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PAGE 4 NEWS Visit us online! lawtimesnews.com canadianlawyermag.com March 8, 2010 • Law TiMes LSUC opening doors to Quebec practitioners BY MATT POWELL Law Times Q Fresh content delivered weekly. Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse Visit Us Online 1/4-3X.indd 1 The Ontario Municipal Service Directory: A Comprehensive Guide for Real Estate Professionals, 2010 12/16/09 10:06:57 AM uebec lawyers will have an easier time practis- ing in Ontario under a new agreement aiming to in- crease labour mobility. Law Society of Upper Can- ada spokeswoman Jane Withey says the LSUC has developed a special licence that lawyers in Quebec will need in order to practise here. Called an L3 licence, the move follows years of developments on labour mo- bility for Canadian lawyers. In fact, it's been eight years since the national mobility agreement opened the doors to greater movement of practitio- ners throughout the country. It outlined both permanent and temporary arrangements between provinces that loosened restric- tions on lawyers from crossing provincial borders to work. Since then, all 10 provinces have signed the national agree- ment. But while lawyers from across the country have been able to practise in Quebec un- der certain limitations, Quebec lawyers who practise civil law had yet to gain the same access to working in Ontario. At Convocation last month, however, the law society's inter- jurisdictional mobility commit- tee presented the latest agreement that will allow them to receive special accreditation to practise in Ontario. "Lawyers wanting to get an L3 will have to be in good standing with the Barreau [du Québec] and will have to have paid their dues with both Quebec and Ontario," Withey says. 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It includes: • contact information for each municipality • municipal addresses, telephone/fax numbers and email addresses • all registry offices' contact and clearances information • addresses, telephone numbers for conveyancers and/or solicitors • list of clearances including: Tax certificates, water arrears, outstanding work orders and zoning compliance • sheriffs' office addresses and telephone numbers It also includes contact information for various other searches including: • fire safety inspections • utilities • septic disposal system clearances • conservation authorities • municipality-specific listings for Ontario government ministries responsible for land use planning issues, assessments and the Landlord and Tenant Board … and more ORDER your copy today! Perfectbound • March 2010 • One time purchase • $86 • P/C 0517010999 On subscription • $81 • P/C 0517140999 • ISSN 1206-694X ety, L3-category lawyers will have the same professional re- sponsibilities and be subject to the same bylaws as L1 practi- tioners. At the same time, they won't have to get liability insur- ance from both provinces. Th e mobility of lawyers in Canada falls under three frame- works: the national agreement, the territorial mobility agree- ment, and the Quebec mobility agreement. Th e latest change al- lows Quebec lawyers to practise here under similar restrictions to those Ontario lawyers working in Quebec face. Th ere, they can practise as Canadian legal advis- ers, a designation allowing them to provide legal advice on mat- ters dealing with public interna- tional law and the laws of their own province as well as matters under federal jurisdiction. Other common law provinces are now reciprocating as well. Still, Prince Edward Island and Alberta haven't yet signed the recipro- cal agreement despite a planned Canada-wide signing ceremony at Osgoode Hall on March 19, says Bob Linney, director of com- munications at the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. "Th e designation outlined in For a 30-day, no-risk evaluation call: 1.800.565.6967 Canada Law Book is a Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd. Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. www.lawtimesnews.com OMSD - 1/2 pg - 4X for LT.indd 1 3/2/10 4:28:50 PM the recent agreement makes it clearer as to what can be done in other provinces," says Linney. Linney notes the agreement will be especially useful in plac- es like Ottawa and Gatineau, Que., where lawyers will now be able to practise more freely regardless of which side of the Ottawa River they live on. "Th e issue has always been about dealing with lawyers in other jurisdictions," says Roy Th omas, director of commu- nications at the LSUC. "Th is new agreement is helping us achieve that goal of bringing legal jurisdictions together." LT W ith Introduction and H by Michael L. Y istorical Linkages oung, LL.B.

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