How to Choose a Charity Lawyer in Canada

Updated November 2026 | Practice observations include July 2026 filings 

If you are comparing charity lawyers in Canada, start with the work your organization needs, the relevant experience of the proposed team and the full cost of the engagement. A useful comparison should also tell you whether hiring a lawyer makes sense for your circumstances.

I am Dov Goldberg, a lawyer at B.I.G. Charity Law Group. Our firm provides paid legal services to charities and nonprofits. This guide explains the options available to founders and boards, including alternatives to hiring our firm. It also identifies other firms you may wish to consider and questions you can use when comparing them.

The focus is nonprofit incorporation and charitable registration, with guidance on when an existing organization may need advice. You can use it whether you are preparing your first application or reviewing a proposal from a law firm.

A quick answer for founders and boards

Choose a charity lawyer by matching the proposed team's experience to your mandate, checking who can advise on the applicable provincial or territorial law, and comparing the complete scope and cost in writing. Ask specifically about the CRA application, all CRA follow-ups, access to a lawyer and the documents you will receive. For registration, we recommend legal advice for most organizations because the legal structure and application need to work together.

This guide includes alternatives to a full retainer, a selection of firms across Canada, our own service terms, a seven-step selection process and questions to bring to your consultation.

In this guide

• What a charity lawyer does
• Choosing counsel for your province
• Whether to hire a lawyer
• Registration timelines and our 17-file sample
• Alternatives to a full retainer
• Firms across Canada
• Comparing engagement terms
• Hypothetical examples
• B.I.G. fees and service terms
• Seven steps to choosing counsel
• Questions to ask
• Charity lawyer comparison checklist
• Frequently asked questions
• Free initial consultation

What does a charity lawyer in Canada do?

A charity lawyer advises on the legal issues involved in establishing, registering and operating charities and nonprofit organizations. Depending on the matter, the work may include incorporation, charitable purposes, bylaws, a CRA registration application, governance or regulatory compliance.

There are two separate processes to understand. Incorporation establishes a corporation under the applicable corporate law. Charitable registration is the Canada Revenue Agency process through which an eligible organization becomes a registered charity. Incorporating a nonprofit does not automatically give it charitable status or the ability to issue official donation receipts.

The CRA explains the differences between registered charities and nonprofit organizations. Your organization may need incorporation without charitable registration, or it may need advice on both.

A lawyer who handles incorporations may also handle charity applications, but ask about the actual services and experience offered. Your project may require more than filing corporate documents.

Does your charity lawyer need to be in your province?

Begin by separating federal charitable registration from the other legal work. CRA registration is governed by federal tax law, while the organization may be established under federal, provincial or territorial legislation. Its governance, property, fundraising and other activities can also raise local legal requirements. The correct combination depends on where it is established and operates.

The CRA explains how federal, provincial and territorial legislation can affect an organization in its guidance on governing documents. Ask which parts of your file the proposed lawyer can handle and whether another lawyer will be needed for local advice.

A nearby office may be convenient, but the more useful question is whether the team has the relevant experience and authority to provide the advice you need. Ask who will address the law of your province or territory, how any local counsel will be retained, and whether their work is included in the quote. A firm's office location alone does not establish that every lawyer there can advise on every jurisdiction.

For a Quebec organization, ask specifically about Quebec corporate and civil law, language requirements and any Revenu Québec requirements. If you operate in several provinces or territories, ask who will check local registration, fundraising and ongoing filing requirements. Do not assume federal incorporation removes those requirements.

Corporations Canada explains the potential need for provincial and territorial registrations after federal incorporation. Revenu Québec also provides information about its registration application for charities: Revenu Québec charity registration form.

For a discussion of the structural choice, read our comparison of federal and provincial nonprofit incorporation.

When might a charity or nonprofit need legal advice?

The right time to speak with a lawyer depends on the decision facing the organization. Some groups seek help before incorporating; others already exist and need advice about a particular transaction or CRA issue. A lawyer is not necessary for every administrative task, and a consultation can help identify whether the question is legal, accounting, governance or operational.

Starting a nonprofit or applying for charitable registration

Founders may need to decide whether to incorporate, which jurisdiction and statute to use, how membership will work, and how the organization will describe its purposes. If charitable registration is planned, those choices can affect the CRA application. Advice before incorporation may help the founders avoid having to amend documents later. A charity application also requires a clear account of real planned activities, not just a charitable-sounding mission statement.

