbook for each exam would suffice though.

notbritish

Hello

I'm not a Brit but I am undergoing the same process as many of you guys here.

I was assigned 7 exams: the 4 core, professional responsibility, and two of either remedies/tax/family

I plan to sit for the 4 core exams this May.

Will it be sufficient if I study every day for the month prior to the exams (I ask this question because I'm aware that Osgoode Hall provides a 1-month intensive NCA review session for the core exams)? That said, I have been reviewing a friend's NCA notes for the January 2012 exams for the past 3 months after work.

I think we might need some more information to gauge exactly who is failing these exams:
1. Is English their first language/ or do these examinees have a firm grasp of the language?
2. Do these examinees have a common law legal education (my understanding is that a lot of civil law students from Quebec also sit these exams)

shire

Thanks for your insight. I have mailed off my application, so I will wait and see what they say.

Out of interest, what makes you think that there might be a chance I am asked to write fewer than the original 8 they had asked of me (back in my first application in 2000)?

Just as an fyi, I am now also a Canadian citizen and most of my senior work experience is in Canada, now.

FirstRatofftheShipUK

I actually disagree with AC here as the NCA only gives credit for paper, not experience. I also think that with another 13 years? past without actual practice as a lawyer, that unfortunately they may not give you any credit at all. When did you complete your LL.B, and was it 'in class' or distance learning?

Not being a downer here; just know the painfull lesson that is the NCA FLSC farce.

shire

I had completed my LL.B in 1996, so that's even older than the LL.M that I completed in 1999. I was considering writing my NY Bar exam first, before re-applying to the NCA, so that at least I would have something more recent 'on paper'. I applied last July to the NY Bar, got my BOLE number and everything, but I am still waiting for their go-ahead. I just need to write the one exam with them (pass, of course) and then I can be called to the NY Bar. They emailed me last August to tell me it would normally take 6 months to hear back, but I am still waiting. I'll just have to wait and see what happens either way. If the NCA don't give me any advance standing, I might consider the NY exam first and then re-apply to the NCA. It's all my own doing and life choices, so I'll just have to suck it up. It would be great if I could just get the NCA to give me some advance standing, though. Fingers crossed very hard.