In Ontario, if you want to buy or sell a home, you are required to go through a lawyer as only licensed and insured real estate lawyers are entitled to register transfers of property. There is extra insurance required to practice real estate law in Ontario, and so not all lawyers can transfer property.
The Law Society of Upper Canada has a lawyer directory that you can use to determine if the lawyer you have in mind is real estate insured. Simply enter the person’s name, click on the search result, and see if they are marked as insured (you can see my entry by clicking here and entering my name).
Finding an individual lawyer is probably the trickier part. Most people will seek out referrals from their realtor or mortgage broker, or friends and family, which allows you to find someone who has been vetted by someone you trust.
