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D.
FEATURE – BECOMING AN ENGLISH SOLICITOR IS JUST A CONVERSION TEST AWAY
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Canadian
lawyers can become qualified to practice as solicitors in London, one of the
largest financial centres in the world, by taking the "Qualified Lawyers
Transfer Test". THE
LAWYERS WEEKLY March 18, 2005 By
David Zaltzman Many
respected solicitors who practise in Canada will agree that it is quite
insufficient, in our era, to master only a single legal system, in view of
the growing competitiveness among lawyers. This is especially true because of
the growing globalization trends that tend to make the whole world into a
single big village, through the development of international trade and open
markets. Canadians view with awe and concern the growth and empowerment of
the European Union, the Asian and Chinese economies, as well as the expansion
and proliferation of multinational corporations. The
city of London is traditionally one of the world's three largest financial
centres, along with New York City in the west and Tokyo in the east. London
has a dominant role in several international financial markets, including
worldwide bank lending, international bond issuance and trading, foreign
exchange trading, fund management, foreign equities trading and many more. Many
Canadian businesses and corporations are expanding into EU markets, and the
legal counseling they require is increasingly more in the nature of
competition advice concerning the establishment of distribution channels.
Moreover, Canadian law firms would like to establish crossreferral
relationships with other solicitors from England and Europe. There are many
British companies, businesses and other interests in Canada and in Ontario in
particular, and mutually beneficial networking opportunities are abundant. Therefore,
qualification as an English solicitor should obviously enhance the ability of
Canadian lawyers to service their clients and is essential to building a
two-way network of solicitors. In
addition, Canadian lawyers who are qualified as English solicitors and also
hold EU nationality have the right to practise in any other EU country,
according to the Establishment of Lawyers' Directive 98/5/EC passed by the
European Parliament and Council. So
how can a Canadian lawyer become an English solicitor? Simply by taking a conversion test, known
as the "Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test", ("QLTT"). The
QLTT is offered several times a year in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and most
recently also in North America (New York City). Back to the top The
QLTT consists of three written subjects (Property, Litigation and
Professional Conduct and Accounts) and an oral exam on Principles of Common
Law. Fortunately,
Canadian lawyers (excluding Quebec) are required to sit for only subject, on
Professional Conduct and Accounts ("PCA"). The duration of the test
on PCA is two hours only and examinees may take into the test any book, document
or other written material. The
exam on PCA includes inter alia, the rules and regulations of professional
conduct and ethics of the Law Society of England and Wales, as wells as the
basic requirements of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and
Investment Business as it affects solicitors and lastly, the basic rules of
operation of clients and office accounts. A
comprehensive and unique course program is offered by One World Studies to
Canadian lawyers who are interested in sitting for the QLTT and qualifying as
English solicitors. The program includes a distance learning course and video
lectures on CD-ROMs. Furthermore,
candidates who enroll for the program also get access to an online facility
known as the QLTT Online Programme, on which they can communicate with tutors
and other examinees via chat rooms, forums, download self assessment
exercises, get a personal email box for updates, job referrals services and
more. This
unique program enables the candidates to prepare themselves in the most
efficient and convenient way and at the same time still carry on their
business. The program was tailored especially for busy lawyers whose
commitments consume long hours and limit the time-window available for the
studies. Thus,
hard-working and fully occupied lawyers can study for less than a month in
their preferential environment, at their own pace in time slots which are
most convenient and feasible for them be it at home, at the office, during
business trips or anywhere else. Once
Canadian lawyer pass the exams, they can start benefiting from all the
advantages embodied in this special and prestigious qualification. And
last but not least, they will have the honour of putting a little star beside
their name and to add the expression "A member of the Law Society of
England and Wales" on their business cards. David
Zaltzman is the CEO of the North American division of One World Studies (a
QLTT course provider). He specializes in commercial law and anti-money
laundering and terror funding compliance
issues. This
article originally appeared in the Lawyers Weekly on March 18, 2005 and is
reproduced with the kind permission of the author. Mr.
Zaltzman may be found at: Additional
information on this topic may be found at: |
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Copyright
(c) 2005, John Richardson.All Rights Reserved.
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