Law Society of BC Adopts PREP as Bar Admissions Training Program for September 2026
October 24, 2025
October 24, 2025
The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) has announced plans to adopt the Bar admissions training program designed by CPLED and retire LSBC’s Professional Legal Training Course (PLTC), which has been in operation since 1984.
The decision to transition programs comes after careful review and consideration by LSBC Benchers and leadership and the adoption of the Western Canada Competency Profile (WCCP). PREP has already been implemented as the Bar admissions program in Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, and is approved in the Northwest Territories and Yukon. Having a consistent Bar admissions program in these provinces and territories allows for parallel standards of training and aids in mobility for new lawyers.
Built on best practices, PREP helps future lawyers gain practical skills and competencies in a consistent, integrated approach that combines interactive, transactional learning and simulation in an online learning environment. Each phase builds on the prior, requiring students to work through more complex activities and develop competencies through tasks that assess not just knowledge but how to apply oral and written lawyering skills, as well as ethics, client relationship management and practice management skills and competencies.
The estimated time required to transition fully to PREP is expected to take approximately one year. Current PLTC students, and those enrolling in the February and May 2026 sessions will not be impacted. The Fall Accelerated PREP running in September 2026 will be the first cohort to welcome BC candidates. We expect that in 2027, all new BC students will enroll in PREP.
More information on the transition can be found in our FAQs. If you have further questions, please reach out to admin@cpled.ca for CPLED inquiries or PLTCtransition@lsbc.org for LSBC inquiries.
Browse the FAQ: LSBC Adopts PREP as Bar Admission Program
To clarify what British Columbia’s transition to PREP as its Bar admission program means for our interest holders, we’re hosting a series of virtual information sessions with representatives from CPLED and LSBC. At this time, we will have sessions tailored for principals, firms, and employers, and one for NCA candidates. Each session includes a 60-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A, designed to answer your questions and provide guidance during this change. We’re here to support you and ensure you feel informed and confident moving forward.
