FAQs

• Overview (Questions 1-16)
• Applying for an NCA Assessment (Questions 17-23)
• Assessment Process (Questions 24-33) 

 

Overview 

1. What is the NCA?

The National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) is a standing committee of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. Committee members include those involved with the administration of provincial and territorial law societies, the practicing Bar, and representatives of the Council of Canadian Law Deans. 

NCA’s primary mandate is to protect the public interest by assessing the legal education and professional experience of individuals who obtained their credentials outside Canada or in a Canadian civil law program, and want to apply for admission to a common law Bar in Canada.

2. What is the purpose of the NCA assessment?

The assessment is based on the academic and professional profile of each applicant. The NCA applies a uniform standard on a national basis so that applicants with common law qualifications obtained outside Canada can apply, regardless of where they wish to practise in Canada. As a result, applicants do not need to satisfy different entrance standards to practise law in different common law provinces and territories of Canada. Upon completion of its assessment, the NCA issues a report to the applicant describing the scope and extent of any further legal education required to demonstrate that their legal education and training is equivalent to that provided by an approved Canadian common law, law faculty. Once the applicant has successfully completed the assigned requirements, the NCA issues a Certificate of Qualification. The Certificate is required to apply to a Canadian common law, law society. The societies are listed here.

3. Do I have to be a Canadian citizen to apply to the NCA for assessment?

No. The NCA evaluates the qualifications of all internationally-trained legal graduates, whether Canadian citizens who have obtained their legal education abroad, newcomers to Canada with an overseas legal education, or people considering immigrating to Canada. The NCA also assesses Canadian civil law graduates who wish to apply to a Canadian common law jurisdiction.

4. Can I become licensed to practise law in the common law provinces of Canada without obtaining a Certificate of Qualification?

Most law societies in Canada require the NCA's Certificate of Qualification to access their Bar admissions process. Applicants with internationally-obtained legal qualifications can apply to the NCA regardless of the common law province or territory in which they wish to practise in Canada. The NCA does not evaluate the legal credentials for individuals who wish to apply for membership in the Barreau du Québec or the Chambre des notaires du Québec. These bodies each have their own evaluation procedures.

5. What is the purpose of the Certificate of Qualification?

A Certificate of Qualification is issued to individuals who demonstrate that their legal education and training is equivalent to that provided by an approved faculty of law in Canada. The NCA process certifies that an applicant has an understanding and knowledge of Canadian law equivalent to that of a graduate of a Canadian common law program.

6. Is getting a Certificate of Qualification the same as receiving a law degree from a Canadian law school?

No. Obtaining a Certificate of Qualification does not replicate an LL.B., a J.D. or any other degree from a Canadian law school. In addition, NCA applicants may be asked to successfully pass examinations in subjects that are not uniformly required by Canadian common law, law schools for graduation.

7. How can I know how many examinations I will be required to take as part of obtaining a Certificate of Qualification?

An NCA assessment normally requires an applicant to demonstrate competency in specific subjects, as described in NCA policies. In most cases, applicants may choose to substitute NCA examinations with equivalent Canadian law school courses. In certain circumstances, as explained in the NCA assessment policies, an applicant may be required to attend a Canadian law school and successfully complete specific courses. The number of subjects, examinations, or courses depends upon the applicant's individual background of legal education and professional experience. All applicants must request pre-approval of any law school courses taken to complete NCA requirements.

8. What are the subjects the NCA usually requires applicants to take?

NCA assessments focus on the core common law subjects in which applicants must demonstrate competence, including four Canadian subjects which are mandatory for all applicants. They are: 

• Principles of Canadian Administrative Law (mandatory) 
• Canadian Constitutional Law  (mandatory)
• Canadian Criminal Law and Procedure (mandatory)
• Foundations of Canadian Law (mandatory)
• Contracts
• Torts
• Property
• Corporate Law (Business Associations)
• Evidence
• Professional Responsibility

A document explaining the mandatory nature of the indicated course is available where indicated.


9. Do I need to take a language test?

At the current time, language competency is not a NCA requirement.  However, the NCA examinations are equivalent to Canadian law school examinations and require a high level of language competency both in reading and writing.  In addition, the practice of law in Canada requires a high level of competence in listening, reading, speaking, and writing.  You may wish to take a language test to determine your level of competency and, if required, seek language upgrading. 

10. What is the NCA policy on distance legal education (online degrees)?

The Canadian standard for law school is a three year in-class program. A distance education degree does not provide the same level of personal contact found in an in-class program. This means certain learning opportunities are missed, including the Socratic method of teaching, opportunities to debate issues and to participate in moot court. Therefore, a distance education degree is not considered equivalent to an in-class university degree. 

