The Law Society of Ontario has cancelled the upcoming barrister and solicitor examinations, scheduled to be written from March 8 to 11, and March 22 to 25, respectively. The decision was made, the Society said in a release issued this afternoon, ” as a result of information the Law Society has received which strongly indicates that examination content has been improperly accessed by some candidates, compromising the integrity of the upcoming examination period. Evidence indicates the potential involvement of third parties in this activity.”
The decision affects approximately 1100 candidates who were set to write online examinations, beginning Tuesday.
“We appreciate that this decision is upsetting news to those candidates not involved in improper conduct,” said Diana Miles, Chief Executive Officer. “However, this is a critical and necessary step to protect the integrity of the licensing process and the reputation of those candidates not involved. Most importantly, as the regulator of the legal professions it is incumbent upon us to take immediate action to protect the public interest.”
