If you are an aspiring lawyer who wants to have a great quality of life, you can explore pursuing a career in the legal industry in Canada. The country is renowned for its steady economic growth, political stability, high quality of life, and universal health coverage.
Your career in the legal industry in Canada will depend on where you have completed your law degree. If you have completed your L.L.B in Canada, you can start working as a legal clerk or executive right away. However, if your law degree is from another country, you may have to appear for and pass other bar exams before you can practice law in Canada.
The National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) is tasked with assessing the qualifications of all internationally trained legal graduates. Depending on the modules covered in your previous degrees, you may have to sit for more than one qualifying NCA exams.
Read ahead to get a comprehensive list of guidelines that can complement your learning options for Canadian Criminal Law.
Do thorough research on what it might be to work as a lawyer in Canada. You can read up online resources or talk to other experienced lawyers in your network who are practicing in Canada.
- Contact the nearest Canadian Diplomatic Mission to find out everything about the regulatory and employment requirements for lawyers in Canada. You should also know the exact specific procedure to obtain a lawyer’s permit in the country. You can also check out the FLSC (Federation of Law Societies of Canada) website for further information.
- Depending on your preferred province to start a career, you should have a valid proof of proficiency in English, French or both the languages. Even if you deem yourself to be a fluent English or French speaker, it can be a good idea to supplement your skills with a language program before attempting the relevant language competency exam.
- Along with appropriate proof of language proficiency, take an online self-assessment test on the Canadian Language Benchmarks website to check if you have matched the required standards.
- Thoroughly understand how the law is practiced in Canada and familiarize yourself with all the ins and outs of the Canadian Law and Constitution. Learn more about the laws and legislation governing the legal industry particularly in the province you want to settle down.
- Register with all the prominent legal networks and employer websites in Canada. Also prepare a list of potential employers you want to work with and taper your resume as per their expectations.
- Allow sufficient time for your NCA exam preparation and try to pass it in your first attempt. If you must sit for multiple exams, it is advisable to complement your studies with an appropriate NCA preparatory program.
Apart from mainstream law, legal graduates can look forward to plenty of other career prospects in Canada including legal publishing, legal consulting, and human resource management.
If you are about to give NCA exams soon, enroll in a suitable preparatory course to give a significant competitive edge.
