The Federation of Law Societies of Canada is the national coordinating body of the 14 law societies which are mandated by provincial and territorial law to regulate Canada’s 130,000 lawyers, Quebec’s 3,800 notaries and Ontario’s 11,300 licensed paralegals in the public interest..
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) is the largest professional association for lawyers in Canada. We have been championing Canadian lawyers and Canadian law since 1896. We are the face, the voice, and the future of this country’s leading legal minds.
As the standard-bearer for our profession, we have a national office in Ottawa and branches in every province and territory. Membership is voluntary in all but New Brunswick, where participation is mandatory through an agreement with the Law Society. Our members stand at the forefront of Canada’s legal profession.
The Law Society of Alberta regulates the legal profession in the public interest by promoting and enforcing a high standard of professional and ethical conduct by Alberta lawyers.
We derive our authority from the Legal Profession Actof Alberta and set out standards through a Code of Conduct and the Rules of the Law Society of Alberta.
While we do not provide legal advice on specific cases, from our unique perspective as the regulator, we actively work with members of the justice system to improve the administration of justice for all Albertans.
Created by an act of the Legislative Assembly in 1797, the Law Society of Ontario governs Ontario’s lawyers and paralegals in the public interest by ensuring that the people of Ontario are served by lawyers and paralegals who meet high standards of learning, competence and professional conduct.
The Law Society has a duty to protect the public interest, to maintain and advance the cause of justice and the rule of law, to facilitate access to justice for the people of Ontario, and to act in a timely, open and efficient manner.
We regulate the legal profession in BC, protecting the public interest in the administration of justice by setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct for lawyers. We also bring a voice to issues affecting the justice system and the delivery of legal services.
Before Saskatchewan was established as a province in 1905 under The Saskatchewan Act, it was a part of the North-West Territories, which consisted of modern-day Alberta as well as Saskatchewan. In 1885, an ordinance was passed to set the guidelines for regulation of the legal profession in the Territories. In 1898, a new Ordinance, The Legal Profession Ordinance, established the election of Benchers to govern the Law Society of the North-West Territories. In 1907, two years after the Saskatchewan became a province, the Law Society of Saskatchewan was created under The Legal Profession Act.
The Legal Profession Act from 1907, and its more recent iteration, The Legal Profession Act, 1990, delegated to the Law Society of Saskatchewan the responsibility to govern the legal profession in the province, and it mandates that the profession be governed in the public interest.
The Law Society of Manitoba regulates the legal profession in the public interest by promoting and enforcing a high standard of professional and ethical conduct by Manitoba lawyers.
The Law Society is the independent regulator of the legal profession in Manitoba. Our mission is to protect the public interest by ensuring that Manitoba lawyers practice ethically and competently.
The Barreau du Québec is based on foundations and principles of governance, including a relaxed political and administrative structure that contributes to better institutional coherence. Represented by the Bâtonnier of Quebec, he and the administrators are elected by ballot; all work together to fulfill the public protection mission of the Law Society, which annually awards prizes to recognize the excellence of the most distinguished members
The Law Society was officially created in 1846. The Provincial Legislative Assembly adopted Chapter 48 of the Provincial Statutes which in effect incorporated what was then called the “Barristers’ Society” for the “purpose of securing in the Province a learned and honourable legal profession, for establishing order and good conduct among its members and for promoting knowledgeable development and reform of the law”.
While the name of the organisation has changed and is now the Law Society of New Brunswick, its original mandate has remained essentially the same.
The Society regulates Nova Scotia’s legal profession. The privilege of profession-led regulation is granted through Nova Scotia’s Legal Professional Act (LPA).
As the regulator of Nova Scotia’s legal profession, the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society (NSBS) exists to uphold and protect the public interest in the practice of law.
We fulfill our public interest mandate by ensuring that lawyers deliver competent and ethical legal services in accordance with the standards set for legal professionals.
Established in 1978, the Law Society of the Northwest Territories is a self-governing Society which derives its authority from the Legal Profession Act of the Northwest Territories. The Law Society is responsible for governing the legal profession in the public interest according to Northwest Territories law and the Law Society’s rules, regulations, guidelines and Code of Professional Conduct. It is our responsibility to ensure that the people of the Northwest Territories are served by lawyers who meet high standards of competence, learning and professional conduct; and, to uphold the independence, integrity and honour of the legal profession. We believe that the public is well served by a legal profession that is independent, responsible, and responsive to the needs of the public its serves.
The Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (“the Law Society”) is authorized to regulate the practice of law and the legal profession in the public interest by the Law Society Act, 1999, SNL 1999, c. L-9.1 and is the sole regulatory body for all lawyers in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Law Society is fully funded by lawyers who are required to pay various fees in order to practice. The Law Society serves the public interest by promoting a high standard of legal services and professional conduct and by ensuring that its method of regulation is dynamic and responsive to the challenges of a changing profession. The Law Society may act as an advocate on issues that affect the public interest in the practice of law.
The Law Society of Prince Edward Island was created in 1876. Although its membership size has changed significantly over the years, its mandate has remained essentially the same. The Legal Profession Act sets out the objects of the Society as follows:
(a) to uphold and protect the public interest in the administration of justice;
(b) to establish standards for the education, professional responsibility and competence of its members and applicants for membership;
(c) to ensure the independence, integrity and honour of the society and its members;
(d) to regulate the practice of law; and
(e) to uphold and protect the interests of its members.
The Law Society of Yukon is authorized by the Legal Profession Act, 2017 to regulate the practice of law and the legal profession in the public interest. It protects the public interest in the administration of justice by setting and enforcing standards of learning, competence and professional conduct for lawyers.
Established in 1999, the Law Society of Nunavut is a self-governing Society which derives its authority from the Legal Profession Act of Nunavut. The Law Society is responsible for governing the legal profession in the public interest according to Nunavut law and the Law Society’s rules, regulations, guidelines and the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s Model Code of Conduct (Nunavut adapted version adopted November 7, 2016).
It is our responsibility to ensure that the people of Nunavut are served by lawyers who meet high standards of competence, learning and professional conduct; and, to uphold the independence, integrity and honour of the legal profession. We believe that the Public is well served by a legal profession that is independent, responsible, and responsive to the needs of the public it serves.
