Open Access Research Article
INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED LAWYERS, THE NCA PATHWAY, AND ONTARIO'S LICENSING REFORM: SHOULD THE BAR EXAMINATIONS BE ABOLISHED?
Abstract
Abstract
The
licensing of lawyers in Canada rests on a foundation of provincial self
governance, in which each law society is charged by statute with regulating
entry into the profession in a manner that protects the public interest. For
internationally trained lawyers, entry into this system is mediated by an
additional layer of assessment administered by the National Committee on
Accreditation, a body created by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada to
evaluate foreign legal education and, where necessary, require further academic
study before a Certificate of Qualification is issued. Only after this
certificate is obtained may an internationally trained lawyer proceed into the
licensing process of a Canadian province, which in Ontario includes an
experiential training requirement and two centrally administered licensing
examinations, the Barrister Examination and the Solicitor Examination, prior to
call to the bar. It traces the architecture of lawyer licensing in Canada, the
operation of the National Committee on Accreditation pathway, and the structure
of Ontario's licensing process, before setting out the case for retaining and
the case for abolishing the bar examinations. Drawing on comparative experience
from other Canadian provinces, England and Wales, and the United States, the
article concludes with recommendations directed at the Law Society of Ontario
and other Canadian legal regulators for reducing unnecessary duplication in the
credentialing journey while preserving the core public protection function of
professional licensing.
Published Paper
Author Details
Authors: OGHENEHORO EVI ENI
Registration ID: 1013139 | Published Paper ID: IJLRA13139
Year: Sep-2026 | Volume: 3 | Issue: 6
Approved ISSN: 2582-6433 | Country: Delhi, India
Page No.: 590-607
Article Information
INTERNATIONALLY TRAINED LAWYERS, THE NCA PATHWAY, AND ONTARIO'S LICENSING REFORM: SHOULD THE BAR EXAMINATIONS BE ABOLISHED?
Authors: OGHENEHORO EVI ENI
- Journal IJLRA
- ISSN 2582-6433
- Volume 3
- Issue 6
About Journal
International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis
- AbbreviationIJLRA
- ISSN2582-6433
- AccessOpen Access
- LicenseCC 4.0
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