May 2006

To Whom it May Concern:

Re: Articling & National Committee on Accreditation Candidates

It has come to the attention of the Law Society that some Ontario lawyers are having
difficulty assessing the academic credentials of articling candidates who possess a
Certificate of Qualification from the National Committee on Accreditation (ANCA@). An
NCA Certificate of Qualification is equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
degree, and this letter explains the process by which candidates are awarded a Certificate
of Qualification.

Associate Registrar
Office of the Registrar

tel 416-947-3422
dsimon@lsuc.on.ca

The National Committee on Accreditation

The NCA is the standing committee of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada
responsible for evaluating the legal education, training and practice experience of persons
with foreign or non-common law credentials who wish to be admitted to a common law bar
in Canada. The Committee is composed of Canadian law school deans, practising members
of the bar, members involved in provincial law society administration and a lay member.

The NCA=s evaluation and recommendations take the following factors into account: the
legal system of the country in which they were qualified, subjects studied, grades and
standing, quality and nature of degree-granting institution, professional qualifications, and
the length and nature of any professional practice experience.

This nationally consistent process is applied to determine what, if any, further legal
education an applicant must complete to meet the standard achieved by LL.B. graduates of
Canadian law schools. NCA candidates may either be required to attend a Canadian
common law faculty for further studies or to write challenge examinations in specified
legal subjects. The challenge examinations are set by law school professors using the same
criteria used for LL.B. examinations. Following either route, NCA candidates must achieve
an unconditional pass in courses and examinations to earn the Certificate of Qualification.

Licensing Process Requirements

The academic requirements for admission into the Licensing Process are a Canadian LL.B.
or an NCA Certificate of Qualification. Lawyers considering applications from articling
candidates holding or pursuing NCA certification should know that the legal credentials of
these applicants have been assessed by the NCA. The Law Society regards the NCA
Certificate and the LL.B. degree as equivalent.

Please contact me with any further questions. For more information on the National
Committee on Accreditation you may go to
www.flsc.ca/en/foreignLawyers/foreignLawyers.

Sincerely,

Daphne Simon
Associate Registrar