What We Do

Facilitating National Mobility of the Legal Profession

National mobility

Recognizing the value to the public of a mobile legal profession, Canada’s law societies facilitate the movement of legal professions among jurisdictions through several mobility agreements.

Mobility of legal professionals between Canadian jurisdictions is governed by the following agreements:

National Mobility Agreement

The National Mobility Agreement allows lawyers to transfer with ease between all common law provinces in Canada. Under the agreement, lawyers in common law provinces also enjoy temporary mobility rights and are permitted to practise for up to 100 days a year in other common law provinces.

When fully implemented the National Mobility Agreement 2013 will extend mobility rights to lawyers seeking to transfer to and from Quebec. This amended agreement is currently in force in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia giving Canadian trained lawyers licensed in Quebec the right to transfer to those jurisdictions. When approved by the government of Quebec, lawyers from Canadian common law jurisdictions will be able to transfer to Quebec with ease.

Territorial Mobility Agreement

The Territorial Mobility Agreement governs transfers between the common law jurisdictions and the territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

Territorial Mobility Agreement 2013, which includes the same permanent mobility provisions as the National Mobility Agreement 2013, has been implemented by all three northern territories. This gives Quebec-licensed lawyers the right to transfer to the territories. When approved by the government of Quebec, the agreement will give lawyers from the territories the same rights to transfer to Quebec that they currently enjoy with the common law provinces. 

Quebec Mobility Agreement and Addendum

Transfers between Quebec and those Canadian common law provinces that have not yet implemented the National Mobility Agreement 2013 are governed by the Quebec Mobility Agreement and an Addendum to the agreement.  These agreements permit lawyers in common law jurisdictions wishing to practise in Quebec, and lawyers and notaries from Quebec wishing to practise in common law jurisdictions, to acquire restricted practise rights. Canadian Legal Advisors are permitted to practise federal law, the law of their home jurisdiction and public international law.

Interested in Working in a Different Jurisdiction?

Complete information on the requirements to transfer your practice to another jurisdiction is available by contacting the law society in that jurisdiction.