Under s.15 (1) of the Legal Profession Act, no member can resign from the Society without the consent of the Executive.
Pursuant to s.58 of the Rules, a Notice of Cessation of Practice or Change of Status (Form R.1) shall be submitted to the Executive. However:
- If you change employer while remaining an active member, you do not need to submit Form R.1 with the exception of cessation of private practice.
- Whether you were practicing law in a law firm, as a sole practitioner or as an employee, you may be required to provide more details on the disposition of your files & documents that relate to your practice in Nunavut.
- Examples where you are considered an employee : Working at Legal Aid, the Government of Nunavut, Justice Canada, etc.
Please complete the Form R.1 relevant to your practice:
If you are ceasing your private practice i.e. you are leaving practice of law in Nunavut as a sole practitioner | Complete Form R.1-A for members leaving practice as a sole practitioner |
If you are ceasing your practice i.e. you are resigning from the Law Society | Complete Form R.1-B for members leaving practice in a law firm Complete Form R.1-C for members leaving practice as an employee |
| If you are changing your status from active to inactive | Complete : Form R.1-D for members changing their status |
How to Submit your Notice of Cessation of Practice or Change of Status
The Notice of cessation of Practice or Change of Status (Form R.1) shall be submitted to the Executive at least 14 days before an anticipated resignation/change of status.
The LSN administrator will be notified and will share your notice to the Executive for their review.
Pursuant to ss.58(2) of the Rules, the Executive may:
- approve the intended disposition described in your notice;
- provide direction with respect to the intended disposition described in your notice; or
- require that you submit an official statement confirming the disposition described in the notice.
The LSN administrator will communicate with you and share the Executive's decision after their review.
- A member who has resigned is NOT permitted to provide legal services in Nunavut and will not continue to receive Society notices and communications.
- If you wish to resign prior to the membership renewal deadline, you should ensure your application is submitted in advance of the January 31st deadline or you may be automatically suspended for failing to renew your membership.
- If you wish to resume practicing law in Nunavut after resigning : please see the Resumption of Practice section for instructions on how to be reinstated as an active member.
If you wish to change your practice status in Nunavut, please refer to the relevant section for information:
You can upload all required documents directly in your lawyer's portal, under the tab "Change Membership Status"
Information on Membership & Insurance Fees:
- Membership fees cannot be prorated.
- Prorating of insurance fees is only allowed based on the insurance period and not on the membership period. Note that the annual insurance coverage period begins on July 1 until June 30 and that prorating is only permitted going in.
- Prorating begins the month that the lawyer is seeking insurance. If you change your status to inactive status or resign during the coverage period (anytime after July 1 and June 30), reimbursement is not possible.
**If you are changing your status during renewal period, please refer to the renewal webpage for more information. You will need to upload your Form R.1 directly in your renewal application.
STEP 1 : LOG INTO YOUR LSN ACCOUNT
STEP 2 : ONCE LOGGED IN, CHOOSE "CHANGE MEMBERSHIP STATUS"
STEP 3: CHOOSE "CESSATION OF PRACTICE"
STEP 4: UPLOAD YOUR COMPLETED FORM R.1
See Chart above to know which document to complete
STEP 5: SAVE AS "READY TO PUBLISH" WHEN YOU WISH YOU SUBMIT YOUR NOTICE
The LSN administrator will be notified and will share your notice to the Executive for their review.
Pursuant to ss.58(2) of the Rules, the Executive may:
- approve the intended disposition described in your notice;
- provide direction with respect to the intended disposition described in your notice; or
- require that you submit an official statement confirming the disposition described in the notice.
The LSN administrator will communicate with you and share the Executive's decision after their review.
A member who fails to comply with the CLE requirements will have their licence to practice suspended unless they complete and report the required hours of eligible CLE within 30 days of receipt of a notice of a failure to comply from the Secretary and remains suspended until the member has completed and reported the required hours.
Following subrule 53.1(1)(a), to be reinstated, the member will need to pay the reinstatement fees in addition to completing and reporting the required hours of CLE (the Fees Chart for the reinstatement of a member who resigned is available here. You will be able to report those hours in your CLE Report.
Where the circumstances warrant, irregularities may be referred to the Chair of the Discipline Committee for further investigation.
Receipt - Applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt within three (3) working days, which could include a request to provide any outstanding information or materials.
Courtesy follow-ups for outstanding paperwork and/or information - Applicants will receive two (2) follow-up emails within a period of four (4) weeks before closing the application file.
The Membership and Admission Committee (MAC) will examine an application and provide a recommendation to the Executive Committee within fifteen (15) working days, assuming no further information is required from the applicant.
The Executive Committee will consider the MAC’s recommendation and provide their decision to approve (or not) the application for admission within ten (10) working days, assuming no further information is required from the applicant.