Foreign Legal Consultant

Foreign legal consultants give legal advice on legal matters in the country where they are licensed.

NOC Code: N/A

Job Duties

Foreign legal consultants are licensed to practice law in a country outside of Canada. You give legal advice on legal matters in the country where you are licensed. You cannot provide legal advice or services regarding the law of Ontario unless you are a licensed lawyer in Ontario. You may work for large law firms or for companies with operations outside of Canada. You may also be self-employed and provide your services on a contract basis.

Generally, foreign legal consultants:

  • Provide legal advice and services to clients in Canada on different areas of law in their home jurisdiction; these can include corporate and commercial law, labour law, family law, tax law, real estate law, intellectual property and media law, and laws related to banking and capital markets, trusts, and estates, and more.
  • Help to establish offshore companies and structure offshore assets.
  • Draw up contracts and other legal documents.
  • Conduct negotiations.
  • May travel to the home jurisdiction to work on cases or represent clients to courts, tribunals and boards.

You need to have a university degree in law and a licence to practice law in your home jurisdiction. You must also have a permit to practice as a foreign legal consultant from the Law Society of Upper Canada. To be eligible for a permit to practice as a foreign legal consultant from the Law Society of Upper Canada, you need to meet eligibility requirements.

Source: Law Society of Upper Canada

Job Requirements

Education

This job requires: Post-Graduate

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobLevel of Education Required
Foreign Legal ConsultantPost-Graduate
International Business ConsultantPost-Graduate
Law ClerkCollege or University
Legal SecretaryCollege or University
MediatorCollege or University

Experience

This job requires 5 or more years of work experience.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobYears of Work Experience Required
Foreign Legal Consultant5+
International Business Consultant2 - 5
Law Clerk0 - 2
Legal Secretary0 - 2
Mediator5+

Essential Skills

As a foreign legal consultant, you need to:

  • Speak, write and read English.
  • Understand the legal system, business environment, rules and regulations, culture and local practices in your home jurisdiction.
  • Use word processing, spreadsheet, database, internet and email software.

Source: Law Society of Upper Canada

Language Skills

You need to communicate in person, on the phone and in writing with clients. You may need to write formal legal opinions. It can be helpful to know 2 or more languages.

Labour Market Information

Trends

Many Canadian companies are getting into global markets. They need the legal expertise of foreign legal consultants to be able to set up companies and follow all applicable laws.

Prospects

The work prospects for this job are: Not Available

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobWork Prospects
Foreign Legal ConsultantNo Data
International Business ConsultantGood
Law ClerkFair
Legal SecretaryFair
MediatorGood

Wages

The average hourly wage for this job is: Not Available

Comparison with other jobs in this profession
JobAverage Wage/Hour
Foreign Legal Consultant$0.00
International Business Consultant$32.97
Law Clerk$26.00
Legal Secretary$19.75
Mediator$36.06

Retraining

Educational Programs

These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.

Bridging Programs

Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.

Language Training

None

Work Experience Programs

Some college programs and bridging programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.

Voluntary Membership Opportunities

Helpful Links

The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.