{"id":1056,"date":"2022-08-09T17:24:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T21:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/?p=1056"},"modified":"2022-08-09T17:24:55","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T21:24:55","slug":"law-society-of-ontario-ending-certified-specialist-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/2022\/08\/09\/law-society-of-ontario-ending-certified-specialist-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Law Society of Ontario ending certified specialist program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most people probably didn\u2019t know that the LSO has a certified specialist program. Following a study conducted by the law society\u2019s competency task force, the certification will be decommissioned. The only exception is the Indigenous Legal issues certification. This certification is being kept in recognition of the key role that this designation plays in the Law Society\u2019s Indigenous Framework and commitments to reconciliation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What is this certification?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lawyers practicing for a number of years in a certain field could apply to be certified as a specialist in that field. Along with a small fee, if lawyers continued to meet these requirements and continued to practice substantially in the area of specialization, they were allowed to use the designation of Certified Specialist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why is it being wound down?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The task force found that the certified specialist program should be eliminated except for indigenous legal issues specialization. The report outlined the following reasons:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Limited uptake (only about 2% of all lawyers engaged with the certification)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The specialist certification did not assure or improve competence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No ongoing evaluative component to ensure ongoing elevated expertise<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These sentiments were echoed in the vote that ultimately resulted in the program&#8217;s retirement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What should I look for when choosing a lawyer?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With the certified specialist program being decommissioned, many of us are probably asking ourselves, what should I look for when I hire a lawyer? There are a couple of key criteria that you should look out for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Specialized:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When looking for a lawyer, finding one that specializes in your field can help ensure they have a wealth of experience in that area. As a firm specializing in Employment and labour law, our bread and butter is employment law! When you contact De Bousquet PC for legal help, you can rest assured that our lawyers are experienced in this area. If your issue is not in an area we specialize in; we can help you find someone who does.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Friendly:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Legal matters and proceedings can be stressful enough. You don\u2019t want to work with a surly lawyer who looks like they\u2019ve never smiled before. A friendly lawyer can help you feel more comfortable and at ease during a stressful and challenging time. This is why we have a culture of being approachable and friendly. We want our clients to feel comfortable and at home when seeking our services.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accessible:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> No one wants to hire a lawyer who ghosts them harder than their last ex. At De Bousquet PC, we understand that it is important to stay in contact with our clients and explain each step. With our extended hours of operation, it\u2019s never been more convenient for you to contact your lawyer, whether that is during the work day or after, be it via email, phone calls, or messaging apps.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Communicative:<\/b> <b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legal proceedings can be confusing and stressful. That\u2019s why there\u2019s a whole course devoted to it in law school. The bright side is that your lawyer is there to help you navigate these complex procedures. But just like an expert captain on stormy seas, you\u2019ll feel better if you\u2019re provided with updates on the situation and how close you are to shore. At De Bousquet PC we not only always make sure that our clients know what\u2019s going on in their case, but we also provide detailed reference materials that you can refer back to about litigation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Understanding:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> At De Bousquet PC, we understand how scary the process can be. Most people enter a courtroom only a few times in their life. Many of our clients, they need our services at the worst point in their lives. We get that losing your job can make you feel worthless, vulnerable, and alone. We understand what you are going through because we have been there ourselves and are here to help.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you or someone you know are experiencing employment or other legal difficulties, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/Contact-Us.html\">De Bousquet PC<\/a> is here to help. Our friendly team of top-notch lawyers will help you get the results you want and deserve. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most people probably didn\u2019t know that the LSO has a certified specialist program. Following a study conducted by the law society\u2019s competency task force, the certification will be decommissioned. The only exception is the Indigenous Legal issues certification. This certification is being kept in recognition of the key role that this designation plays in the Law Society\u2019s Indigenous Framework and commitments to reconciliation. What is this certification? Lawyers practicing for a number of years in a certain field could apply to be certified as a specialist in that field. Along with a small fee, if lawyers continued to meet these&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1056"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1057,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056\/revisions\/1057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debousquet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}