About the Transition

In 2024, the BC government passed the Legal Professions Act, a transformative piece of legislation that aims to enhance collaboration, accountability, and accessibility within the legal profession by joining lawyers, notaries, and paralegals who choose to be licensed, under one regulatory body. Our goal is to build trust among legal professionals and the broader community while setting a strong foundation for the future.

The amalgamation brings together the Society of Notaries Public BC and the Law Society of BC to create a unified regulatory body that serves the public and legal professionals alike. There are approximately 400 notaries, 15,000 lawyers and more than 900 paralegals in BC. Under the new Act, not all paralegals are required to be regulated, but will have the option to become licensed by Legal Professions BC and practice without supervision. The scope of practice for regulated paralegals will be determined by a working group established by government outside of this transition process.  

The transition is guided by a Transitional Board, Indigenous Council, Advisory Committee and other stakeholders, with the goal of shaping the future of BC’s legal profession with integrity and transparency.