Representatives of eight law societies across Canada today signed a breakthrough agreement allowing lawyers from one province the ability to provide legal services in another with very little impediment.

"The National Mobility Agreement aims to facilitate temporary and permanent mobility of lawyers among Canadian jurisdictions," said Sherron Dickson, President of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada at a special signing ceremony at Osgoode Hall in Toronto. "The Federation is pleased to play this leadership role in fostering greater cooperation among law societies to address emerging issues in the legal profession in the public interest."

"This agreement is a significant breakthrough," said Professor Vern Krishna, Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada and Chair of the Federation's Mobility Task Force. "Never before in the history of this country has the legal profession seen mobility to this extent. This agreement makes legal services more accessible for clients whose legal needs cross provincial boundaries."

Signatories of the new agreement include representatives of the Law Societies of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland, the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Law Society of Upper Canada. The Barreau du Québec also signed the agreement, though as a civil law jurisdiction, different criteria will apply. As other jurisdictions endorse the agreement there will be further signings.

Under the agreement, which calls for the creation of a national registry of practising lawyers, lawyers of common law signatory jurisdictions can provide legal services in, or with respect to the law of another common law signatory jurisdiction for up to 100 days on a temporary basis without permit. To be eligible to do so they must be entitled to practise law without restriction in a signatory common law jurisdiction, have liability insurance and defalcation coverage, not be subject to criminal or disciplinary proceedings, and have no discipline record.

Lawyers who are entitled to practise law in a signatory common law jurisdiction and are of good character will also be allowed to become permanent members in another common law signatory jurisdiction without having to pass transfer exams. They will, however, have to satisfy a reading requirement to be determined by each signatory jurisdiction.

Note: the agreement comes into effect in each signatory jurisdiction once that jurisdiction passes the necessary rule changes. Lawyers should contact their own law society for details.