How to Surrender Your Licence
Applications to be emailed
Until further notice, please EMAIL completed applications for By-Law Administration Services to bylawadmin@lso.ca.
Purpose
Ontario lawyers or paralegals (licensees) who no longer wish to maintain their licence in Ontario may surrender their licence under By-Law 4.
Licensees who surrender their licence no longer pay annual membership fees or file annual reports. Once a licence is surrendered, lawyers and paralegals are no longer entitled to practise law or provide legal services as an Ontario lawyer or paralegal.
Who can apply
Lawyers and paralegals of any age that no longer wish to maintain their Ontario licence
NOTE: If you are incapacitated, read about the exemption process, which may be an alternative to surrendering your licence if you are a lawyer or a paralegal at any age who is not suspended, is incapacitated, and unable to meet any of your obligations as a licensee.
Application Requirements
- A completed and original Application for Surrender of Licence to Practise Law/Provide Legal Services
- Submission of all outstanding annual reports
- Evidence that all trust/mixed trust accounts have been closed and have a zero balance (for applicants who were Sole Practitioners in Ontario at any time within the last 3 years from the date of their application)
- Evidence that the applicant no longer has signing authority over any trust/mixed trust accounts (for applicants who were Partners, Employees or Associates in Ontario at any time within the last 3 years from the date of their application)
- Lawyers Only - Evidence that all open estates have been closed or the applicant no longer has signing authority
Application Process
All applications and attachments are reviewed by By-Law Administration Services. If the review reveals that the application cannot be approved, a By-Law Administration Services Representative will contact the applicant to request additional information or to advise of necessary changes.
By-Law Administration Services may require up to 60 business days to process a completed Application to Surrender Licence.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Submitting an application to surrender your licence will not prevent you from being suspended for failing to comply with any administrative or regulatory requirement.
Administrative Fees
There is no fee for the Application for Surrender of Licence.
Links to Applications and additional information for closing your practice:
Learn more about licensing following surrender of licence.
Questions
Application and Annual Report filing related questions should be directed to By-Law Administration Services by contacting the Law Society at (416) 947-3315 (toll-free 1-800-668-7380 ext. 3315) and asking to be transferred, or by email at bylawadmin@lso.ca.
Information about outstanding annual fees can be obtained by contacting the Membership Services department by calling the Law Society at (416) 947-3315 (toll-free 1-800-668-7380 ext. 3315) and asking to be transferred, or by email at records@lso.ca.
Accessibility
The Law Society of Ontario is committed to ensuring that our websites and web applications are accessible for people with disabilities. We have also made efforts to make Law Society documents accessible to everyone. If you need any of our documents or forms in an alternate format that is accessible to you, please contact the department listed on our website as responsible for the document/form or email lawsociety@lso.ca with details about what document/form you need.