Licensing guide · Ontario

Do You Need a Licence to Work as a Lawyer in Ontario?

Last checked 1 source checkedNOC 41101

Basic guide The licence status and official sources so far. Steps, fees and exams are added once the regulator's own pages are read in full.

Do you need a licence?

Licence required

You must be registered with The Law Society of Ontario to work as a lawyer in Ontario or to use a protected title.

Protected titles
Not listed in the sources checked
Hide the source
“Law (Lawyer and Paralegal) The Law Society of Ontario”

From ontario.ca/page/work-your-profession-or-trade, checked October 8, 2026.

How to get licensed

This basic guide covers whether you need a licence and who regulates the work. The step-by-step roadmap, listed fees, exams and language tests are added here once The Law Society of Ontario's own pages are read in full.

Until then, check the current steps with The Law Society of Ontario.

Demand and pay

Job Bank figures for NOC 41101, Lawyers and Quebec notaries. Wages for 2023-2024 in Canadian dollars an hour; outlook for 2025-2027.

Job Bank wages and outlook in Ontario and Canada
WhereLowMedianHighOutlook
Ontario $32.05 $65.21 $112.98 Moderate (3 of 5)
Canada $30.22 $59.76 $107.14 —

Wages by region and job outlook in Ontario

Wages in every province and territory

Lawyers in other provinces and territories

Regulated in 7 of the other 12 jurisdictions checked so far. The rules differ from one place to the next.

  • British Columbia Licence required
  • Alberta Licence required
  • Saskatchewan Licence required
  • Manitoba Licence required
  • Quebec Licence required
  • New Brunswick Licence required
  • Nova Scotia Licence required
  • Prince Edward Island Not confirmed yet
  • Newfoundland and Labrador Not confirmed yet
  • Yukon Not confirmed yet
  • Northwest Territories Not confirmed yet
  • Nunavut Not confirmed yet

Compare lawyer licensing across Canada

Sources checked

Pages read on October 8, 2026.

  1. ontario.ca/page/work-your-profession-or-trade ontario.ca/page/work-your-profession-or-trade · fetched October 8, 2026

Frequently asked questions

1

Do you need a licence to work as a lawyer in Ontario?

Yes. Registration with The Law Society of Ontario is required to practise in Ontario.

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