Hi guys....new to this site and also new to the idea of pursuing further studies. I did my LLB from India and have 10 years plus of work ex. Currently working in a media & entertainment co. I have just started researching on universities providing LLM degrees and have few questions regarding this. Please do excuse my ignorance as I am completely new on this expedition and will appreciate if someone could provide some guidance.

1. Is NCA mandate for practicing lawyers or does it apply to in house legal counsels too?
2. If I pursue LLM will that be an exemption from NCA process?
3. What is easier if the 2 appearing for NCA exams or getting a 1 year LLM degree.

I am sure there is a lot of competition in Canada amongst lawyers. But can someone through some light on legal careers. How is the job market?

Look forward to someone answering my questions.

Thanks in advance.

You'll need to research licensing requirements for the province where you would like to practice. The NCA assessment is just a way to show that whatever degree you have is recognized as a law degree in the country. You'd still need to go through the licensing requirement for whatever province you're looking at, which probably includes a bar exam and potentially other hoops to jump through.

In terms of careers, I'm not sure why a Canadian firm would be interested in hiring an attorney from elsewhere. It's a cut-throat market, far too many lawyers, and most recruiting happens through well-established funnels in Canadian law schools. Unless you're already somehow connected with a  law firm (for example if you work in a branch of an international law firm and request a transfer to another branch in Canada,) it will be very, very difficult. 

You'll need to research licensing requirements for the province where you would like to practice. The NCA assessment is just a way to show that whatever degree you have is recognized as a law degree in the country. You'd still need to go through the licensing requirement for whatever province you're looking at, which probably includes a bar exam and potentially other hoops to jump through.

In terms of careers, I'm not sure why a Canadian firm would be interested in hiring an attorney from elsewhere. It's a cut-throat market, far too many lawyers, and most recruiting happens through well-established funnels in Canadian law schools. Unless you're already somehow connected with a  law firm (for example if you work in a branch of an international law firm and request a transfer to another branch in Canada,) it will be very, very difficult. 

[Edited by mariaestela on Oct 05, 2020]

If practicing law in Canada is your goal, an LLM is probably not the best option. Better would be to do a first law degree in a Canadian school and then go through the licensing process in the province where you want to practice. This will put you in the common recruitment funnel for law firms. 

If practicing law in Canada is your goal, an LLM is probably not the best option. Better would be to do a first law degree in a Canadian school and then go through the licensing process in the province where you want to practice. This will put you in the common recruitment funnel for law firms. 

I mean, it might help you in terms of the content, but certainly not with the process of being certified to practice.