Being an Internationally Trained Lawyer in Canada
Canada it is said, is one of the greatest hopes of the world.
Statistics are evidence for the same, especially for India.
Canada in 2018 has admitted new permanent entry residents through its Express Entry Program, of which Indians have grabbed the lion’s share of 43 percent. Considering the staunch stance of the Trump administration towards immigration, Indians are increasingly looking at Canada for work and settlement opportunities. Moving to Canada is considered to be easy for Indians as they boast of credentials and academic backgrounds necessary for the skilled work force in Canada.
Conceptually and theoretically, it is hunky dory while the points are accumulated in the Express Entry calculator and finally the offer of Permanent Residency is given to the candidate, after that the real story begins.
How easy or difficult is it for one to secure a job as an internationally trained lawyer in Canada?
Although it is a broad question yet I would make an attempt to answer it.
I have followed the process of accreditation by the National Canadian Accreditation, 2018, as is the procedure for an aspiring lawyer in Canada irrespective of Nationality and thereafter one applies for the articling positions, where from one eventually gets absorbed as an Associate in a premium law firm. During the articling tenure, one sits for the Barristers and Solicitors examinations, after which the license to practice law is secured. From this point on one is recognized as fully qualified to practice law in Canada.
The difficulties set in at the stage of selection for articleship, wherein the premium law firms choose not to participate in the articling process as they offer article positions to only their lot of summer students. This leaves internationally trained lawyers on their own to find articleships and for an extremely long duration if not forever (circumstances permitting), they lose out on their chance to work at a premium law firms in Canada. Alternatively, they take a hit in their professional experience and start out as a summer student with the premium law firms (provided one isn’t barred by the technicalities of summer students being taken in only from Canadian law schools). The struggle is real.
Being a lawyer essentially signifies keeping yourself open to opportunities. Even though the skills of an internationally trained lawyer may not be immediately recognized here in Canada. Despite one’s best efforts, the preferred articling position may require one to bring in Canadian experience(whether professional or academic). One of the best ways is to start at an entry level.
There is only the bright side to this. This does not last forever.
During the course of working as an entrant, there is ample time to display the skills of an internationally trained lawyer along with the diversity that we bring to the office.
At the entrant position, with the already acquired professional experience, internationally trained lawyers have an edge in establishing themselves compared to their non experienced counterparts. Eventually in accordance with Canadian procedure one gets the opportunity to article consequently getting absorbed in the law firm as an Associate. The references built during this time, prove helpful in moving to a different job as well where the entry level job carries vital experience weight. All this work is not in vain. You can grow quickly within the same organization to a higher post than what you were back home.
This happens all the time.
The good news is that everyone wants you to succeed and the success stories far outweigh the failures. Despite all the hardships, Canada proves to be the emerald country (city) at the end of the yellow brick road for most of us.