Changing an existing organization

An established nonprofit may need to update its articles or bylaws, change its membership or board structure, or identify the corporate statute that governs it. Depending on its jurisdiction, that might be the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, Ontario's Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010, BC's Societies Act or another provincial or territorial statute.

A registered charity that changes its purposes must send the CRA its formally adopted, updated governing documents, and its activities must continue to further those purposes. The CRA no longer pre-approves proposed changes to purposes or activities, so the organization should assess the change before adopting it rather than after. See the CRA's guidance to change purposes and activities. Ask counsel to identify the particular documents and decisions that need review.

Governance, transactions and compliance questions

Boards sometimes seek advice about director duties, conflicts of interest, compensation, partnerships, grants to other organizations, fundraising arrangements, social enterprise or use of charitable assets. A CRA audit, compliance review, receipting issue or proposed revocation also calls for advice tailored to the facts and deadlines. These matters may require a different scope and budget from a new registration application.

A lawyer can explain the legal framework and help the organization assess options. The board remains responsible for its decisions, and advice does not replace financial, accounting, fundraising or program expertise where those are needed.

Do you need a lawyer to register a charity?

You can prepare and submit your organization's own application using the CRA application process. Whether you should do so depends on the legal questions involved, your ability to prepare the materials and the time your team can devote to the work.

A lawyer is not legally required, but we recommend that most organizations considering charitable registration obtain legal advice. The application is more than a form: the organization's governing documents, charitable purposes, planned activities, board and financial arrangements all need to fit together and satisfy the legal requirements. Decisions made at incorporation can affect the CRA application and the organization's ability to operate on a stable legal footing after registration.

Counsel can help assess whether the proposed mandate is eligible, identify issues before filing, prepare or review the governing documents and activity descriptions, assemble the application, and handle CRA follow-ups. That work can reduce avoidable gaps and inconsistent explanations that lead to requests for more information, amendments or delays. It is especially useful where the mandate is novel, activities involve partners or work outside Canada, founders or directors may receive compensation, or the organization has related-party arrangements.

The CRA advises applicants to answer all questions thoroughly, provide requested information and describe activities in enough detail to avoid delays, and it notes that missing information or documents can extend processing (CRA: How to apply). A lawyer cannot control the CRA's queue or promise a faster decision. Once an application is complete, the CRA places it in a queue for review (CRA: After you apply). Careful preparation can help avoid preventable delays before and during that review.

It is also important to describe the risk accurately. The CRA's latest annual report says that in fiscal year 2025–2026, 79.2% of charity application outcomes were registrations and fewer than 1% were denials. Other outcomes included applications that were incomplete, abandoned or withdrawn. Those figures are historical, sector-wide outcomes, not a prediction for a particular organization, and the CRA records incomplete, abandoned and withdrawn applications separately from denials. See the CRA's Report on the Charities Program 2025–2026.

The CRA does not publish a breakdown showing how many abandoned or withdrawn applications followed a fairness letter. In our experience, however, many files that end in abandonment or withdrawal first receive an Administrative Fairness Letter (AFL), which sets out concerns and gives the applicant an opportunity to respond. If the applicant does not respond by the CRA's deadline, the CRA may close the file as abandoned. Withdrawal or abandonment is not the same as a final denial on the merits. An incomplete application is a separate outcome and may reflect missing or insufficient information at the outset. The CRA describes the review and response process on its "After you apply" page.

In our experience, involving a charity lawyer from the beginning often prevents avoidable problems that might otherwise lead to an AFL: counsel can identify eligibility issues early, align the purposes and activities, and ensure the application explains the organization's plans with supporting information. If the CRA does send an AFL, counsel can help the organization understand the concerns and provide a complete, timely response. This is our practice experience, not a CRA-published comparison of lawyer-assisted and self-filed applications. A lawyer cannot prevent every AFL or guarantee how the CRA will decide.

The CRA's current service standard is to provide a final decision on 80% of complete applications within nine months. The review period begins when the CRA has a complete application, and individual timing depends on the file and the CRA's review. See the CRA's 2026–2027 service standards. A lawyer may help you prepare and respond effectively; retaining one does not guarantee faster processing or registration.

If your team has the experience and capacity to prepare a complete application, self-filing remains an option. You may also obtain advice on a defined issue rather than retain a firm for the entire process. Ask what level of help is appropriate for your mandate and what the engagement includes.

