[troutman]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I know this is off-topic but I know nothing about what it takes to be a lawyer. I have always been interested though. You go to school and then you need to pass the bar and then you can practice law in a certian area.

So my question is this: What if you don't go to school, but can pass the bar? Can you still practice law? If not, then what does the bar exam do that makes it so important to pass before you can practice law?

http://www.lawsocietyalberta.com/mem...tudentinfo.cfm

If you wish to become a member of the legal profession in Alberta, you must be of good character and reputation, meet the academic qualifications, successfully complete a bar admission course and serve a term of articles.

See sections 37(1) and 40(1) of the Legal Profession Act.

You must have obtained a Canadian common law degree or an equivalent qualification, after which you may then apply for student-at-law status. The LSA admission program requires completion of an articling term (usually a 12-month period) and successful completion of Centre for Professional Legal Education course (CPLED). If you have completed a term of clerkship with the courts, your articling term may be reduced to a five-month requirement.

Unauthorized Practice Of Law:

http://www.lawsocietyalberta.com/law...dpractice2.cfm

Only licensed, insured lawyers can practise law in Canada. These lawyers are members of the Law Society of Alberta, or another Canadian law society, and have met the education and professional requirements to practice law.

There are certain legal matters that non-lawyers can perform. Sometimes non-lawyers are called legal assistants or paralegals, whose work is supervised by a lawyer. The lawyer is ultimately responsible and accountable for the work performed.

There are certain legal matters that can be performed, unsupervised, by a non-lawyer. These matters, and limits, are clearly outlined in the Legal Profession Act s.106 and 107.

If a non-lawyer performs the role of a lawyer, which violates the Legal Profession Act s. 106 and 107, the LSA may take action, since the non-lawyer is neither insured nor licensed to practice law, and the public may not be receiving the competent advice a licensed lawyer can provide. Practising law without a licence or insurance is called unauthorized practice of law.