The body of knowledge required to effectively perform paralegal support services can be gained from a formal education in paralegal studies. As attorneys, law offices, corporations and government agencies strive to work within an increasingly complex legal framework, the breadth of responsibilities given to the legal assistants they employ have increased accordingly. Law offices, as well as other private and public sector employers in Ontario, are now more often turning to paralegals who have demonstrated competence through formal education.
Each province has its own procedure for becoming a paralegal. The Law Society of Ontario has been safeguarding the public and upholding high standards of professional paralegal practice since it began issuing paralegal licenses in 2008. In Ontario you need a paralegal license if you want to primarily engage in the provision of paralegal services for adult clients in private practice.
Qualifying for a paralegal license involves three important elements: being of good moral character, passing an exam, and graduating from an approved paralegal school. According to the Law Society Act, for your education to qualify it must be from an Ontario paralegal program that’s accredited by the Law Society of Ontario, and it must also be offered from a school that’s approved by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Qualifying education includes a field placement where you gain real-world paralegal experience under the guidance of a supervisor. Your program will cover important topics like interviewing and preparing a resume; skills that will serve you well beyond your initial field placement once you’ve earned your license and vie for your ideal position in the job market.
You’ll find that schools offer different levels of paralegal education, ranging from undergraduate certificates and diplomas to graduate and post-graduate certificates; even a full bachelor’s degree. All types fulfill the paralegal education requirement for licensure in Ontario as long as they fall within the bounds described above by the Law Society Act.
We’ve delved into every school on the Law Society of Ontario’s list of approved paralegal education programs to distill out the most important information you need.
Academy of Learning
- Location: Toronto
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 49-week program
Algonquin Careers Academy
- Location: Mississauga, Ottawa
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 50-week program
Algonquin College
- Location: Ottawa
- Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies: on-campus
- 42-week program
CDI College
- Location: North York
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 48-week program
Centennial College
- Location: Toronto
- Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies: on-campus
- One-year/Three-semester program
- Paralegal Court and Tribunal Agent Diploma: on-campus
- Two-year/Four-semester program
Cestar College of Business, Health and Technology
- Location: Toronto
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 1,100-hour/Two-year program
CTS Canadian Career College
- Location: Barrie, Sudbury
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 52-week program
Durham College
- Location: Oshwa
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- Four-semester program
- Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies: on-campus
- Two-semester program
Fanshawe College
- Location: London
- Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies: on-campus
- 45-week program
Fleming College
- Location: Peterborough
- Diploma in Paralegal Studies: first semester online
- Four-semester program
George Brown College
- Location: Toronto
- Paralegal Studies Certificate: on-campus
- Program can be completed in 24 to 36 months
Georgian College
- Location: Toronto
- Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies: on-campus
- One-year program
Herzing College
- Location: Ottawa, Toronto
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 12-month program
Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: hybrid delivery
- Location: Toronto (North Campus)
- Four-semester program
- Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies: hybrid delivery
- Location: Toronto (North Campus)
- Three-semester program
- Bachelor of Applied Arts in Paralegal Studies: hybrid delivery
- Location: Toronto (Lakeshore Campus)
- Eight-semester program
La Cité collégiale
- Location: Ottawa
- Parajuriste Diplôme/Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- Deux années/Quatre étapes programme; Two-year/Four-semester program
Loyalist College
- Location: Belleville
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- Two-year program
Mohawk College
- Location: Hamilton
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- Program can be completed in 16 months to two years
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
- Location: Toronto
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- Three-to-four-semester/13-month-to-two-year program
Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- Location: Brampton
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- Two-year/Four-semester program
St. Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology
- Location: Windsor
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 15-month to two-year program
triOS College of Business Technology Healthcare
- Location: Brampton, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Mississauga, Toronto
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 52-week program
Westervelt College
- Location: London, Windsor
- Paralegal Studies Diploma: on-campus
- 12-month program