The CRA's guidance on charitable purposes and activities is a useful starting point, but it does not replace advice about how the rules apply to your organization's facts.

How long does charitable registration take?

Separate the time needed to prepare the application from the time the CRA takes to review it. Preparation depends partly on how settled your plans are and how quickly the necessary information and documents are available.

Our firm's file records include 17 charity registration files submitted in July 2026 that received registration in September and early October 2026. All 17 organizations operated exclusively in Canada and did not use third-party intermediaries. These files illustrate registration in roughly two to three months, compared with the six-to-nine-month timelines we commonly saw before the recent acceleration. (Source: B.I.G. Charity Law Group registration files, reviewed [month] 2026.)

This is a report of 17 identified files from our practice, rather than a CRA-wide average or a statement about every application filed in July. Exact filing and registration dates are needed to calculate a day-based average. The experience should not be treated as a prediction for applications involving international activities, intermediaries or other different circumstances. Individual applications can take longer.

The CRA's current service standard remains a final decision on 80% of complete applications within nine months (CRA service standards 2026–2027). The CRA generally reviews complete applications in the order received (CRA: After you apply), and timing can vary with completeness, complexity, application volumes and how quickly the organization responds to CRA requests. Check the CRA's current processing information and plan conservatively around the published standard. We provide a more detailed update on recent charity registration timelines.

Ask the firm what it needs before drafting can begin, when it expects to submit your application and who will handle follow-up. Complex applications or files that need further information may take longer. If a grant opportunity or fundraising campaign depends on registration, discuss that deadline before making commitments based on an expected approval date.

What should you consider before hiring a charity lawyer?

Hiring a lawyer involves a financial commitment and requires your organization to provide information and make decisions. These are practical issues to work through before signing a retainer.

A lawyer may not be necessary for every task

The CRA provides public guidance, and some organizations have the time and capacity to complete straightforward administrative steps themselves. If the question is limited, you may be able to retain a lawyer to advise on that issue rather than for a broad package. On the other hand, founders who are unsure about eligibility, purposes, structure or how to describe their actual activities may prefer help before filing.

Whether the amount of legal work matches your needs

If your documents are already complete and your concern is one specific legal question, ask whether a focused engagement is available. If you need help from incorporation through the CRA decision, confirm that the proposal covers that full process.

The lawyer cannot control the CRA decision

The CRA decides whether to register an organization. A lawyer can help prepare an application that explains the purposes and activities. A firm cannot bind the CRA to approve an application; any refund guarantee concerns the firm's contractual commitment and should state its limits clearly. The organization must give complete and accurate information and operate consistently with its governing documents and representations to the CRA.

What the quoted price actually covers

Check whether the quote includes a complete minute book, the application and CRA follow-ups. Also ask whether calls, emails and registration questions result in additional charges. A lower starting price tells you little without the corresponding scope.

Who will handle the file and answer questions

Ask who prepares and files the application, which questions will go to a lawyer and how you will communicate with the team. A firm may use both lawyers and law clerks. What matters is knowing how your file will be handled and how to obtain legal advice when needed.

The work your own team must do

You will still need to explain the organization's plans and provide accurate information about its directors, activities and finances. Decide who will collect that information and approve drafts on behalf of the organization.

Legal work can be delayed if the board has not settled its plans, information arrives in pieces or key decisions remain unresolved. Consider whether your organization can assign one contact person and make decisions within the requested time. Ask the firm what happens if the project changes materially after work begins.

Alternatives to a full registration retainer

Preparing the application yourself

The CRA publishes application guidance and provides an online filing process. This option lets your team control the preparation, but your organization must work through the legal requirements and any requests for clarification. Read the guidance before deciding how much help you need.

Using an incorporation service or document platform

If you use a service to incorporate your nonprofit, check exactly what is being provided. Does it prepare corporate documents only, or does it also address charitable purposes and a CRA application? Confirm whether legal advice is included and who provides it.

Working with an accountant or other adviser

An accountant may help with budgets, financial records and tax filings. Other advisers may assist with program planning or administrative work. Clarify their role, qualifications and the work they are undertaking. If a legal question remains unresolved, consider obtaining advice on that issue.

Obtaining advice on a defined issue

You can ask a law firm whether it offers advice on eligibility, proposed purposes or another identified issue without taking over the full project. Confirm the limits of that engagement so you understand what the firm will review and what your organization will handle.

