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With no one definition of ‘good character’ across the province’s law societies getting accepted to the Bar can be a crapshoot DICE
ROLL
OF THE
MATTHEW CHUNG
What is “good character?” If you
are a Canadian lawyer you may worry
that the standards are not consistent.
A clearer definition of what good
character is, when it comes to lawyers,
is expected in 2012.
At the federal level, efforts are
underway to create a national, stan-
dard definition of good character, said
Ronald MacDonald, president of the
Federation of Law Societies of Can-
ada. This first step toward developing
a profile of required competencies for
entry-level lawyers is expected to be
ready by early next year, he said.
“It is our goal to protect the public
and we do it currently by ensuring
those accepted to the practice are
trustworthy,” he said. “We are con-
tinuing to work toward that goal by
ensuring all societies have similar
rules to ensure that they are all of
good character.”
Currently, if someone has a long, or
short, seedy history it is not entirely
clear if they will be accepted to the
Bar as what is “good character”
depends on the province you are in
and who hears your case.
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