Becoming a Principal
If you wish to hire an articling candidate and act as an articling principal, you must first apply and be approved by the Law Society. To be eligible, you must meet the criteria set out below.
Those who intend to apply to become a principal must review the experiential training competencies established by the Law Society to assess how their practice can provide an experience that supports these competencies.
Once approved as an articling principal, you are not required to re-apply to maintain this status, so long as you continue to meet the eligibility requirements. Please note however that as of May 2014, requirements have changed and if you were approved prior to 2014, you must re-apply to become a principal. To check on your status, you may contact the Licensing and Accreditation staff at articling@lso.ca.
Eligibility Criteria
If you wish to act as an articling principal, you must be:
- Actively engaged in the practice of law for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the intended articling placement.
- An exemplar of the profession, having regard to all circumstances including but not limited to your experience, competence, ethical standards and professional conduct record.
All relevant information with respect to the lawyer, including all information and records in the possession of and maintained by the Law Society, including without limitation any claims, regulatory history, investigations, trustee services and other applicable matters, may be considered in the approval or removal of a lawyer as a Principal.
Disqualifying Characteristics may include:
- Suspension of the lawyer’s license;
- An open regulatory proceeding being conducted by the Law Society or ensuing court proceedings related thereto;
- An open investigation being conducted by the Law Society;
- An open complaint to the Law Society containing allegations of harassment or discrimination.
Please note that a regulatory record may not necessarily preclude a lawyer from becoming a principal. All of the circumstances of the regulatory record, including but not limited to the finding, the date and nature of the lawyer’s conduct, the lawyer’s conduct since the finding was made, and the sanction, will be taken into consideration.
For more information, please refer to section 10 of the Lawyer Licensing Process Policies.
Application Requirements
To apply to act as an articling principal, you must provide:
- A completed Application to Serve as an Articling Principal;
- A recent and detailed Statement of Qualifications – this can be your CV, professional profile page, or firm biography.
Once the application is complete, scan and e-mail to Articling@lso.ca.