Using a nonprofit resource or clinic

Educational organizations and nonprofit resources can help boards understand general legal concepts and prepare for a conversation with counsel. Their services may be limited by mandate, capacity or eligibility. General information is useful for learning, but it is not an assessment of your organization's specific documents or facts. Confirm who is providing any legal service and whether they are authorized to do so.

A practical way to choose among these options

Start by writing down the decision you need to make, the documents you already have and any deadline. Then ask what parts your team can do confidently and where a legal opinion or document review would change the decision. You can request a focused quote for the unresolved legal work and compare it with a full-service proposal.

Who is the best charity lawyer in Canada?

There is no single answer that will suit every organization. A new volunteer group seeking charitable registration may need different services from an established charity facing an audit or a governance dispute. Start with the issues in your file and assess the proposed team against them.

Ask about relevant experience, the scope of the retainer, fees and access to advice. Educational articles and presentations can help you understand a firm's approach. Reviews may suggest questions about service, but neither a review nor a promotional label tells you whether a particular retainer suits your project.

Common mistakes when choosing charity counsel

Choosing on price alone

A lower quote may cover a narrower service, while a higher quote may include work your organization does not need. Compare the written scope, extra charges, taxes, disbursements and client responsibilities alongside the fee. Ask how the firm will tell you if a new issue falls outside the retainer.

Assuming general corporate experience is the same as charity law experience

Incorporation is one part of the work. A CRA registration application also raises questions about charitable purposes, activities, public benefit and how the organization will carry out its programs. Ask for examples of relevant work and what the lawyer personally handled. Experience with the same statute or a similar charity sector may also matter for a governance matter. We explain this difference in more detail in Charity Lawyers vs General Lawyers: Why Specialization Matters.

Treating an approval rate or guarantee as a complete answer

If a firm refers to a success rate, ask how it is calculated, what applications are included, the period covered and how withdrawn or incomplete applications are treated. A past result does not determine what the CRA will decide on your facts. If a firm offers a guarantee, read exactly what result is covered, which circumstances are excluded and what refund is available.

Not agreeing on who does what

A retainer should say what the firm will do and what the organization must provide or decide. Clarify who drafts, files, responds to CRA questions, approves documents and communicates with the board. Unclear responsibilities can create avoidable delays or disagreement about whether extra work is included.

Skipping the written retainer

Before work begins, read the engagement letter, confirm the client is correctly identified, and make sure the people authorized to retain counsel have approved the scope and fee. Keep a copy with the organization's records so future directors can understand the arrangement.

Charity law firms across Canada to include in your research

Alongside B.I.G. Charity Law Group, the firms below publish information about work for charities or nonprofits. The selection covers several regions and firms with offices in multiple provinces. It is alphabetical and is not a ranking, an endorsement or a complete directory. Inclusion is based on publicly described services, not a minimum approval rate, award or assumed percentage of the firm's practice.

The regional descriptions are starting points for your research. They do not establish where an individual lawyer is licensed, which services are available at each office, or whether the firm will accept your file. Follow the links and confirm the proposed team, jurisdiction, scope, availability and fees directly. Public information was reviewed in November 2026.

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This list includes different kinds of practices. An ongoing governance or tax planning team may be a suitable choice for an established charity, while a new founder may want a defined incorporation and registration engagement. A firm's absence of public pricing is a reason to ask for a quote; it does not mean that its price is higher or its service narrower.

Compare the engagement as well as the firm

Use the same project description when requesting proposals. This makes it easier to compare what the organization will receive and what its own team must do. The table below identifies questions to resolve; it does not attribute unverified terms to another firm.

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How a charity lawyer can help with nonprofit incorporation

For a new nonprofit, legal work can include choosing the corporate jurisdiction, preparing incorporation documents, addressing purposes and membership, preparing bylaws and organizing the corporate records. The appropriate documents depend on the organization's plans and governing legislation.

If charitable registration is intended, consider the CRA requirements before filing incorporation documents. The CRA cautions that standard purposes supplied by some incorporating authorities generally do not meet charitable registration requirements. See its guidance on governing documents.

Ask whether your incorporation package includes a complete minute book and whether it is designed for the next steps your organization intends to take.

To see how governance rules can be recorded, review our sample bylaws for federal nonprofits. A sample is a starting point and should be checked against the applicable statute and your chosen structure.

How a charity lawyer can help with a CRA application

A registration engagement can include assessing the proposed mandate, drafting or reviewing purposes, preparing the application and supporting material, and responding to the CRA. Confirm which tasks are included before retaining a firm.

