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Nova Scotia is one of 13 provinces and territories located in Canada. The name Nova Scotia in Latin means New Scotland. The majority of the population in Nova Scotia are native English speakers. The population of the province reached 1 million people in December of 2021.
Nova Scotia is the most populated of the four Canadian Atlantic Provinces. It is the second most densely populated and the second smallest province by area. The mainland of Nova Scotia is a peninsula.
Nova Scotia became the first British colony to achieve responsible government in 1848. It was federated in 1867 with New Brunswick and the Province of Canada, which is now Ontario and Québec, to become what is now the country of Canada.
The capital of Nova Scotia is also its largest city, Halifax. About 45% of the population of the province resides in this city.
Halifax is the largest city in Atlantic Canada as well as the second largest coastal city, following Vancouver. The City of Halifax is the 13th largest metropolitan area in Canada by population.
For individuals who are interested in visiting the area, its tourism industry has a lot to offer. Cruise ships regularly visit the province. The tourism industry of the province contributes about $1.3 billion dollars annually to its economy.
The area also has a lot to offer including its culture, scenery, and coastline. There are many museums which reflect the ethnic heritage of the area, including:
There are 87 National Historic Sites of Canada, including:
There are 2 national parks in Nova Scotia, Kejimkujik and Cape Breton Highlands as well as other protected areas. Nova Scotia is also home to Peggy’s Cove which sees over 600,000 visitors each year.
When potential clients are seeking to find a lawyer in Nova Scotia, it can be helpful for them to have a working knowledge of the terminology and processes of the Canadian legal system, as they are different from those in the United States. Lawyers in Canada are referred to as solicitors or barristers, while lawyers in the United States are referred to as attorneys or lawyers.
Attorney has a different meaning in Canada than in America. In Canada, an attorney is an individual who is appointed under a power of attorney.
There are also other countries which refer to lawyers as barristers and solicitors, including Australia and the United Kingdom. When searching for a Nova Scotia lawyer on LegalMatch, a potential client can use the terms attorney and lawyer interchangeably because the content provided on LegalMatch is authored by individuals in the United States with American vocabularies.
In the United States, the terms attorney and lawyer both refer to an individual who has passed the bar and is able to practice law. There is not a distinction in the United States between attorneys who do not try cases in court and those who do.
The court system of Nova Scotia has three levels of courts, including:
The Provincial Court has the jurisdiction to try almost all of the offenses and individual can be charged with under the Criminal Code, except for a charge of murder by an adult. This court also has jurisdiction over all summary offense charges under provincial and federal statutes and regulations.
The Provincial Court may hold a preliminary inquiry if an individual elects or is subject to a trial in The Supreme Court. The highest trial court in Nova Scotia is the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has the authority to try a wide range of criminal and civil matters. In addition, it has exclusive authority to grant divorces and divide matrimonial property and hold jury trials.
The Supreme Court hears:
In addition, a Family Division of the Supreme Court sits in the regional municipalities of Cape Breton and Halifax. This division handles all family law matters which arise in the Halifax Regional Municipality and on Cape Breton Island.
Prior to 2020, family law matters were handled in two different courts, with divorce and the division of property heard in the Supreme Court and the majority of other family matters heard in Family Court. The courts are now transitioning to a Unified Family Court.
The Court of Appeal is the highest court in Nova Scotia. It is the court of last resort for individuals in Nova Scotia who are seeking to have their lower court or tribunal decisions appealed, except in the few cases which reach the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Court of Appeal in Nova Scotia does not retry a case. Rather, it reviews the record of the trial or the hearing to ensure that the lower court or tribunal did not make any errors of law.
There are some quirky laws on the books in Nova Scotia, as there often are in any country, including:
When you are considering Nova Scotia lawyers, it is extremely important to ensure that your potential representation has the necessary education and certifications to be able to practice law in the province. In order to become a lawyer in Nova Scotia, an individual is required to obtain a law degree and to fulfill the education and training requirements for admission to a law society.
A potential lawyer in Nova Scotia must complete an articling program as well as the bar admission program. Nova Scotia is undergoing an overhaul of its bar admissions process, ultimately doing away with the bar exam.
Instead, potential lawyers will participate in a bar admission training program which is designed by the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education. This course is called The Practice Readiness Education Program (PREP) and will prepare the lawyer for practicing law.
Individuals who are seeking legal assistance in Nova Scotia, Canada may use services such as LegalMatch. LegalMatch provides information about Nova Scotia lawyers, including:
It is free for a potential Canadian client to submit their case to LegalMatch. In most instances, it takes as little as fifteen minutes for an individual to submit their issue.
In approximately 24 hours, the individual will receive information about lawyers who practice in the area of law which their case involves. To find additional information about Nova Scotia lawyers, legal procedures, and laws in Nova Scotia, Canada an individual can search the following websites: