Dear all,

It seems practicing law in Canada is not easy. The most difficult, and rather irrational requirement, is to impose on foreign qualified lawyers to take up courses for a couple of years at a Canadian law school, at a time where most international bars apply a direct transfer scheme.

I noticed however that the Quebec bar allows a direct transfer scheme if the foreign candidate is originally admitted to a bar that allows Canadians to sit that foreign bar exam without having to go back to law school. One of those bars is the solicitors regulation authority in England.

I am admitted at a civil law country that do probably require Canadians to enter law school first before sitting its bar exam. However, I was thinking to sit the QLTS test in England hoping in this way to apply for the Quebec bar without having to be subjected to a law school course series in Canada, which can be cumbersome. In any case, the SRA in England allows Canadians admitted to most of the bars in Canada to directly sit the transfer scheme exams.

Is anyone here a UK qualified solicitor who has done so in Canada, or any other non-UK lawyer who considered this option.

I have completed an LLM in the UK and now completing a PhD in France, not sure though this would impact my application from the readings on this blog.

In the event this is not possible, is it possible to take the courses at a Canadian law school via distance learning till the time I get the permanent residency card?

Look forward to hearing any feedback.