Want to step up and improve your legal research and writing skills?

Legal research and writing are fundamental skills required by all lawyers in Canada. To help better prepare students for Bar admission the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) has developed a Legal Research and Writing (LRW) course that provides students with insights and best practices as well as an opportunity to receive feedback from trained assessors.

“Many students come to Canada having practiced law in another country and struggle to conduct legal research and writing for the Canadian judicial system. The LRW course was designed to help students be better prepared to carry out legal research and writing in Canada,” says Dr. Kara Mitchelmore, CEO of CPLED.

CPLED piloted the LRW course in early 2020 to a small group of National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) students, all at different stages of the NCA process. The pilot provided CPLED with the opportunity to gain valuable feedback from the students and make adjustments where necessary to the course. Pilot students found the course helped expand their knowledge of legal practice in Canada and all indicated that they would recommend this course to their NCA colleagues.

“The course was a great help to me and could be to other candidates before
they attempt their NCA exams.”
– LRW pilot student

Students must have received the report of the NCA assessment of their legal education and experience to be eligible to take this course. The online course is eight-weeks in length. It consists of two modules, with a multiple-choice quiz after each module and two assignments that include a research and writing component. The cost of the course is $375 plus applicable taxes and it is open to all students wanting to practice and improve their legal research and writing skills. Students who successfully complete the LRW course and meet the admission requirements for CPLED’s Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) and subsequently register for PREP, will be exempt from two PREP Foundation Modules. Registration for the new LRW course will open at www.cpled.ca on Monday, May 25, 2020, with the first course offering beginning August 24, 2020.

For more details on the LRW course or to register, visit CPLED’s website.