Obtain a Certificate of Standing

A Certificate of Standing confirms whether a licensee is entitled to practise law or provide legal services in Ontario. The certificate provides full details about a licensee’s:

• status
• regulatory history
• ongoing complaints and investigations, if any

When is a Certificate of Standing Required?

Licensees typically purchase a certificate when they:

• plan to practise law or provide legal services outside of Ontario
• apply for a job
• want information about their regulatory history
• need their credentials assessed by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA)
• apply to the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA)

How to purchase a Certificate of Standing

Licensees must order a Certificate of Standing through LSO Connects, the Law Society’s secure online communications channel. Licensees who do not have an account must create an LSO Connects account to apply.

Application process

1. Log-in to LSO Connects.
2. Click on Service request tile from the Homepage.
3. Click on Order a Certificate of Standing from the Service request tile.
4. Review the Instructions page and click next.
5. Fill out the Order a Certificate of Standing form.
   1. details: review your details
   2. documents: documents are not required, but you can upload any applicable documents in this section
   3. acknowledgement and consent: consent is required
6. Click “Save” to save the form to complete later (under Profile>>Service Request) or click “Pay and Submit.”
7. When you click Pay and Submit, you will be taken to an order summary and cost.
8. Click “Pay Now.”
9. You will be navigated to a Moneris payment page when you will enter your credit card information and then click “Checkout.”
10. Once the payment is processed and the transaction is approved, a confirmation message and the order will appear under Service Requests and payment will appear under Financial Transactions under the Profile page.

The Law Society prepares and sends only electronic copies of Certificates of Standing. Please complete a separate order for each Certificate of Standing that is required.

Fee

Certificate of Standing: $50 (plus HST) 

Your Certificate of Standing will be attached to a portal message in LSO Connects when it is ready. If you have authorized us to send the certificate to a third party, the third party will receive a PDF copy of the certificate by email. We only mail a certificate to a third party when an electronic copy is not acceptable to the third party. If that is the case, please include that information when you place your order.

Before placing an order for a certificate(s), make sure that you confirm with any third-party recipients that electronic copies are accepted. If electronic copies are not accepted, confirm the mailing instructions, and provide them to the Law Society when you place the order. Otherwise, you may be responsible for ordering another certificate at your own cost.

Important! The State Bars of California and New York typically require a hard copy.

What if I need more than one PDF copy emailed to different recipients?

Please place separate orders and complete the required Third Party Authorization form(s).

Important! If you require a certificate to be sent to a third party and wish to receive a copy attached to a portal message, you do not need to place an additional order.

Processing time

It may take up to 10 business days to process a Certificate of Standing. 

Certificates in French

After purchasing your Certificate of Standing, send a message from within the Certificate of Standing service request on LSO Connects so it is linked to your service request indicating that you need the Certificate of Standing in French.

Other specific requirements

If your certificate has special requirements or is going to a third party that requires additional forms to be completed, please ensure to include these notes (in the Order Notes section) and upload the attachments through LSO Connects.

Questions

Questions about this process should be directed to Membership Services by sending a message through LSO Connects.

If your question relates to a service request you have already submitted, send a message from within the service request on LSO Connects so it is linked to your service request.

Accessibility

The Law Society is committed to ensuring that our websites and web applications are accessible for people with disabilities. If you require an accommodation to access information or an application, please create an LSO Connects account or log-in to your account and submit an Accommodation Service Request. If you have a disability that prevents you from doing that, email [email protected] with details about the assistance you need.