Your activity descriptions need to explain what the organization will actually do. The CRA asks for detailed, credible plans and an explanation of how the activities further the purposes. Its guidance on describing activities sets out the information an applicant should address.

If the CRA sends questions, your response may require further facts, clarification or changes to the application. Ask who will prepare and submit those responses and whether that work is included in the quoted fee.

For more background on the structural choice, read whether to incorporate your nonprofit and compare incorporation work with the separate CRA application described above.

Two hypothetical examples of legal assistance

These illustrations show the kind of issues to discuss with counsel. They describe hypothetical organizations and do not report client files or outcomes.

Example 1: Clarifying a proposed mandate before filing

A group wants to support newcomer youth through mentoring, workshops and financial assistance. Before filing, counsel would examine which proposed purposes and activities could qualify as charitable, who would benefit, how recipients would be selected and how the programs would operate. The founders might need to refine the mandate or provide more detail. The value is identifying those questions while the organization and application are being designed.

Example 2: Responding to a CRA fairness letter

An applicant receives a CRA letter saying its activity descriptions do not establish how its programs further its purposes. Counsel would work with the organization to explain the programs, beneficiaries, selection criteria, delivery arrangements and use of funds, and address each concern by the stated deadline. The response should address the concerns using the organization's actual facts. The CRA evaluates the response and makes the registration decision.

What happens after registration?

A registered charity has continuing responsibilities, including annual T3010 filing, proper donation receipts and books and records. The CRA provides an overview of those responsibilities.

In our practice, most registration clients do not require ongoing legal assistance from us after registration. That does not remove their compliance obligations. The board should understand which tasks it will handle and whether accounting or other support is needed. If a new legal issue arises later, discuss the necessary work and fees before proceeding.

Our charity governance guide discusses board processes and organizational records. For a federal corporation, also consult Corporations Canada's nonprofit resources for corporate filings that are separate from the T3010 charity return.

Registration services at our firm

B.I.G. Charity Law Group provides fixed-fee registration services. Our starting fees are:

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These fees exclude HST and disbursements. Disbursements typically total approximately $200, including the NUANS name search and incorporation filing fee. We confirm the applicable fixed fee, taxes and disbursements for your organization and jurisdiction before you retain us. Filing costs can vary by jurisdiction.

We do not bill registration work by the hour. Our fixed fee covers the complete registration process, a complete minute book, preparation and filing of the application, CRA follow-ups, and emails, calls and questions relating to registration. We do not charge an additional fee each time you ask a registration question.

Depending on the file, a lawyer or law clerk prepares and files the application. Lawyers are available to answer questions. We aim to respond within 24 hours.

The scope of our money-back guarantee

Where we offer a money-back guarantee, it is limited to whether the activities stated in the application are deemed charitable by the CRA. It does not cover refusal for other reasons, such as the organization carrying on activities beyond those stated in the application or an ineligible board member. Ask us to confirm whether the guarantee applies to your application and request the applicable refund terms in writing.

Our experience and educational resources

Our firm is approaching its 14th year of practice. We publish an extensive charity law blog, have more than 70 podcast episodes and maintain a YouTube channel with over 100 educational videos about charity law. These resources allow you to learn about the issues and our approach before deciding whether to contact us.

Seven steps to choosing charity counsel

Step 1: Define the result you need

Write down whether you need nonprofit incorporation, charitable registration, changes to an existing organization or advice about a particular issue. Identify any deadline and explain why it matters.

Step 2: Decide how much help you want

Consider whether your team wants to prepare the materials itself, obtain advice on a defined issue or retain a firm for the complete registration process. Ask whether the proposed service matches that choice.

Step 3: Prepare your plans and existing documents

Describe your intended beneficiaries, activities, funding and directors. Gather any governing documents and CRA correspondence. The more clearly you can explain the project, the more useful an initial discussion will be.

Step 4: Check licensing and relevant experience

Use the relevant provincial or territorial regulator's directory to verify the proposed lawyer. The Federation of Law Societies of Canada provides links to Canada's law societies and their public information. Check licensing and practising status. You can also review publicly available regulatory information where relevant. Ask whether the lawyer has training or experience related to the legal framework that applies to your matter, such as ONCA, the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act or charity registration requirements. Ask about work with organizations of a similar size, budget, structure or sector. The number of years in practice alone may not tell you whether the experience matches your issue.

