The Law Society of BC is responsible for licensing lawyers and regulating the practice of law. Those who are unauthorized to practise law put the public at risk by performing unregulated and not covered legal services.
To find out if a person is licensed with the Law Society, use the Lawyer Directory to search a database of all individuals licensed to practise law in BC, and to confirm their practising status.
If you still have doubts, contact the the Registration and Licensee Services department to inquire about a lawyer’s practising status.
Once the Law Society receives a complaint about potential unauthorized practice, it will review and investigate.
If evidence shows that someone is engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, the Law Society will take the following steps:
If you wish to file a complaint against someone you believe is providing unregulated legal services, contact the Law Society at uap@lsbc.org.
Before filing a complaint, ensure that you know what qualifies as unauthorized practice of law.
The Law Society provides a list of all unauthorized practitioners of law it has obtained judgments against since September 2003.