NCA Journey

How Civil Law Lawyers Can Become Licensed in Ontario

Guide updated June 2026

This guide is written mainly for lawyers and law graduates coming from civil law jurisdictions who want to understand the Ontario licensing path. The path can be very different for someone already trained or licensed in a common law jurisdiction, a mixed jurisdiction, another Canadian province, Quebec, or a jurisdiction covered by mobility rules. Always confirm your own category with the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) and the Law Society of Ontario (LSO).

For civil law lawyers, becoming licensed in Ontario is not one single application. It is usually a sequence of NCA credential assessment, required Canadian common law education or exams, Law Society registration, licensing exams, practical training, good character review, and finally licensing in Ontario.

The process can feel confusing because two systems are involved. The NCA, part of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada, evaluates legal education and experience earned outside Canadian common law programs. The LSO then runs Ontario's lawyer licensing process. In simple terms: the NCA helps determine whether your legal education is academically comparable for entry into a Canadian common law bar admission process; the LSO decides whether you meet Ontario's licensing requirements.

Step 1: Understand whether the NCA route applies to you

If you received your legal education outside Canada, or from a non-accredited Canadian law school, you generally need to apply to the NCA before you can enter Ontario's lawyer licensing process. The LSO explains that internationally trained lawyers and graduates of international or non-accredited Canadian law schools must have their legal education evaluated by the NCA before entering the LSO lawyer licensing process.

This guide focuses on civil law lawyers and graduates. The NCA says the legal tradition you studied affects your assessment, and people from a non-common-law tradition, such as civil law, must obtain common law training or education. This is why the path for a civil law lawyer may be very different from the path for a lawyer coming from England, Australia, India, Nigeria, the United States, a mixed jurisdiction, Quebec, or another Canadian jurisdiction. Lawyers from other Canadian provinces and territories may have separate mobility or transfer routes, so they should review the LSO's mobility information rather than assuming this NCA path applies.

Step 2: Apply to the NCA for assessment

The NCA assessment measures your legal education and professional experience against the Federation's National Requirement. You submit an application, supporting documents, and payment. The NCA then issues an assessment decision explaining what you must complete before you can receive a Certificate of Qualification.

Those requirements are often called assignments. Depending on your background, assigned requirements may include NCA challenge exams, courses at an approved Canadian law school, or a combination. For non-common-law candidates, the NCA lists common law exposure routes such as an LL.M. or individual courses, licensing in a common law jurisdiction after substantive coursework or exams, or certification as a paralegal or notary in a common law jurisdiction. The NCA also lists required subjects for non-common-law candidates, including the five mandatory Canadian subjects, legal research and writing, contracts, torts, and property.

Step 3: Plan for the newer NCA requirements

The NCA process has changed in recent years, so relying on an older blog post or a friend's timeline can be risky. Since January 1, 2022, many candidates whose qualifications are assessed have also had to complete a legal research and writing requirement. As of March 1, 2026, the NCA added two important requirements: language competency screening in English or French before qualifications are assessed, and competence in Indigenous Law and Peoples, which can be completed through a CPLED module or an NCA-approved Canadian law school course.

This matters for planning. A candidate may focus only on substantive law exams and then be surprised by additional modules, testing logistics, or timing. Before you build your study calendar, read your assessment decision carefully and check the NCA website for current policies, not just summaries online.

Step 4: Complete your NCA assignments and request the Certificate of Qualification

Once you complete the assigned exams, courses, and other NCA requirements, you can request the Certificate of Qualification through the NCA portal. The certificate is not a Canadian law degree. It is proof that you have completed the NCA process and that your knowledge is comparable to the knowledge expected from graduates of approved Canadian common law programs.

The Certificate of Qualification is important because Canadian common law societies, including Ontario, require it for entry into their bar admission or licensing processes. Keep copies of your records and be mindful of transmission timelines between the NCA and the LSO.

Step 5: Apply to the Law Society of Ontario licensing process

Internationally trained lawyers can begin the LSO application when they are completing their final NCA requirements and are eligible to receive their Certificate of Qualification within six months. The application is completed through LSO Connects and includes personal information, proof of education, identification, your intended experiential training path, and the good character questionnaire.

The LSO licensing term is three years. That is the period within which candidates must complete all licensing components. You do not need to have an articling position before applying, but you do need to be registered in the licensing process and have your final NCA Certificate of Qualification received and approved before you can obtain credit for articling or the LPP. The LSO also notes that official proof of graduation or the NCA Certificate of Qualification must be sent by the issuing institution, not by the candidate.

Step 6: Pass the barrister and solicitor licensing examinations

Ontario requires lawyer licensing candidates to pass two licensing examinations: the barrister examination and the solicitor examination. The LSO describes them as self-study, multiple-choice, open-book examinations. The barrister exam focuses on areas such as civil litigation, criminal law, family law, public law, and professional responsibility. The solicitor exam focuses on areas such as business law, real estate, wills and estates, planning, and professional responsibility.

Open book does not mean easy. The volume of material is large, and candidates need a strategy for reading, indexing, practising questions, and managing time. For internationally trained lawyers, the exams can also involve learning Ontario procedure, terminology, and practice expectations at the same time.

Step 7: Complete experiential training

Ontario candidates must also complete experiential training in a legal workplace environment. The two main options are articling and the Law Practice Program (LPP). Articling is a placement with an approved supervising lawyer or judge. The LPP includes a four-month training course and a four-month work placement, with English programming through Toronto Metropolitan University and French programming through the University of Ottawa.

Some internationally trained lawyers may qualify for an abridgement of articles based on prior legal experience, and candidates with at least 10 months of common law practice experience who meet the criteria may qualify for an exemption from experiential training. These are not automatic. They require careful review of the LSO policies and, where appropriate, an application with supporting evidence.

Step 8: Take the good character requirement seriously

Every Ontario lawyer licensing applicant must satisfy the LSO's good character requirement. The questionnaire asks about matters such as discipline, criminal proceedings, academic misconduct, financial issues, employment issues, and other circumstances that may be relevant. An affirmative answer does not automatically prevent licensing, but disclosure, accuracy, and cooperation matter.

If an issue arises, the LSO may ask for documents or conduct an investigation. Applicants should respond carefully and consider getting advice if the issue is complex. The goal is not perfection; the requirement is about public confidence, honesty, integrity, and fitness for the profession.

Step 9: Complete administrative requirements and be called to the bar

After you complete the examinations, experiential training, good character requirement, fees, and any remaining administrative steps, you can become licensed. The final step is being called to the Bar of Ontario and receiving the Class L1 licence to practise law in Ontario.

Practical planning tips for internationally trained lawyers

The Ontario path can be demanding, but it is navigable when you separate it into stages. First, prove academic equivalency through the NCA. Then enter the LSO licensing process. Then complete exams, training, good character, and licensing administration. Each stage has its own rules, but you do not need to solve all of them on the first day.

Helpful official sources

This guide is general information and personal orientation, not legal advice or official licensing advice. Always confirm current requirements directly with the NCA and the Law Society of Ontario.