As a result, applicants to the NCA are required to have significant in-class experience before they are issued a Certificate of Qualification. Graduates of distance learning programs will normally be required to successfully complete six NCA examinations and eight one semester courses at a Canadian law school. The specific course and examination requirements will depend on the qualifications of the applicant.

11. I have extensive professional experience. Why did I receive the same number of recommended courses as other applicants from my jurisdiction who did not practise law?

The NCA assessment considers many factors but is primarily focused on academic qualifications. Bar admissions programs, licensure examinations and professional experience are all taken into account. Unless they specifically address the core common law subjects, they may not have a major impact on the assessment result.

12. If I get a Certificate of Qualification, am I admitted to the Bar?

No. The rules and regulations for admission to practise law in Canada are set by the provincial and territorial law societies. Information about the Bar admissions process can be obtained directly from each law society. The Certificate of Qualification is an essential preliminary step in the education and training program for admission into a law society outside of Quebec. In short, if you did not graduate from a common law degree program in Canada, the Certificate of Qualification is the first step to applying to a law society and becoming a licensed lawyer.

13. Do I have to go through the same articling process even though I have my Certificate of Qualification?

The rules and regulations for admission to practise law in Canada are set by the provincial and territorial law societies. Information about articling programs can be obtained directly from each law society.

14. I am considering attending law school overseas and I am wondering whether there is a list of fully accredited non-Canadian law schools approved by the National Committee on Accreditation?

The NCA does not accredit law programs and as such the NCA does not ‘approve’ non-Canadian law schools. Rather, the NCA researches law schools in other countries, including recognition from the national accreditation bodies in each jurisdiction (the American Bar Association in the United States, the Solicitor Regulation Authority and Bar Standards Board in the UK, the Bar Council of India in India, etc.), to assess applicants’ educational credentials.

15. Can you give me advice on which overseas law school I should consider?

The NCA does not provide advice or recommendations regarding law school/program selection. It is incumbent on future applicants to ensure the school/program they are attending is sanctioned by the local Bar/Accreditation authority and that graduates of that school/program are eligible to be admitted to the local Bar, as that is one factor in an NCA assessment. Law school “reputation” is not a factor in NCA assessments.

16. What happens if there are NCA assessment policy changes during the time I am attending law school?

From time to time, NCA policies do change. Only current or “in force” NCA policy is relevant during assessment. That means that notwithstanding any previous policy, applications are assessed based on the NCA policies that are in force at the time of assessment, not at the time of application or at the start of law school. It is recommended that people attending law school overseas who intend to return to Canada following graduation register for NCA News Alerts.

 

Applying for an NCA assessment 

17. How do I apply for assessment?

Submit a completed Application Form to the NCA offices along with your original undergraduate transcripts, a detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV or résumé), document check list, and a non-refundable application fee of $450 Canadian, which includes all applicable taxes. You can pay by credit card; personal cheques are not accepted. 

You must also arrange with your law school or other educational institutions where you obtained your legal education to forward all official and final transcripts to the NCA. If you have been called to the Bar in another jurisdiction please arrange for the issuing institution to mail a letter or certificate to the NCA confirming the date of your Call to the Bar, confirming that your membership is in good standing. Any transcripts for Bar examinations or courses must also be sent to the NCA. 

Only official documents submitted directly from the issuing institution are used for the NCA assessments.

18. When can I apply for assessment?

You may apply for an NCA assessment at any time. There are no assessment deadlines. However, your assessment will not be processed until we have received your completed application form, fee payment and all official documents from your law school and, if applicable, from your licensing body. You may apply before you graduate from law school, but your application will be held until your final official transcripts are received from your law school.

19. I have arranged for official transcripts. Can I submit my application before I have received confirmation from the NCA that my official documents have been received?

Yes. However, we will not contact you until we have received your application form. We will hold all official documents sent to our offices.

20. I cannot get official documents from my institution. Can my assessment be completed if I provide original documents of my legal academic credentials?

In exceptional cases, we will assess qualifications without official documents. If you cannot arrange for official documents to be sent to our offices, please contact us by email and explain your situation. Please note that we rely on official documents in order to ensure the veracity of the diplomas and certificates. If official documents cannot be provided, depending on the situation we may assign additional subjects in the assessment or advise an applicant that there is insufficient information to complete the assessment.

21. I sent my application in and did not hear back from the NCA. How do I know the NCA received my application?

The NCA will send you an acknowledgement email within 10 business days of having received your application. The best way to ensure the NCA receives your application is to send your package by courier, registered mail or by express post so you can track your shipment and ensure delivery was made to the NCA.

22. How do I know the transcripts sent from my educational institutions were received by the NCA?

The NCA will send you an acknowledgement email within 10 business days of having received your transcripts, as long as we have your application form on file. If the transcripts cannot be matched with an application form, we will hold them until both the application form and fee payment are submitted.

23. What else can delay processing my assessment application?

The NCA processes assessments on a “first come, first served” basis. Once all the necessary documentation and fees are received, your file is put into the queue for assessment. Normally, you will receive your assessment result within three months from the date the last document is received. You will receive an email from the NCA informing you of this date. 

We open a file and assign a file number when we receive an application form and fee payment. The NCA then waits to receive the required documents from the educational and licensing institutions (if applicable). Once all the documents are received, they are matched to the file and, if ready for assessment, an email is sent to the applicant advising when to expect the assessment result. 

It is important to note that the name on your application should match the name on your transcript/Bar documents. This makes it easier for the NCA to match your application with documents received directly from various institutions. Failure to use the same name could mean delays in your assessment. If you have changed your name or if you use different spellings of your name, please advise us. Step 1 of the NCA application form includes a section for you to list any previous or additional names that may appear in your documents or files.

 

Assessment Process 

24. What factors are relevant to the assessment of my file?

The factors considered in the assessment of your file are:

• the type of legal system where the legal education was acquired (common law, civil law, hybrid, etc.);
• the length and nature of the legal education program;
• the subject areas studied;
• academic performance in respect of the core subject areas required by the NCA, as well as overall academic performance;
• whether the legal education program is recognized and approved by the local regulatory authority which governs admission to the practice of law in that jurisdiction;
• whether the mode of study was full-time, part-time, in-person or by distance;
• age of degree and/or currency of practice;
• professional legal experience and qualifications; and
• the nature and length of professional legal experience.

The assessment criteria are described in greater detail in the current NCA Policies and Guidelines.

25. What is the relevance of the jurisdiction in which I obtained my law degree?

The NCA assesses internationally obtained qualifications of applicants who wish to be admitted as a lawyer in a Canadian common law jurisdiction. For this reason, the NCA assessment process focuses on the nature and extent of the common law content in an applicant’s legal education (information on legal system classifications can be found in Appendix A and B of the NCA Policies and Guidelines.  As legal education is jurisdiction specific, the jurisdictional legal system is an important factor in all assessments.

26. What is the relevance of the type of law program I attended?

Jurisdictional rules on the Call to the Bar differ greatly. In Canada and the United States, only three year LL.B./J.D. graduates qualify for admission to the Bar, but other countries have various routes that lead to licensure as a lawyer. The NCA examines the national rules for the Call for the law program each applicant completed and uses that information as a factor in assessment.

27. Do I always have an option to write NCA examinations or will I be required to attend law school?

In most cases, the NCA gives applicants a choice of three methods for demonstrating competence:

1. through the NCA’s examinations;
2. by taking courses in assigned subjects in a Canadian law school’s LL.B. program;
3. a combination of (1) and (2).

However, there are some situations where an applicant will be required to attend law school in Canada. These include graduates of distance education programs and people with no common law education or professional experience.

28. I graduated from a two year Senior Status or Graduate Entry program in the UK. How many examinations will I be required to write?

Senior Status or Graduate Entry applicants are usually required to demonstrate competence in at least seven subjects. This is required to compensate for the shorter educational program. Other factors are considered in the assessment, including academic performance, licensure and professional practice. These other factors may increase or decrease the number of subjects assigned.

29. I obtained my legal education by completing a one year Graduate Diploma in Law program. What can I expect in terms of assessment outcome?

Usually, GDL applicants have to demonstrate competence in additional subjects to compensate for the shorter program and to augment their knowledge in areas of law not covered during their legal education.

30. I attended Bar school training above and beyond my law degree. Will you take it into consideration?

Bar school training is a factor in all assessments. Please ensure all documents pertaining to your Call are forwarded to the NCA under seal from the institution.

31. I graduated from a law school in a jurisdiction with a mixed legal tradition that includes some common law components. How will you assess my qualifications? 

Graduates from hybrid jurisdictions that include a common law component will be assessed on the same basis as common law graduates, taking into consideration the common law content of their programs and experience. Most hybrid graduates will be asked to demonstrate competency in at least eight subjects.

32. I graduated from a jurisdiction that follows a different legal tradition than common law. How will you assess my qualifications?

Applicants from legal systems that do not have a substantial common law component, such as civil law, are considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants who have no common law exposure (academic or professional) are, in the absence of relevant professional legal experience, unlikely to receive any recognition for their legal credentials.

33. What is the significance of academic performance?

Your academic performance is an indicator of your command of the legal concepts covered during your legal education. NCA policy includes academic performance, both overall law school performance and grades in the 10 core common law subjects (see question 8). If the overall academic performance and/or grades in any of the 10 core common law subjects are low, additional examinations may be assigned. 

Applicants with poor overall academic performance (i.e. Third Class or lower standing in the U.K., India and Nigeria or a GPA of less than one (1) in Australia) do not normally receive any recognition for their degree.