5 Things You Need to Do as soon as you get Called-to-the-Bar in Ontario

Congratulations! Welcome to the Bar! Now what do you do? Here are some things you should do now:

1. Register for a LSO portal .

If you navigate to the Law Society of Ontario Home Page and then on the top right screen, there should be a menu icon for Lawyers and Paralegals. If you hover over the appropriate one for you, if you’re a lawyer, then under Lawyer, there should be a “Law Society Portal.” Once you click that, Register as a New User. Follow the steps and update your information appropriately.

2. Change your LSO practising status

2.1. Once you’re logged into the LSO portal, on the left side menu, click “Change of Information” and fill out your employment status.

2.2. The benefit to doing this right away is that it may alter your law society fees. If you are not currently working or practising, then changing your status may immediately give you the reduced fee as opposed to paying the discounted but full price of a practising licence for the remainder of the year.

3. Get a new Law Society card

3.1. Now that you’re officially a lawyer/paralegal, you can now trade your licensing candidate card for a lawyer/paralegal photo ID card. Having a law society card is convenient when visiting the courthouses or using law association libraries or attending events at courthouses or attending jail. If you were a student-at-law who regularly attended court then you already know this. As a lawyer, you can bypass security or enter through the staff line at a courthouse, there is an expectation that you will uphold your reputation as an officer of the court. Having a card is just convenient for any situation where there is a need to verify your lawyer status.

3.2. You can either apply for a Law Society Photo ID card by postal services or in person.

3.2.1. To apply in person, simply visit the Law Society of Ontario at Osgoode Hall, (130 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON), once you enter through the law society doors, turn right, if you signed the Ontario Bar Roll in Toronto then you will be familiar with the hall. There is a window (Law Society’s Client Service Centre window) there where you will be able to ask for a Law Society Photo ID Card, pay (see fees below, they do accept debit/credit in person) and where they will take a photo of you for your card. You will be able to apply for a card in person during their office hours between 9:00am-5:00pm.

3.2.2. To apply by postal services, which may be more convenient for you if you live far outside of Toronto, you can download the form online: https://lso.ca/lawyers/about-your-licence/manage-your-licence/apply-for-a-photo-id-card , print it, fill it out, get a passport sized photo and mail the form, proof of payment and passport sized photo together to: Law Society of Ontario Membership Services Department Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario  M5H 2N6

3.3.3. The fees for the card are based on how often you want to renew your card:

4. Get a commissioner stamp

4.1. By virtue of office, lawyers and paralegals are automatically commissioners for taking affidavits, administering oaths, affirmations and declarations. You can now sign in the commissioner spot for documents which require someone to swear an oath or make a declaration. A commissioner helps reduce fraud by verifying documents and witnessing signatures. You do not have to be a lawyer or paralegal to be a commissioner, but a lawyer or paralegal is automatically granted this status which does not expire.

4.2. Although as a commissioner by virtue of office, technically all you need is your signature, but to avoid any questioning of your authority and to make it easy to tell that you have the authority as a commissioner, using a stamp makes it easy.

4.3. Your law firm might already provide one for you if you’re working for one or may want you to have one with the law firm name, but it doesn’t necessarily have to have a firm name if you’re considering getting one on your own without a firm.

4.4. I bought my Ontario commissioner stamp from Dominion stamps and engraving online. It is a great place to get commissioner stamps, any other rubber stamps and seals, and they were relatively fast in shipping and tended to be more affordable then other places. I also got my Notary seal from them too. Check out my post on Steps to become a Notary Public as a lawyer.

5. Register an account with LawPro Insurance

5.1. Login at LawPro, click “New to LawPro” if it’s your first time and set this up.

5.2. Even if you are not practising law currently, you need to have a LawPro account.

5.3. Once you have an account set up, and have successfully logged in, if you go on the front page/click ”File Online” on the side menu item if it’s not already the first thing you see once you log in. On this panel, you can apply for insurance coverage or also “Apply for Exemption” if you’re not practising. If you are not currently practising, it is still mandatory to fill in an exemption form with the LawPro insurance, so that you will not have to pay for coverage while you are currently not practising law.

5.4. How much is LawPro Insurance? You have the option of paying on a monthly or annual basis. As a new call lawyer, in your first year, you are given the maximum discount of 50%. Typically, LawPro offers discounts if you are a new call/part-time/practising certain areas of law… and there may be other discounts you could get, however 50% from the regular insurance I found out is the maximum discount you can get. So this means that if you are a new call in your first year, you are eligible for the 50% discount, however, even if you apply to practice part-time (that is 20hours or less per week), or practise exclusively in criminal law, which would normally give you a discount, you cannot add anymore discounts to your discount as a new call. So the price you would pay to practise as a New Call, whether full-time or part-time, would still be the same. When I signed up for LawPro, I was not aware of the price exactly that I would be paying for, I signed up to be billed monthly in November and found out that they charged my credit card later for over $300, then mailed me a statement of monthly payment charges in the new year that were well over $150 a month.    

5.5. If you have difficulties with any steps to setting up LawPro Insurance or have questions regarding LawPro, you can telephone them.

I hope you enjoyed this post and was able to use it as a checklist for things to do. Welcome to the Bar if you just became an officially licensed lawyer or paralegal.

Check out 10 Point Checklist for Navigating the Ontario Lawyer Licensing Process if you have yet to get called to the Bar

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