Step 5: Compare the scope and total cost

Read proposals side by side. Check the minute book, application, CRA follow-ups and access to answers. Confirm the fee structure, treatment of taxes and disbursements, payment terms and any conditions attached to a refund guarantee.

Step 6: Agree on communication and responsibilities

Find out who your contact will be, how to reach a lawyer and what response times the firm aims to meet. Agree on who will provide information, review drafts and approve the submission for your organization.

Step 7: Discuss the proposal before signing

Use the initial consultation to resolve the questions that affect your decision. Ask for the engagement terms in writing and make sure the people authorizing the retainer understand the scope and financial commitment.

If practical, speak with more than one firm. Notice whether the person listens to the organization's actual plans, explains uncertainty in understandable terms and gives a clear answer about the next step. You can also review public educational material and client feedback, while remembering that marketing claims, awards and testimonials do not replace a careful discussion about your own file.

Resources for comparing your options

Start with the CRA's charity registration application guidance for the federal registration process and the information an applicant must provide.

For federal incorporation and continuing corporate requirements, consult Corporations Canada. Use the appropriate provincial or territorial registry for a locally incorporated organization.

For Ontario governance and lawyer selection questions, see Nonprofit Law Ontario's choosing-a-lawyer guide. Its ONCA focus should be adapted to the statute that governs your organization.

For BC society governance resources, see Law for Non-Profits in British Columbia. Check each resource's scope and update date before relying on a template or checklist.

A resource or clinic may offer general information, limited advice or referrals rather than a complete registration service. Confirm current eligibility, capacity and fees before relying on it for your project.

Questions to ask before retaining a charity lawyer

Choose the questions relevant to your project and use the answers to compare proposals. Some may require a follow-up discussion before you decide whether to retain the firm.

Jurisdiction and working arrangements

• Can your proposed team advise on both our CRA application and the corporate law governing our organization?
• Who will handle any provincial, territorial or Quebec-specific advice, and is local counsel included in the quote?
• Can the work be completed remotely, and are any in-person meetings or original documents required?
• Can you provide the services and engagement documents in the language our board needs?

Experience and suitability

• How long have you practised charity or nonprofit law, and what training or continuing education have you completed in this area?
• How much of your current practice involves charity or nonprofit matters, and who at the firm would work on our file?
• How many organizations with a mandate, size, budget or structure similar to ours have you assisted, and what kinds of work did you do for them?
• Have you worked with organizations in our sector, such as health, housing, religion, education, arts, sports or international development?
• What experience do you have with the legislation that applies to our organization, including ONCA or the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, if relevant?
• What questions or potential complications do you see in our plans based on what we have told you so far?
• If you cite an approval rate or successful outcome, what is the measure, time period, sample and treatment of incomplete, withdrawn or pending applications?
• Can you provide references or examples of relevant work, subject to client confidentiality?

Scope and fees

• Do you charge hourly, by task or a fixed fee? What retainer or deposit is payable before work starts?
• Can you provide a written estimate for the specific work we need and explain what assumptions it is based on?
• What work is included: incorporation, purposes, bylaws, complete minute book, application, CRA follow-ups, calls and questions?
• Are revisions and all rounds of CRA questions included, or are any limits or exclusions part of the proposal?
• What circumstances could increase the cost or require a new retainer, and will you seek our approval before doing additional work?
• Are HST, filing charges and other disbursements included? If not, what should we budget for separately?
• How will you bill us, when is payment due, and what payment methods do you accept?
• Are there practical ways our organization can reduce cost without leaving important legal issues unaddressed?
• If the project pauses, changes or we end the engagement, how will fees and any unused retainer be handled?

People and communication

• Who will be our main contact, and do you prefer that the nonprofit work through one designated representative?
• Which parts of the application will be prepared or filed by a lawyer, law clerk or other team member?
• How can we speak with a lawyer if we have a legal question about the file?
• How will you communicate with us (email, phone, video meetings, online portal or in person), and how often should we expect updates?
• What response time do you usually aim for, and who should we contact if the main contact is unavailable?
• Can the firm accommodate our accessibility, language, scheduling or board meeting needs?

