Licensing Following Surrender or Revocation of Lawyer Licence
Purpose
Former Law Society lawyers who either surrendered their licence or had their licence revoked may apply for licensing under the Law Society Act and By-Law 4 as follows:
- Issuance of Licence: s. 27 of the Law Society Act and Part II of By-Law 4
- Surrender of Licence at Own Request: s. 30 of the Law Society Act and Part III of By-Law 4
- Deemed Surrender of Licence: Part I of By-Law 4
- Administrative Revocation of Licence: s. 48(1)(a) of the Law Society Act
- Permission to Surrender and Revocation of Licence: s. 35 of the Law Society Act
Who can apply
Former lawyers who wish to return to the practice of law in Ontario and be considered for licensing by the Law Society may apply.
The National Mobility Agreement does not apply to former Law Society lawyers, except those who held an L3 Licence.
Former lawyers who held an L3 Licence (Quebec lawyers) can apply for licensing under the Permanent Transfer under the National Mobility Agreement application process, provided you are currently licensed with the Barreau du Quebec and entitled to practise law in Quebec.
Application Process
1. Four different application processes and review timing
There are four application forms based on the reason for your surrender or revocation of license:
- Licensing Following Surrender of Licence at Lawyer’s Own Request
- Licensing Following Administrative Revocation
- Licensing Following Revocation of Licence or Permission to Surrender Licence
- Licensing Following Deemed Surrender (for former L3 licensees) – Permanent Transfer under the National Mobility Agreement
You must submit the most recent version of the application form. Previous versions will not be accepted. Links to the application forms are below.
If you surrendered your licence at your own request, your application package is reviewed by Compliance Services. We require approximately 60 business days from receipt of all required documents to process these applications.
If your license was administratively revoked, your application package is reviewed by Compliance Services. We require approximately 60 business days from receipt of all required documents to process these applications.
If you were permitted to surrender your licence or your licence was revoked, your licensing application is reviewed by the Law Society Hearing Division.
Compliance Services conducts an initial assessment, which takes approximately 90 business days from receipt of all required documents.
We then forward your application to the Professional Regulation Division for further review. Following this review, a hearing will be scheduled with the Law Society Hearing Division. You will be notified of the decision of the Hearing Division after the matter is heard.
If you are a former L3 licensee and are applying for permanent transfer under the National Mobility Agreement, Compliance Services conducts an initial review of your application. This review takes approximately 35 business days from receipt of all required documents.
When the initial review is complete, we will forward your application to the Licensing Process, Licensing and Accreditation department for further review and processing.
The Licensing Process, Licensing and Accreditation department will advise you of the next steps for licensing and inform you of the next available call date.
For more information, visit Permanent Transfer under the NMA.
2. Provide supporting documents as set out in the application form
The application form and supporting documents must be dated within 60 days of the day you submit them.
If applicable, Certificate(s) of Standing must be sent to the Law Society directly from the regulatory body. Your Certificate of Standing must not be older than 60 days when the application is ready to be approved by Compliance Services.
We will contact you if documents are missing or need to be updated.
3. Pay the application fee and any other outstanding fees, where applicable
The Law Society must receive your non-refundable application fee before we will start processing the licensing application.
| Item |
Amount |
| Application fee |
$300.00 |
| HST (#121712863) |
$39.00 |
| Total |
$339.00 |
You can pay the application fee online through the Law Society Store at https://store.lso.ca/licensing.
If you cannot pay online, you may pay by enclosing a certified cheque or money order made payable to the “Law Society of Ontario” with your application materials.
You must submit payment or proof of payment with your licensing application.
If you have fees owing from the time your licence was surrendered or revoked, you must pay them in full prior to licensing. Contact Membership Services at 416-947-3315 or 1-800-668-7380 ext. 3315 or by email at records@lso.ca to determine if you owe any fees and to pay them, if applicable.
4. Send us your complete application by email or mail
Send by email to: compliance@lso.ca
Send by mail to:
Compliance Services
Law Society of Ontario
Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen St W
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N6
Be sure to include:
- Completed application form
- Required supporting documents as set out in the application form
- Proof of payment (or certified cheque or money order if you cannot pay online)
We will contact you if anything is missing or if we have any questions.
Annual fees and LAWPRO premiums payable upon licensing
Law Society annual fees and LAWPRO premiums, if applicable, for the year in which your licence is reinstated will be payable upon licensing.
For information on current annual fees payable, contact Membership Services at 416-947-3315 or 1-800-668-7380 ext. 3315 or by email at records@lso.ca.
For LAWPRO fees payable, contact LAWPRO at 416-598-5800 or 1-800-410-1013 or by email at service@lawpro.ca.
Links to Applications and Additional Documents
Licensing Following Surrender of Licence at Lawyer’s Request
Licensing Following Administrative Revocation
Licensing Following Revocation of Licence or Permission to Surrender Licence
Licensing Following Deemed Surrender (for former L3 licensees)
Questions
All application related questions should be directed to Compliance 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 compliance@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.