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Western Canada Competency Profile Approved
May 23, 2024During 2023 and 2024 the Law Society of Saskatchewan participated with the law societies of Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba on a project to identify and validate the competencies needed for entry to legal practice. This initiative resulted in the development of the Western Canada Competency Profile (WCCP), which will inform lawyer training and education, including bar admission program development and experiential learning opportunities in the coming years.
Thanks is extended to the WCCP Task Force members and to everyone who participated in the focus groups or validation surveys to provide input during the development of the document. This feedback was invaluable. The finalized WCCP was approved by the Law Society of Saskatchewan Board on March 28, 2024 and was officially approved by the other three jurisdictions as of April 26, 2024.
While the WCCP has been approved by all four western provinces, it is not being implemented at this time. The WCCP is being shared as an update on work around lawyer competency. For the time being, students will not be assessed at the time of bar call based on the competencies listed in the WCCP, nor are principals responsible to integrate the competencies into learning plans. No action is required from articling students or principals at this time. The WCCP is the first step in a larger initiative and it will take time to fully implement.
The WCCP serves as a foundational document that will help the western Canadian law societies build a better system for lawyer competence moving forward. It will create a common benchmark for performance across all bar admission requirements that didn’t previously exist.
More information will be shared as the western Canadian law societies work towards developing guidance and resources to implement the WCCP over the next few years.
To learn more, please read FAQs and the WCCP. If you have additional questions, please contact Andrea Johnston, Director of Admissions and Education at the Law Society of Saskatchewan.
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