Please use this checklist to guide you through the application requirements.

• Due Date: per Rule 51, your Application for Admission, Articling Agreement Application, and all documents and fees must be received by the Law Society a minimum of 30 days prior to the proposed start date of your articles.
• Fees: Both the Application and Admission fees must be paid prior to filling out the Application for Admission. For information on required fees and payment instructions, please visit Making a Payment.
• Proof of Identification: Provide a copy of government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s licence on which your full legal name appears.
• Certificate of Standing: From each law society or governing legal profession of which you are or have been a member of inside and/or outside of Canada.
• Education Requirements: If you are a holder of a Canadian common law degree, you must request an original transcript indicating your law degree has been conferred or a letter from the Dean confirming you have met all law degree requirements. These documents must come directly from the issuing post-secondary institution to the Law Society of Alberta and can be sent digitally (i.e. MyCreds). If you are a holder of a civil law or foreign law degree, an NCA Certificate of Qualification must be provided. The National Committee on Accreditation will send your NCA Certificate of Qualification directly to the Law Society of Alberta.
• Principal Requirements: Your principal will be notified of your application via email. They must accept the Articling Agreement in their Lawyer Portal, complete the Mandatory Principal Training Course, and meet the requirements found in Rule 55.
• Police Check/Criminal Record Check: Applicants must obtain an official criminal record check from their local police department or the RCMP prior to submitting their application for admission as a student-at-law. This should come from the applicant’s home province, if other than Alberta, to ensure useful information is provided. This document should be included with the application to become a student-at-law and must be dated within 90 days from the date of submission. Alternatively, applicants can submit an online criminal record check obtained from a company such as Sterling Back Check or Commissionaires.

Rule 51 (3) Abridgement Requests – Admission

Between May and September, the Society receives hundreds of applications from students seeking to be admitted as a student-at-law which are resource intensive and may require at least 30 days to review. If you are seeking to abridge the 30-day requirement, you must submit a formal written application outlining the exceptional circumstances as to why you were unable to comply with Rule 51(2). This can be emailed to Membership. An abridgment application must be accompanied by a completed online admission application to be considered and submitted a reasonable time in advance of a proposed articling start date. Applications are processed in the order received. Students should have a back up plan in the event their application is not approved. Abridgement requests are rarely granted unless the applicant can demonstrate exceptional circumstances unique to them. The Delegate of the Executive Director determines whether the 30-day requirement should be waived. The decision of the Delegate of the Executive Director is final.

We process applications in order of proposed start date and we will reach out to you via email should we require anything further after reviewing your application. If an enhanced consideration of good character is required or the suitability of your proposed principal requires additional analysis, this may impact the time it takes to review your application.

An enhanced review of good character may include an investigation and/or a good character hearing. You may begin your articles once you have received an email with approval from the Law Society, which will state your approved commencement date. Please ensure you check your junk folder in case the email ended up there.

Students are responsible to pay the application and admission fees. If a Firm Administrator is responsible for coordinating the payment of your fee(s), it is your responsibility to ensure they have been provided the invoice(s) for payment.

For Lawyers: Principals will be required to sign in to the Lawyer Portal and accept the Articling Agreement under their “My Students” tab. At the end of the agreed term, principals are required to log in to the Lawyer Portal and certify requirements were met.

For Judges/Justices: If you are clerking with a court, your principal does not need to accept an Articling Agreement. Once your articles have ended, your principal will be required to complete and submit a Certificate of Principal (Form 2-12/2-13).

If you are unable to provide a Certificate of Standing within the timeline requested by the Law Society, please contact Membership directly for more information.

If you have previously logged in, please sign into your Lawyer Portal and continue with your application. If it has been more than 24 hours since you received the login information and you have not logged in, please restart your application as your profile will have been automatically deleted.

Yes, articling students must be paid in accordance with employment standards. Please see this article for more information.

You will need to apply for a waiver (see Rule 50(5)) of the three-year time limit under subrule (2).

The requirements are as follows:

1. Write a letter requesting a waiver to Rule 50 and explain your reasoning for applying for the waiver, please also speak to what you have been doing since the completion of your education. In addition, please provide further information about your application to the Law Society of Alberta and reasons for applying here as a student-at-law. Please indicate if you have been denied admission in another jurisdiction or unable to complete bar admission requirements.
2. Submit a detailed resume highlighting any areas relating to the practice of law.

Once your documentation has been received, this will be attached to your application for the Executive Director to review. Note that the Executive Director will review your application for a waiver to Rule 50 and may require additional conditions as it relates to your term of articles.