What You Need to Know About the Accreditation Process in Canada

One of the questions we most often get asked by prospective Canadian Law students is What is the process like coming back to Canada to get licensed as a lawyer? This question tends to be one of the deciding factors in your decision to study law abroad (or at least it was in my case!). Truth be told, the accreditation process is not as scary as it might sound. In this blog, we discuss how the accreditation process works and what your options are after completing your course, and returning to Canada. Youve Graduated Law School in the UKNow What? The accreditation process in Canada is regulated by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. The National Committee on Accreditation (or NCA, for short) is a standing committee for the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, and it is through the NCA that you will have to apply for an assessment report of your law-related credentials. You can apply to the NCA at any time but your file will not be assessed until the NCA receives your final law school transcripts. The application process involves an application fee of approximately $450CDN, a resume, pre-law school transcripts, final law school transcript, and a completed application form. We suggest applying to the NCA after you finish your final law school exams. Then, once you receive your final transcript after graduation, have your UK University send your transcript to the NCA directly. It takes approximately 4-6 weeks for the NCA to assess your file and respond to you with a report detailing the requirements you must meet in order to obtain a Certificate of Qualification. After The NCA Assesses Your File If you studied the 2-year accelerated LL.B Degree in the UK, youll most likely be required to complete 7 challenge exams in order to obtain a Certificate of Qualification. If you completed a 3 year LLB you will be required to write between 5 to 7 exams. The number of exams assigned are determined on an individual basis. Here is a list of the core exams: