To become a licensed paralegal in Ontario, a candidate must:

• Meet the prerequisite educational requirements,
• Submit an application to enter the Paralegal Licensing Process, and
• Complete the Paralegal Licensing Examination.

1. Educational prerequisite

To become registered as a candidate in the paralegal licensing process with the Law Society, all applicants

• must have graduated from a Law Society accredited Paralegal Education Program. The accredited Paralegal Education Program must be from a college that has been approved by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; OR
• be enrolled in an accredited paralegal education program that they will complete in the next six months.

Once they have graduated from a Paralegal Education Program, applicants are eligible to apply to the Licensing Process.

2. Application

The application to enter the Paralegal Licensing Process consists of a number of components. First, candidates must complete the online application, and pay the non-refundable application fee. The online application requests personal information, such as the applicant’s date of birth, proof of legal name and proof of education, along with questions concerning the applicant’s “good character”.

For a more detailed explanation of the application process, visit lso.ca.

3. Examination

Once a student has completed an accredited paralegal licensing program, applied to and is registered in the paralegal licensing process, and paid all required fees, the next step is the licensing examination.

The Licensing Examination is a self-study, open-book format, multiple-choice examination. Dates, locations and times for the Paralegal Licensing Examination are available on the LSO website. Candidates must apply well in advance of the scheduled date in order to be registered for an exam sitting.

Once candidates have passed their Licensing Examination, successfully completed all requirements of the Paralegal Licensing Process, have a clear good character status, have paid all fees and submitted all required documentation, they become eligible to become licensed. Once this happens, information on the procedure for obtaining a paralegal licence, relevant dates and timelines will be emailed to the candidates Law Society Web Account by the Licensing Process, Licensing and Accreditation Department. The information will not be posted online.

What is the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement?

The Law Society of Ontario requires that licensed paralegals providing legal services must complete at least 12 hours of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) every year. This must consist of a minimum of 3 Professionalism Hours, and up-to 9 Substantive Hours.

Professionalism Hours focus on professional responsibility, ethics and/or practice management and must be accredited by the Law Society.

Substantive Hours do not need to be accredited by LSO and may focus on substantive or procedural law topics and/or related skills. Substantive Hours may also address non-legal subjects as long as they are relevant to the paralegal’s practice and professional development.

Effective January 1, 2018, lawyers and paralegals must complete the CPD Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Requirement.

CPD workshops, seminars and conferences are offered by the LSO. For more information on the CPD requirement for paralegals, visit the Law Society website.

For more information about the Paralegal Licensing Process in Ontario, and for a list of paralegal college programs accredited by the Law Society of Ontario, call (416) 947-3300 or toll-free at 1-800-668-7380, or visit lso.ca.

The Ontario Paralegal Association (OPA) is the largest professional association of licensed paralegals in Ontario. It’s mandate is to represent the interests of paralegals throughout the Province. To find out more, or to become a member, visit the OPA website.

								
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