Law Society of Ontario’s Licensing Process Deadline is Approaching!
As you probably know, the NCA will send your certificate of accreditation to the Law Society of Ontario (LSO), or any other provincial law society that you choose, once you complete all the exams assigned to you. What you may not know, is that you must also register with the LSO to officially begin the licensing process. The LSO requires that all licensing applications are submitted between October and early December each year if you intend to write the following March, June or November exams.
Once you are registered, you have a three-year period to complete all the Bar exams and Articling requirements. However, if you write the bar in one three year period and do not manage to get an articling position, or complete articling but do not complete the bar, this activity will get carried forwarded when you re-register for another three-year period.
This Year’s Deadline
This year’s deadline is December 2, 2019 by 5pm EST. You can also register after December 2nd but you will pay an $75 late-registration fee on top of the normal registration fee.
When should I register?
There are two factors to consider when decided which year to register in: 1) when you want to write the Bar exam, and 2) when you plan to article. For those who want to write the Bar in March, June 2020 or November 2020 registration this year is essential. Even if you don’t plan on writing the bar until after you complete articling (say 2021), you will still need to register this year if you are planning on articling in 2020.
You do not need to be done all your NCA exams to register for the licensing process though you should be fairly close as you cannot article or write the Bar before your certificate has been issued.
What’s involved in the Application?
The application has two parts and requires a bit of leg-work. The first part is a simple online-form where you provide your basic information. At the end of this form you are given a PDF application which you much download, attach a passport photo to and have notarized. You must then take or mail this notarized document to the LSO along with your payment of the $160 registration fee.
When Should I Start my Application?
If you are registering this year, start the application process as early as you can since getting a photo and notary can take some time. You must have both parts of the application compete and the registration fee paid by December 2 to avoid incurring the late registration fee.
Do I have to decide on a Bar Exam Date Now?
You will be asked to select a Bar exam date in part one of the application, but you can always move it to a later date by emailing the LSO (I have personally done this). So, pick the first date you think you may write the bar and move it to later dates if you need to.
Other Resources & Tips
Full details about the registration process can be found in this handy PDF published by the LSO earlier this year. If you live close to the LSO’s Osgoode Hall campus in downtown Toronto, I highly recommend dropping your completed application off and paying the fee in person; it’s a faster process and saves you writing a check or sending your materials via registered mail.
Tiffany
Tiffany is an LLM candidate at NYU Law. and a regular blogger for NCA Tutor™.