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Home Becoming Licensed Lawyer Licensing Process Candidate Supports Tutoring
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Tutoring

For Candidates
Become a Tutor

For Candidates

The Law Society provides access to tutoring with experienced members of the profession to candidates who have been unsuccessful in the licensing examinations. Candidates who have been unsuccessful on a licensing examination may apply, on a “first-come, first-served” basis, to receive up to 5 hours of free tutoring before their next attempt at that licensing examination in their current licensing term. Candidates must be registered to rewrite the licensing examination before submitting a request for tutoring.

Candidates should carefully review their Licensing Examination Profile to help determine the subject areas in which to request tutoring.  

Deadline to Submit Requests for Tutoring

Candidates must submit a completed Tutoring Request Form on or before the applicable registration deadline for their licensing examination sitting. Please refer to the Examination Deadlines and Dates page, which sets out the applicable deadlines based on examination sitting. All requests are subject to tutor availability.

Terms and Conditions

By submitting a Tutoring Request Form, candidates acknowledge that they have read and agree to the following terms and conditions.

  1. I am requesting the assistance of a tutor in my preparations for my upcoming licensing examination. I have registered and paid for the licensing examination for which I am seeking tutoring.
  2. I can request a maximum of five hours of tutoring in total. I must request a minimum of one hour per desired subject area, with subsequent increases in no less than half hour increments. I may divide my maximum of five hours of tutoring across up to three areas of substantive law.
  3. The Law Society may, but is not required to, approve the hours requested. Tutors are not compensated to provide tutoring services beyond the amount of time approved by the Law Society.
  4. I will not seek to amend the requested allocations for tutoring in the Request Form once submitted. I will send any request to cancel tutoring services to tutorrequest@lso.ca.
  5. If I am matched with a tutor, I will be provided with the tutor’s contact information. I will contact each tutor to arrange a tutoring session within 72 hours of receiving the tutor’s contact information. I understand that I may need to adjust my schedule to accommodate the tutor’s availability and that my assigned tutor may not be available at my preferred times. I understand that I should wait a reasonable amount of time (e.g., 2 business days) after first contacting a tutor to make a second attempt to contact the tutor. If I have not heard back from a tutor after 4 business days have passed or if a tutor has indicated that the tutor is no longer available, I may contact the Law Society for assistance.
  6. The Law Society may provide my contact information to the assigned tutors. However, it is my responsibility to contact the tutors to arrange the tutoring.
  7. I understand that my tutor will determine the mode (online, by phone, or in person) and location of tutoring (although the tutor may consult with me regarding my preferred mode).
  8. I will communicate with my tutors in a professional and courteous manner at all times and will be respectful of each tutor’s time.
  9. I will contact each tutor at least 24 hours in advance if I cannot attend a scheduled tutoring session. If I do not provide 24 hours’ notice, I may be charged a missed session fee of $75 and forfeit the allotted tutoring time.
  10. I will email tutorrequest@lso.ca within 24 hours if I defer my licensing examination or if I no longer require tutoring for any other reason. I understand that, if I defer, I have to reapply for tutoring once I have registered and paid for the new examination sitting and that, if I have already used my allotted tutoring hours, I am not eligible to receive additional hours.
  11. I will be on time for each tutoring session. I will prepare for the session in advance by having questions prepared and having notes on the specific sections of the study materials or concepts in law that are giving me difficulty, etc. I understand that tutoring is not a substitute for thorough review and self-study of the materials and that the tutor is not intended to be a teacher or instructor.
  12. The tutor may provide the Law Society with the tutor’s notes regarding the tutoring session.
  13. I am solely responsible for any telephone, Internet, travel, and any other costs associated with accessing tutoring sessions.
  14. Failure to meet any of the above conditions or requirements may result in the termination of the tutoring session or the availability to me of tutoring sessions in the future.


Barrister Tutoring Request Form (Opens after Summer Exam)
Solicitor Tutoring Request Form (Summer 2024 Exam)
Paralegal Tutoring Request Form (Summer 2024 Exam)

Become a Tutor

The Law Society welcomes practising lawyers and paralegals to support candidates in the licensing process as tutors. We are seeking licensees who can meet the following requirements:

  1. Be licensed with the Law Society of Ontario and be entitled to practise law or provide legal services
  2. Have at least three years’ experience in Ontario as a licensed lawyer or paralegal
  3. For practising lawyers, be experienced in one or more of the following areas: civil litigation, family law, criminal law, administrative law, business law (tax), business law (corporate), real estate, and/or estate law
  4. For practising paralegals, be experienced in one or more of the following areas: civil litigation, administrative law, and/or criminal and quasi-criminal law
  5. Be actively engaged in the practice of law or the provision of legal services, in the subject area(s) in which you wish to provide tutoring, for 18 months immediately preceding the tutor application


Prospective or current tutors with any of the following are not eligible to act as tutors:

  1. Open investigations being conducted by the Professional Regulation Division
  2. Open complaints containing allegations of sexual harassment and/or discrimination
  3. Outstanding disciplinary proceedings
  4. Prior or current involvement as a Law Society of Ontario licensing examination item writer, item appraiser, or Advisory Group member
  5. Current involvement with a private licensing examination preparation course

 

If you meet the criteria above, you may be placed on the tutoring roster and matched with a candidate, subject to candidates’ requests and based on area of law. You will be provided with a copy of the current study materials for the subject matter in which you are providing tutoring. Tutors will be remunerated at an hourly rate of up to $75 for time spent tutoring a candidate and will be eligible for up to 6 CPD hours per calendar year. Tutors may choose to redirect their fee to Lawyers Feed the Hungry.

You can apply to become a tutor by emailing a cover letter, which must include your Law Society licensee number, the subject area(s) in which you are interested in tutoring, and a résumé to trecruit@lso.ca. 

Terms or Concepts Explained