New Application - Membership or RAC

Note: A lawyer who urgently requires the entitlement to practice law in the Territory can apply for a combined Restricted Appearance Certificate (RAC)and Regular Membership or Canadian Legal Advisor (CLA) option. 

Timeline to issue your RAC application: From the date, your completed application is received by the administrator, the Deputy Secretary requires 10 (ten) working days to issue your RAC.

The timeline below (calendar) applies to:

• regular membership applications
• applications for Canadian Legal Advisor (CLA) certificates, and
• student-at-law (articling) applications.

Submission - Applicants must submit their application within ten (10) working days before the next scheduled Membership and Admission Committee (MAC) scheduled review date (every 2 weeks on Mondays–see Calendar below).

Receipt - Applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt within three (3) working days, which will include a request to provide any outstanding information or materials.

The Membership and Admission Committee (MAC) will examine an application and provide a recommendation to the Executive Committee within fifteen (15) working days, assuming no further information is required from the applicant.

The Executive Committee will consider the MAC’s recommendation and provide their decision to approve (or not) the application for admission within ten (10) working days, assuming no further information is required from the applicant.

2024 Membership and Admission Committee Calendar

Unless we require further information from you, you will receive an update by the established timeline of twenty-five business days from the date your application was submitted to the Membership and Admissions Committee.

Please note the CEO does not provide updates on membership applications unless we have advised you that your application has been forwarded to the CEO- Deputy Secretary.

An applicant will receive two (2) courtesy follow-ups within a period of four (4) weeks following the last correspondence sent by the LSN to the applicant.  

We recommend you review all the information below to make sure you have all your information ready to submit.

1. Log in to your applicant account by clicking on "Log in" at the top right of the window. Reset your password if desired.
2. Download, fill in and assemble the documents listed in the checklist and required documents section below.
3. Fill in the membership application, upload the required documents when prompted. You can do this over many sessions by saving the application as a “Draft”.
4. Review the Fees and Payment section below and prepare your method of payment. 
5. When you are ready to submit your application, save it as “Ready to Publish”. 
   • At this point, your application will be validated to make sure you have completed all the required fields, if you missed some fields you will need to complete them to finish the application.
6. Our administrator will contact you when your application has been approved.
   • The information to be called to the bar (if applicable) will be provided in your letter of approval. You will need to make arrangements directly with the Nunavut Court of Justice.
   • When you are called to the bar, you will have your roll number and your membership will be activated. You will appear in the membership directory.

When completing the online form, applicants must upload the following documents as pdf files. Required documents vary depending on the type of application. Please see the document templates below.

Two letters of good character (Form X)

• From lawyers in good standing and/or judges in the applicant’s home jurisdiction;
  •  When completing the letter, a one or two-word description of the applicant's character and reputation is insufficient. We expect a minimum of one sentence to establish the applicant's character and reputation when completing the letter.
• Download the template;

A certificate of good standing from each law society to which the applicant is currently a member

• Not more than 30 days older than the date of the application;
• Indicating whether they are in good standing;
• Indicating how long they have been an active member of the society or body;
• Indicating whether disciplinary proceedings are pending against them; and the nature and disposition of such action; and
• If the certificate lists claims or complaints, the applicant should supply an explanation for each one.

Accountants Report (Form E) OR a Statutory Declaration regarding trust accounts (Form F)

• Download the Accountant’s Report template; 
• Download  Statutory Declaration for trust accounts template:
  • If in Nunavut, the Report is signed by a Commissioner for Oaths/Notary Public;
  • If outside Nunavut, the Report is sworn (signature) before a Notary Public under seal (or in Quebec, a Commissioner for Oaths). The seal must be visible in the scanned document.

Statutory Declaration for Rule 39.3 related to the Mandatory Reading List if applying for regular membership

• Download Statutory Declaration for reading list template: 
  • If in Nunavut, the Declaration is signed by a Commissioner for Oaths/Notary Public;
  • If outside Nunavut, the Declaration is sworn (signature) before a Notary Public under seal (or in Quebec, a Commissioner for Oaths). The seal must be visible in the scanned document.
• Supplemental Resource List 
  • We encourage transferring applicants to acquaint themselves with the culture, geography, and history of Nunavut and its people using this Supplemental Resource List. The List was updated and shared on June 16, 2022, Law Society AGM.     

Declaration of Applicant and Authorization

• Download the template.

Insurance Exemption Certificate and Undertaking (if required)

• Submit if the applicant does not require liability insurance coverage through the Law Society of Nunavut;
• Download the template.

The applicant will be asked to list:

• Law degrees with dates received;
• The law societies or governing bodies of which they are or have been a member, with dates; and
• A Certificate issued by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) and its date of issue.     

We remind you that you or your employer is responsible for ensuring that payment is made by January 31, 2024.

Payment of applicable fees and levies are payable by

• Cheque to “The Law Society of Nunavut”
• EMT to administrator@lawsociety.nu.ca; and EFT and In-person direct deposit (Branch to Branch).
  • Banking details can be found in the invoice .  

Invoice and receipt 

• Please send us an email to: info@lawsociety.nu.ca if your require a personalized invoice and/or receipt of payment. 

Fees  

• Consult the fee calculator below or consult the fee schedule to determine your fees.