Law Professional Corporation – Law Society-Approved Incorporation in Alberta

The Law Society issues the permit and charges its own fees, paid to it directly.

The Law Society of Alberta professional corporation permit, year to year

The permit renewal is due December 31 each year through the Lawyer Portal. The Law Society reports non-renewal to Corporate Registry.

The corporation also files an annual return every year in its anniversary month of incorporation, which carries its own government fee. It is a registry filing, separate from the T2 tax return and the annual resolutions in the minute book. We file the annual return and remind you next year.

Who this is for

• An Active member moving to partnership or a fee-sharing arrangement, whose accountant has recommended a professional corporation.
• A sole practitioner who has billed personally until now and wants the corporation in place before a new fiscal year.
• Firm administrators filing professional corporations for several lawyers from one account.

How it works

1. Intake and drafting (same business day). You complete the order. A CORES-trained agent reviews the NUANS report against your name and drafts the articles and notices.
2. Law Society approval (the Law Society's processing time). We prepare the approval request, collect your signature where required, submit, and follow up. Nothing goes to Corporate Registry until the approval is in hand.
3. Registry filing (same business day). The approved articles, notices, NUANS report and ID go through a licensed Alberta registry agent. Orders confirmed before 3:00 pm MT are filed that day.
4. Permit application (same business day). We complete Form 8-1 and send it to you with the Certificate of Incorporation. You submit it to the Law Society, which issues the permit.
5. Records (1–2 business days). If you add a minute book to your order ($389 + GST), we prepare the organizational resolutions, registers and share certificates.

ACS is a private company. Our CORES-trained agents prepare your filing and submit it through a licensed Alberta registry agent. We are not a government office or a registry agent.

Common mistakes we catch before filing

• Filing before approval. Articles registered before the Law Society has approved them put the sequence out of order. We hold the filing until the approval is in hand.
• A name without "Professional Corporation" or "P.C." The name does not meet s. 137 and cannot proceed.
• A shareholder who is not an Active member. An Inactive member, an articling student or a spouse cannot hold voting shares.
• Filing a version that differs from the approved articles. Late edits to share provisions go back to the Law Society, not straight to the registry.
• A NUANS report that expires during approval. A report ordered too early can pass 90 days while the Law Society reviews the articles. We time the order to the filing date.

What you need before you start

• Your Law Society status. Only Active members may hold voting shares or the permit.
• The proposed name. It must contain "Professional Corporation" or "P.C." (Legal Profession Act, s. 137). Give us an alternative in case the NUANS report shows a conflict.
• Name and address for each director. At least one director, aged 18 or over. No Canadian-residency requirement has applied since March 29, 2021.
• A registered office: a physical address in Alberta.
• An agent for service: an individual located in Alberta with an Alberta address, who receives notices and legal documents for the corporation. Often that is you; if not, we can act as your agent for service.
• The share structure your accountant has planned. Voting shares go to Active members only. Whether non-voting shares may be issued to family members is governed by the Law Society's rules.
• Valid ID for the incorporator.

Requirements for a law professional corporation in Alberta

Name. The name must contain "Professional Corporation" or "P.C." (Legal Profession Act, s. 137). Because the corporation is named rather than numbered, an Alberta NUANS report less than 91 days old must accompany the filing.

Shareholders. Only Active members of the Law Society may hold voting shares, and only Active members may hold the permit. Non-voting shares for family are possible only where the profession's rules allow.

Sequence. Approval of the articles from the Law Society comes before registration at Corporate Registry. The Form 8-1 permit application is then filed with the Certificate of Incorporation.

Corporate basics. At least one adult director, no residency requirement, a registered office in Alberta, and an agent for service located in Alberta.

• Articles of Incorporation for a law professional corporation: the s. 137 name, the share classes, and voting shares restricted to Active members.
• The Law Society articles-approval request, prepared and tracked until the approval is issued.
• Notice of Address, Notice of Directors and Notice of Agent for Service.
• An Alberta NUANS report (the name search that reserves your name for 90 days), read by a person for conflicts. We time it to be less than 91 days old at filing.
• Filing through a licensed Alberta registry agent the same business day the approval lands, for orders confirmed before 3:00 pm MT.
• The Certificate of Incorporation and filed articles as PDFs, formatted for the minute book.
• Form 8-1, the Law Society permit application, completed and ready to submit with the Certificate of Incorporation.