PREP: Your Path to Bar Admission
The Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) is the official Bar admission program for the law societies of Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and British Columbia (effective September 2026). Each law society establishes its own requirements for admission to the profession, so it is essential to confirm the specific bar admission criteria with your jurisdiction before registering for PREP.
A Competency-Based Program for Future Lawyers
Built on global best practices, PREP is a competency-based program designed to equip future lawyers with practical skills through an integrated approach that combines interactive learning, transactional exercises, and realistic simulations across four distinct phases. Each phase builds on the previous one, progressively challenging candidates with complex activities that assess legal knowledge, oral and written advocacy, ethics, client relationship management, and practice management competencies.
In this self-study phase, you will be given access to the materials and resources that provide the foundation for all PREP competencies. While completing 12 online modules, you will gain knowledge through self-directed activities, quizzes, assignments, and reflections. The modules are:
- Professional Ethics and Character
- Client Relationship Management
- Practice Management
- The Effective Lawyer
- Legal Research
- Indigenous Law, Cultures, and Peoples
- Interviewing
- Legal Writing
- Legal Drafting
- Negotiation
- Oral Advocacy
- Technology and the Future of Legal Practice
Over the course of six skill-building workshops, you will apply what you learned in the Foundation Modules. Workshops include: (1) Ethics, Client Relationship Management, and Professionalism, (2) Legal Research and Writing Essentials, (3) Interviewing, (4) Legal Drafting and Writing, (5) Negotiation, and (6) Oral Advocacy. Effective June 2025, workshops will be interspersed throughout the Foundation Modules to provide immediate opportunities to practice base skills in a safe learning environment, connect with peers, and help prepare you to manage legal matters in the upcoming phase.
Here, you will apply what you have learned from the previous educational phases by participating in simulated files designed to mimic realistic matters that a newly called lawyer may expect to face in practice.
You will assist fictional supervising lawyers in working through simulated client files while receiving feedback on your deliverables from trained lawyer-assessors. You will also have opportunities to connect, complete assignments requiring a partner, and network with other candidates in assigned practice groups of six. Mentorship on developing your competencies and preparing for legal practice will also be provided by experienced lawyers or “practice managers” who have a wide variety of backgrounds and experience in the practice of law.
Over the course of the VLF, you can expect to interview simulated clients, conduct negotiations, make uncontested and contested court applications, conduct research and write a legal memorandum and opinion letter, draft an affidavit and contract, and prepare interoffice memorandums dealing with ethics, client relationship management, and/or practice management issues.
At the end of the Virtual Law Firm, you will complete a final reflection assignment that will lead to goal setting and the creation of a professional development plan to cover the first three years after you enter practice.
During this final phase, you will work through simulated legal matters for the purpose of final evaluation of your skills in three categories: (1) oral skills, (2) written skills, and (3) ethics, client relationship management, and practice management. To successfully complete the evaluation and pass PREP, you must achieve entry-level competence in each of the three skill categories and overall entry-level competence.
Successful completion of the Capstone Evaluation is required for Bar admission in participating jurisdictions. It demonstrates readiness to practice law by integrating skills learned in Phases 1–3 of PREP.
The Capstone Evaluation uses a three-tiered evaluation process that includes trained lawyer assessors, psychometric analysis, and a final review to ensure the assessment is fair, reliable and defensible. Results will be available approximately six weeks after the each Capstone sitting.
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PREP
From foundational learning to immersive simulations, PREP prepares candidates to navigate real-world scenarios with confidence and develop the skills and judgment required for entry-level practice.
Are you eligible to register for PREP?