The CCLA recently began offering memberships to law students and paralegals, and this has created some confusion about what individuals may access the CCLA Library and its resources. We’ve outlined the details of library access below, and encourage members of the legal community to read it in order to clarify some of this confusion.
The CCLA Library is paid for via the membership dues of lawyers accredited by the Law Society of Upper Canada. As part of their Law Society membership, lawyers pay a library levy which is then allocated to libraries in regions across Ontario. The CCLA Library is also partially funded by the County of Carleton Law Association (CCLA) via its members. For these reasons, the library is meant only for the aforementioned individuals. The CCLA has recently opened memberships to law students and paralegals so that they can also access the library and its resources; however, they must purchase a CCLA membership in order to do so. The CCLA Library also allows those that are working directly under a lawyer, at the lawyer’s firm, to access the library on the lawyer’s behalf, which is why articling students have historically been permitted to access the library.
To reiterate, only lawyers accredited by the Law Society, CCLA Members, and individuals working under the above groups at their firm may access the CCLA Library’s services.
We hope this helps to clarify some confusion. Please note that CCLA Members also receive a number of other benefits offered by the CCLA, such as 24/7 library access, free Wi-Fi, discounts for CCLA Events, and exclusive services via businesses in the Ottawa community. If you are interested in becoming a CCLA Member, we encourage you to check out the Membership section of CCLA’s Website.