I applied through the London visa office and have lived here in Toronto for the entire duration of the process; you don't need to leave Canada to apply Outland! Inland is an utter nightmare now and for almost all cases Outland is the obvious choice. Can't believe your lawyer advised you to apply Inland
But you know your situation best, if you're not in a hurry to get your PR then remaining on implied status may work fine for you. But keep in mind that if you leave the country, even for a week on holiday or something, you lose your implied status!
