PREP will help you gain practical legal knowledge and competencies in lawyer skills, practice management, professional ethics, as well as the personal attributes needed to successfully practice law in Canada. The program takes you from reading about legal activities to carrying them out yourself within simulations, playing out real-life scenarios and learning from your successes and mistakes. Combined with articling , and your legal education, PREP prepares you to meet the highest standards of lawyer skills, practice management, professional ethics, and good character.

A competency-based approach focuses on demonstrating skills required as an entry-level lawyer, rather than on achieving specific grades or putting in a particular number of hours. The public trusts that lawyers will not only know the law, but will have the skills, practical knowledge, and experience to help them resolve their issues and problems. A competent entry-level lawyer should be able to meet this expectation. To ensure consistent standards across the participating provinces, PREP is based on a competency profile for an entry-level practitioner.

PREP is a nine-month program consisting of four distinct phases. The entire program is estimated to take between 280 to 300 hours to complete.

The total program cost for the Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) is $6,100. What you may not know is this cost is partially subsidized by CPLED’s participating law societies. To view the detailed cost structure of PREP for this year, visit program cost.

The employer or the student may pay for the tuition, but the employer is under no obligation to cover the costs.

Payments can be made by, online bill payment, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or wire transfer. Visit the payment information page for all of the details on how to make a payment.

Proof of a Canadian common law degree or certificate of qualification (CQ) from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. We will accept written confirmation from your law school that you have met all requirements of the degree (e.g. Dean’s letter) for Canadian common law degree holders. For holders of a foreign law degree, a National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) certificate must be provided by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada. If you have not yet received your official NCA certificate, we will accept written confirmation from the Federation.

You must first complete the Certificate of Qualification from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s National Committee on Accreditation.

Students with a Canadian common law degree or Certificate of Qualification from the Federation of Law Societies of Canada may register and complete PREP without secured articles for the 2021/2022 program year.  

PREP is intended to be completed while students are articling, however, students can enroll and begin phase one, Foundation Modules, before securing an articling position. Students who enroll in phase one, may proceed and complete PREP without secured articling*.

*Completing PREP without secured articling is subject to change, if a CPLED participating law society advises CPLED of a change.

PREP is a nine-month program, consisting of four phases where you will develop the competencies required to be admitted to the Bar as an entry-level lawyer. Some phases are completed virtually, and others are completed at face-to-face sessions. 

The Foundation Workshops are five consecutive days. The Capstone is four consecutive days.

The Foundation Workshops and Capstone phases are offered in Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg.

The PREP schedule is posted to the program schedule page of our website. Please note the schedule is subject to availability and change.

You can complete PREP in any of the CPLED participating jurisdictions.  

To offer students and firms greater flexibility PREP will open in June and December. Students do not need to begin PREP right away however if they delay, they will have to adhere to a more stringent schedule. For a detailed schedule, visit program schedule.

The supported browsers are Chrome and Firefox. You must use one of these two browsers for FULL functionality in the learning environment. The Internet browser must be up to date (installed or updated within the last month). ​ A reliable high-speed internet connection is required. You must bring a laptop with a camera and microphone to all face-to-face sessions. You will be recording yourself and uploading assignments during these sessions. While you can access course materials through tablets and smartphones, laptops are recommended for uploading recordings and assignments.

CPLED strives to make PREP accessible to everyone, including persons with disabilities. Accommodation requests must be supported by evidence that the student has a ground for accommodation. The documentation requirement is not intended to create additional challenges, but to ensure that accommodations are only granted when appropriate to preserve fairness for all students. Students requesting accommodation are not requesting to be relieved of their responsibility to develop the essential competencies expected of all students. To protect both students and the integrity of the program, all students (regardless of accommodation) must still meet all PREP requirements and participate in all essential program components. An accommodation request must be received within a reasonable period of time. Whenever possible, you are encouraged to raise potential accessibility issues during the registration process. CPLED will work directly with you to develop an individualized plan, considering a range of environmental, instructional, and assessment conditions. For more information refer to the policy regarding accommodations.

PREP is delivered using the D2L platform and D2L conforms with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). However, if you experience any accessibility issues while completing PREP, please inform us at admin@cpled.ca so that we may investigate.

For more information on D2L’s accessibility features, review their Accessibility and Navigation in Brightspace Learning Environment – Learner Guide. 

PREP is not eligible for any type of student aid. 

Student loan funding is provided for full-time post-secondary level programs of study at designated educational institutions that are at least 12 weeks or more in length, leading to a certificate, diploma or degree and leads directly to employment.

Under federal student financial assistance regulations, additional practical or professional training offered by professional bodies, organizations or associations required for the practice of any trade or profession are not eligible for designation or for the provision of student aid.  

You must complete all assignments and attend the Foundation Workshops. In addition you must demonstrate entry-level competence at the Capstone. Refer to the policy and procedure for progression through PREP for more information.

Assessment results will be released to students approximately six-weeks after the final Capstone session for that intake has concluded. For more information refer to the policy regarding the release of Capstone results.

If you are unsuccessful with achieving entry-level competence at your Capstone assessment, you will have an opportunity to complete a Capstone re-assessment competency evaluation. For more information refer to the policy regarding reattempting the Capstone.

If a Capstone reassessment session is required it will be scheduled within approximately six-weeks of the release of final assessment results.