Members may request a Certificate of Standing or a Letter of Good Standing if they require documentation from the Society advising a third party of their membership standing, discipline history or other information.
Please note: Some recipients may not accept Certificates of Standing that do not come directly from a law society. It is your responsibility to verify this information with the relevant parties prior to submitting your application to avoid delays and/or additional fees.
Certificate of Standing
A Certificate of Standing confirms your membership and membership standing with the Society, and may include the following information:
- any discipline or competency proceedings pending or taken against you, and the nature of the conduct that is the subject of the proceeding;
- information on any misappropriation of funds or wrongful conversion of property, and whether any claims are pending before the Society;
- whether your right to practise law is subject to restrictions or conditions, and whether or not such restrictions are voluntary or imposed by the Society.
Letter of Good Standing
A Letter of Good Standing is a basic version of the Certificate of Standing. This letter will confirm your membership standing with the Society.
Apply for a Certificate of Standing or Letter of Good Standing
Apply for a Certificate of Standing or Letter of Good Standing through the Society’s Member Sign In:
- Sign in to your Member profile at members.nsbs.org by entering your username and password.
- Find the application for the Certificate of Standing/Letter of Good Standing in the drop-down menu under ‘Applications’ in the navigation menu.
- Click on Certificate of Standing/Letter of Good Standing – this will take you to a page where you can select the application accordingly.
- Complete the application.
Please allow 7-10 business days for standard processing. Rush processing can be completed within 24 hours provided there are no public interest issues raised by the application. Please note that completed Certificates/Letters of Standing will not be processed until payment has been received.
*Note you will be copied on the email sent to the recipient. If requesting a Certificate of Standing or Letter of Good Standing for another law society, documentation must be sent directly from the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.
Payment Information
Certificate of Standing – $115 HST included or if required in 24 hours – $172.50 HST included
Letter of Good Standing – $28.75 HST included or if required in 24 hours – $43.13 HST included
Payment options
The online application will allow you to pay via credit card or you may select the pay later option to pay by cheque/online banking. Visa debit cards will not be accepted.
You can pay via online banking by adding the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society as a payee under bill payments and use your member number with two zeros at the beginning as the account number.
Please note completed Certificates/Letters of Standing will not be processed until payment has been received.
Contact the Society’s Accounting Administrator to request an invoice.
Questions about the application process? Contact licensing@nsbs.org.