Timing and our responsibilities

• What should we prepare before the first meeting, for example draft purposes, activity plans, budgets, articles, bylaws or CRA correspondence?
• How much time and work will you need from our directors or staff, and what information must we gather?
• What are the expected stages from opening the file through filing, and which steps are under our control?
• How long might preparation take if we provide information promptly, and what factors could delay it?
• How long may the CRA review take based on its current published information, and what parts of that timing are outside your control?
• Do you foresee complicating factors in our matter, and how might they affect scope, cost or schedule?
• Who will make decisions, give instructions and approve the final application for the organization?

Guarantees and work after registration

• Does the firm offer any guarantee for our matter? What exactly is guaranteed, what exclusions apply and how much could be refunded?
• If registration is refused for a reason outside the guarantee, what work and fees would apply to a new application or appeal?
• What will our board need to do after registration, including annual filings, receipting, books and records, and what should we arrange with an accountant?
• If a future governance, CRA or compliance issue arises, can your firm assist and how would the scope and fees be agreed?

If you want a one-page version of these questions to bring to a consultation, use our questions to ask before hiring a charity lawyer. For ONCA-specific points, see Nonprofit Law Ontario's guide to choosing a lawyer for ONCA work.

Charity lawyer comparison checklist

Use this checklist when speaking with prospective counsel. Record each firm's actual answers and get the proposed scope, fee and responsibilities in writing.

Experience and jurisdiction

• Verify the proposed lawyer's practising status with the relevant law society.
• Ask about charity registration and work with organizations like yours.
• Confirm who advises on your corporate statute and any local legal issues.
• Ask whether separate counsel, language or accessibility arrangements are needed.

Scope and complete cost

• Identify whether incorporation, purposes, bylaws and a complete minute book are included.
• Confirm that the CRA application, revisions and all CRA follow-ups are included, or identify the limits.
• Ask whether registration questions, calls and emails attract extra charges.
• Record the fixed or hourly fee, applicable taxes, disbursements and payment dates.
• Ask what can change the price and how additional work will be authorized.

People, timing and commitments

• Identify the lawyer, law clerk and main contact; ask how to reach a lawyer.
• Agree on progress updates, response targets and your organization's contact person.
• Separate preparation time from CRA processing, and identify client tasks and deadlines.
• Read any refund guarantee: covered result, exclusions, amount and refund procedure.
• Confirm the work needed after registration and which services require a separate retainer.

Compare the written proposals side by side on relevant experience, jurisdiction and local counsel, fixed fee or hourly estimate, taxes and disbursements, documents and application, CRA follow-up and revisions, calls and questions, who prepares, files and advises, response target and updates, preparation and CRA timing, guarantee and exclusions, and after-registration support. Use one project description for all firms. An unanswered item means you need more information; it does not show that a firm lacks the service.

Frequently asked questions about choosing charity counsel

Is a charity lawyer required for a CRA application?

No. An organization may apply directly. We recommend legal advice for most organizations because eligibility, purposes, activities and governing documents must be considered together. You can request a full registration retainer or ask whether focused advice is available.

Can a lawyer in another province help our organization?

Ask about the particular work and the proposed lawyer. Federal CRA matters and local corporate or operational issues may require different advice. Confirm who can advise on your jurisdiction and whether additional counsel will be needed.

Does nonprofit incorporation include charitable registration?

They are separate processes. An incorporation quote does not necessarily include a CRA application. Ask for a written list of deliverables and confirm whether the quoted registration price includes CRA follow-ups and your questions.

Does a refund guarantee mean the CRA must register us?

No. The CRA makes the decision. A refund guarantee concerns the firm's contractual terms. Read the covered result, exclusions and refund provisions; our limited guarantee for some files is described above.

Final thoughts

The right lawyer is the one whose experience, proposed work and communication approach fit your organization's actual needs. You may decide to prepare the application yourself, get advice on a defined question or retain counsel for the full registration process. The decision should follow from your plans, capacity, budget and the legal issues involved.

Before you sign, compare the written scopes and costs, confirm who will do the work and get any guarantee or special term in writing. Ask what the organization must provide and what could affect the timing. Clear expectations help the board understand both the service it is buying and the responsibilities it keeps.

Book a free initial consultation

Our free initial consultation lasts 15 minutes. We discuss whether your proposed charitable mandate is eligible for registration, whether our firm is a suitable fit for the proposed application, and the engagement terms, including fees and the anticipated timeline.

To make that discussion useful, prepare a short explanation of what your organization will do, who it will benefit and whether it is already incorporated. Mention any previous CRA application or correspondence.

To arrange a consultation, contact B.I.G. Charity Law Group or call 416-488-5888.