The Association has four main classes of membership to choose from:
1. Active Member (Full Member) A full member of the Association shall be
| 2. Student Member
3. Observer Member An Observer member is a practising criminal defence lawyer outside of
Ontario in good standing with their regulatory body.
| 4. Affiliate Member An Affiliate member shall be any person who shall apply for such
membership that is a practising lawyer in good standing with their legal
regulatory body that does not meet the requirements for a Full member or
Observer member. An Affiliate member can be a law professor or a retired member
of the judiciary. An Affiliate member is not a Full-time Crown Attorney or an
honourary member. An Affiliate member must be someone that has a strong
interest in criminal law and is aligned with the goals of the Association. |
CLA Membership application information:
Membership benefits for both Active (Full) and Student members:
Active (Full) Membership:
A full member of the Association shall be a member in good standing with the Law Society of Ontario, paid up as to fees and assessments, a significant portion of whose practice is devoted to the defense of criminal charges or a lawyer who devotes a significant portion of their efforts to the interests of the defense bar. No full-time Crown Attorney shall be a member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association. Only full members of the association have voting privileges and have the right to serve as an elected member of the governing body.
Download application.
$100.00 ($100 + $13.00 HST)
Called to the bar after January 1, 2019
$300.00 ($300 + $39.00 HST)
Called to the bar on or before December 31, 2018
Student Membership:
If you are a student-at-law or a student in an accredited law school, you may apply for a Student membership.
Download application.
$28.25 ($25 + $3.25 HST)
Please note that student members are required to notify the CLA office once they have passed the bar. In order to maintain a membership with the CLA after passing the bar, the individual must then be a practicing criminal defence lawyer. Those that end up not becoming practicing criminal defence lawyers will have their membership lapsed with no refund.
Accredited Law Schools in Ontario:Lakehead University
Osgoode Hall Law School / York University
Queen's University
Ryerson University
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto
University of Western Ontario
University of Windsor
Dalhousie University
McGill University
Thompson Rivers University
Université de Montréal
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of Manitoba
University of Moncton
University of New Brunswick
Université de Sherbrooke
University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan - NUNAVUT (Nunavut Law Program)
University of Victoria
Observer Membership
An observer member shall be any person who shall apply for such membership and be granted same by the Governing Body. An Observer member is a practising criminal defence lawyer outside of Ontario in good standing with their regulatory body.
Download Application
$56.50 ($50 + $6.50 HST)
Called to the bar after January 1, 2019
$113.00 ($100 + $13.00 HST)
Called to the bar on or before December 31, 2018
Benefits that WILL be provided to Observer Members:
Benefits that WILL NOT be available to Observer members:
Affiliate Membership
An Affiliate member shall be any person who shall apply for such membership that is a practising lawyer in good standing with their legal regulatory body that does not meet the requirements for a Full member or Observer member. An Affiliate member can be a law professor or a retired member of the judiciary. An Affiliate member is not a Full-time Crown Attorney or an honourary member. An Affiliate member must be someone that has a strong interest in criminal law and is aligned with the goals of the Association. An Affiliate member must be recommended by the Membership Committee to the Governing Body for approval to be determined. An Affiliate member is precluded from being a Full member of the Association.
Affiliate members must apply and pay online (follow the directions below). Payment will be refunded if the Governing Body does not accept your application.
$113.00 ($100 + $13.00 HST)
Benefits that WILL be provided to Affiliate Members:
Benefits that WILL NOT be available to Affiliate members: