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National Mobility of the Legal Profession


Changing realities and the need to break down interprovincial barriers have led Canada’s law societies to recognize the credentials of members of the legal profession wherever they were initially admitted to practice. National mobility of the legal profession is governed by three basic agreements between the law societies.

Members of the profession interested in transferring to another jurisdiction on a permanent or temporary basis should contact the law society of the province or territory where they wish to transfer for complete information.


Mobility Among Common Law Provinces

The National Mobility Agreement is the blueprint for the mobility regime that facilitates temporary and permanent mobility of lawyers between all common law provinces in Canada. The temporary mobility provisions permit lawyers in the common law provinces to practise for up to 100 days a year in any other common law province and to transfer between jurisdictions with ease.


Mobility Between Common Law Provinces and the Territories

The Territorial Mobility Agreement governs permanent mobility to the three northern jurisdictions: the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.


Mobility Between Common Law Provinces and Quebec

Since Quebec is a civil law jurisdiction, a different approach to mobility to and from that province is required. In mid- 2008, the Barreau du Quebec introduced a new membership category, Canadian Legal Advisor to permit lawyers from other Canadian provinces and territories to become members of the Barreau with the right to practise federal law, the law of their home jurisdiction and public international law. The Quebec Mobility Agreement paves the way for implementation of reciprocal mobility for members of the Barreau in all other provinces and territories.

In 2012, an Addendum to the Quebec mobility regime was signed to include members of the Chambre des notaires du Québec.