Paralegal Licensing Process
Note: The online application for the new Licensing Cycle will be launched on October 1.
Bill 14, The Access to Justice Act, expands the regulatory authority of The Law Society of Upper Canada to regulate legal services provided by independent paralegals in the province of Ontario. This process is only available to candidates who have graduated from a Law Society accredited legal services program in Ontario. It is the candidates' responsibility to ensure the legal services program they are enrolled in is a Law Society accredited program if they plan on applying to the Paralegal Licensing Process.
Candidates who applied with a non-accredited legal services diploma prior to June 30, 2010 and submitted documentation prior to that deadline may have different requirements and deadlines from those listed below. They are asked to check their online account or contact the Office of the Registrar for further details. A reminder that after June 30, 2010 all applicants to the Paralegal Licensing Process MUST be from a Law Society accredited legal services program.
The accredited program must contain at least 18 courses, the majority of which must cover areas within the permitted scope of paralegal practice, include a course or courses on Professional Responsibility and Ethics, as well as a field placement component of no less than 120 hours.
Candidates intending to write the Paralegal Licensing Examination either on August 2011, October 2011 or February 2012 should apply between October and December 6, 2010.
NOTE: Candidates who may be eligible to apply for the Exempted Group Integration Licensing Process should NOT fill out this application. Information on that process is available as of October 1, 2010 at the link entitled "Exempted Group Integration Licensing Process".
After the December 2010 deadline, applications will be accepted but a late application fee will be applied in order for the application to be processed. It is recommended that all candidates apply by the December deadline, as a late application may delay their eligibility to obtain study materials and write the next available examination.
To support that the education requirements are met (or will be met upon graduation), candidates applying to the Paralegal Licensing Process are responsible for ensuring the items below are submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate deadlines, for the upcoming Licensing Cycle.
Candidates who have not graduated at the time of application:
- Must submit by February 1, 2011: A mid-term/interim transcript/enrolment confirmation confirming program enrolment as well as all of the courses taken to date. This document must be submitted by the candidate directly to the Office of the Registrar of the Law Society and must be provided before February 1, 2011.
- Once the Field Placement is completed: A Statement of Field Placement form must be completed and submitted by the candidate to the Office of the Registrar of the Law Society as soon as the placement is completed. The form is available online at the Law Society website. The form must be received no later than 30 business days prior to the examination date or the candidate will be deferred to the next sitting of the examination.
- By 30 business days before the examination: The candidate must request from their college that a final "official" transcript be sent to the Office of the Registrar at the Law Society. Only final transcripts sent directly from the college will be considered "official". The transcript must clearly indicate the candidate's accredited degree/diploma name and the date of graduation.
- If any of the required documents are not sent by the appropriate deadlines/timelines the candidate may risk withdrawal or at the very least deferral to the next available examination sitting.
Candidates who have already graduated at the time of application:
- are required to complete and submit to the Office of the Registrar at the Law Society a Statement of Field Placement form (available on the Law Society website) confirming the completion of their Field Placement and other required placement information. The candidate should ensure they include this form with their application and submit it by the application deadline.
- are required to request from their college that a final "official" transcript be sent directly from the college to the Office of the Registrar at the Law Society. Only final transcripts sent directly from the college to the Office of the Registrar will be considered "official". The transcript must indicate the candidate's accredited degree/diploma name and the date of graduation. This document must be received no later than 30 business days prior to the examination date in order to be eligible to write the selected examination sitting. It is recommended that if a candidate has already graduated at the time of application that they request their transcripts as soon as possible from their college.
- If any of the required documents are not sent by the appropriate deadlines/timelines the candidate may risk withdrawal or at the very least deferral to the next available examination sitting.
An applicant must submit a fully completed application to the Law Society by the deadline and successfully complete all licensing requirements. Applicants must submit all required documentation to support the application, pay all required fees by the prescribed due dates and successfully complete the Paralegal Licensing Examination. A non-refundable application fee must be paid in full online or submitted with the application before the application will be processed. The Office of the Registrar will not process applications which are incomplete or have an application fee owing. Please refer to the Fee schedule for further details on fees.
An applicant who wishes to become a licensed paralegal must be of good character. The good character section of the application requires you to disclose any good character issues and provide explanations and provide documentation to support your answers.
The applicant must also have a valid personal and confidential email account in order to apply.
Candidates who apply to the Paralegal Licensing Process must be graduates of, or graduating from, one of the following Ministry-approved colleges which currently offer legal services programs accredited by the Law Society:
- Algonquin College - Ottawa
- CDI College of Business, Technology and Health Care (Formerly Diamond Institute of Business and Computer Technology) - Ajax
- CTS Canadian Career College - Barrie
- CTS Canadian Career College - Sudbury
- Durham College - Oshawa
- Everest College - Toronto Central (Eglinton)
- Everest College - Nepean
- Fleming College - Peterborough
- George Brown College - Toronto
- Herzing College - Ottawa
- Herzing College - Toronto
- Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning - Toronto - North Campus
- Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning - Toronto - Lakeshore Campus
- Loyalist College - Belleville
- Seneca College - Toronto
- Sheridan College - Brampton
- St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology - Windsor
- triOS College Business Technology Healthcare - Toronto
- triOS College Business Technology Healthcare - Mississauga
- triOS College Business Technology Healthcare - Kitchener
- triOS College Business Technology Healthcare - Windsor
- triOS College Business Technology Healthcare - London
- Westervelt College - London
2009 Fair Registration Practices Report - Paralegals (PDF)
Auditor's Report for the Law Society - 2009 (PDF)
ONCE YOU HAVE APPLIED:
During the Paralegal Licensing Process, you must inform the Office of the Registrar of changes to your mailing address, telephone number, e-mail address or any status change subsequent to the filing of this application. Failure to do so may delay mailings and affect your status in the Paralegal Licensing Process and/or your eligibility for licensing.
If your application information changes at anytime after you apply online please log into your Paralegal Licensing Process web account to obtain the Paralegal Application Amendment Form. This form must be used to submit changes to your application regarding Proof of Education information, Good Character questions or Proof of Legal Name. You are required to have any changes made on this form commissioned or notarized before submitting the form to the Office of the Registrar.
Once you have applied to the Paralegal Licensing Process and your application has been received and verified, the Office of the Registrar will begin sending web messages with relevant and time sensitive information regarding the Paralegal Licensing Process including information on the examination, fees, due dates, registration information and results. Candidates must check their Law Society web account regularly for such information.
2010 REGISTRATION PACKAGE:
Good Character Amendment Form (PDF)
General Information Bulletin (PDF)
Paralegal Licensing Process Policies (PDF)
Supported by a grant from The Law Foundation of Ontario