What is a Certified Specialist?

The Law Society of Upper Canada is the legal regulatory body for Ontario, Canada.  It recognizes those who have met certain standards of knowledge and experience by providing certification in a specialty area of law. Lawyers who specialize in immigration and refugee protection can become certified specialists. For a member to be a certified specialist in citizenship and immigration law, he/she must have met certain criteria such as maintaining an exemplary performance and level of professionalism when practicing.

Qualification for certification

Lawyers can apply for certification when they have:

• Practiced for not less than 7 years before the date of the application
• Had significant experience or involvement in the specialty area (in this case immigration and citizenship law) for at least 5 of the 7 years. This includes experience and extensive skill in the law, practices and procedures in that specialty area.
• Met all the professional standards requirements

The board can revoke the specialist status in the event that the certified specialist fails to meet the minimum standards of their area of specialty. This helps to ensure lawyers maintain a high standard of skill and professionalism when practicing.

Many lawyers do not have the experience or skill to become certified by the Law Society. Others may have past ethics complaints that prevent them from being certified. Certification as a Specialist gives the client a solid idea of the lawyer’s level of competence and legal standing. Lawyers who have attained designations as certified specialists have demonstrated that they meet or exceed the minimum requirements.

Certified specialists are also acknowledged as leaders in their field. They come with the right combination of experience, skill and education to distinguish themselves from other experts in the same field. Because certified specialists have extensive experience in their area of law, they are regarded as the best in the industry.

Those seeking the assistance of immigration professional to help them in their case should opt for a certified specialist. Not only do they come with extensive skill in a particular area of law, but clients are also guaranteed of professionalism which increases their chances of success in the case.

You can check whether an immigration lawyer is certified by visiting the Law Society of Upper Canada website. Take time to confirm this so as to be sure that you are dealing with the experts.