THE LAWYERS WEEKLY
December 3, 2010 | 23
BUSINESS
CAREERS
Small law firm
2011
$94,500 – $148,750
2.5%
Small/mid-size law firm
$116,750 – $165,000
4.2%
Mid-size law firm
$134,500 – $196,250
3.9%
Large law firm
$178,000 – $259,250
1.3%
2010
Small law firm
$92,000 – $14,250
Small/mid-size law firm
Mid-size law firm
Large law firm
$111,250 – $159,250
$130,750 – $187,500
$174,500 – $257,000
Salary range
Licensed lawyer 4–9 years experience
2011
Small law firm
$65,500 – $120,250
3.1%
Small/mid-size law firm
$77,000 – $148,750
3.9%
Mid-size law firm
$96500 – $183,250
4.0%
Large law firm
$120,000 – $225,500
0.5%
2010
Small law firm
Small/mid-size law firm
Mid-size law firm
Large law firm
$63,000 – $117,250
$74,250 – $143,000
$92,750 – $176,250
$119,750 – $224,000
Salary range
Law firm definitions
Large law firm — 75+ lawyers
Mid-size law firm — 35–75 lawyers
Small/mid-size law firm — 10–35 lawyers
Small law firm — up to 10 lawyers
Licensed lawyer 1– 3 years experience
2011
Small law firm
$53,000 – $77,500
2.8%
Small/mid-size law firm
$67,500 – $94,750
3.8%
Midsize law firm
$67,750 – $104,750
2.5%
Large law firm
$85,750 – $118,000
1.5%
2010
Small law firm
Small/mid-size law firm
Mid-size law firm
Large law firm
$51,750 – $75,250
$65,500 – $90,750
$62,250 – $103,000
$84,000 – $116,750
Salary range
First-year associate
2011
Small law firm
$48,000 – $65,250
0.9%
Small/mid-size law firm
$63,250 – $68,500
0.8%
Mid-size law firm
$64,000 – $77,500
1.1%
Large law firm
$81,750 – $89,000
0.7%
2010
Small law firm
Small/mid-size law firm
Mid-size law firm
Large law firm
$47,750 – $64,500
$63,000 – $67,750
$63,250 – $76,750
$81,000 – $88,500
Salary range
More information on the 2011 salary guide is available online at:
www.roberthalflegal.com/salarycenter
The growth potential of small-town law
LAW21
Concern runs deep among
law societies and bar associations about the greying of the
Bar outside major urban centers, and for good reason.
Small-town Canada’s population is declining slowly, but the
lawyer population is dropping
much faster. Law society studies in B.C. and Ontario have
shown the typical small-town
lawyer is older than average
and has few if any junior partners to whom the practice can
be passed.
JORDAN
FURLONG
Legitimate access-to-justice
issues are raised if communities
are bereft of lawyers, or if legal
help is several hours’ drive away.
There are even worries that governments will step in to remove
our regulatory monopoly over
legal services if lawyers collectively refuse to serve smaller
towns. Projects like the B.C.-CBA’s (Canadian Bar Association) Rural Education and
Access to Lawyers (REAL)
initiative are a good step towards
addressing this problem.
But I sometimes think that,
counter-intuitively, we might
be on the verge of a renaissance
in small-town lawyering. Com-
bine a new generation with dif-
ferent values, the effects of a
slow and difficult economic
recovery, and a probable sea
change in how large firms
recruit and hire new associates,
and we could be looking at an
unexpected turnaround in law-
yer migration patterns.
