Admission to the Law Society
Once a clerk has completed the year as an articled clerk, and has successfully completed all the requirements of the Bar Admission Course, he or she is eligible to be admitted as a member of the Law Society and take the oaths of office in a court ceremony. At that point the clerk becomes a lawyer eligible to practise law in the province.
Requirements
To be admitted as a member, a candidate must:
• complete the educational qualifications, training and other requirements of the Law Society which includes the following:
1) 12 months articling
2) the Bar Admission Course: a six-week course in this province.
• be of good moral character and fit to practise;
• submit the required documents to be filed with the Court and pay the required fees.
COURT CEREMONY
All applicants for membership must appear in court to be admitted to the Bar. In PEI, each applicant has his or her own court ceremony, and appears in the proper dress of a barrister before a Justice of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island. The applicant is presented to the Court by his or her Principal or, if they are being admitted by way of transfer from another jurisdiction, by a member of Council. During the court ceremony, the applicant must take the oaths of allegiance and of office, and may be sworn or affirmed. Once the lawyer is called to the Bar by the judge, and signs the Barristers’ Roll, he or she is then a member of the Law Society and eligible to practise law in the province.
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
All members who intend to practise law must obtain the minimum insurance coverage necessary from the Law Society of PEI’s Insurance Program. Coverage is mandatory unless your application for exemption therefrom is approved. If you wish to be exempted, you must complete and submit an
Statutory Declaration for Exemption for approval. For more detailed information about the professional liability insurance, consult the
Errors & Omission page of our website.
