Lawyer salary in Canada by province

The median lawyer in Canada earns $59.76 an hour, roughly $124,000 a year for full-time work, according to the Government of Canada's Job Bank. Pay varies widely by province, employer, and experience: Alberta has the highest provincial median, and top Bay Street associates start at about $135,000 before bonuses.

Lawyer pay by province

Job Bank publishes hourly wages updated November 19, 2025, using a 2023–2024 reference period. We converted medians to annual figures at 2,080 hours a year (40 hours a week), so treat the annual column as an approximation. Source: Job Bank, lawyers (NOC 41101).

In Job Bank's data, "low" and "high" mark the typical range, not the absolute minimum or maximum. Wage data like this generally does not capture partners' profit shares.

Pay by year of call

Associate pay at law firms climbs steeply in the first several years. NALP's 2025 Canadian survey of 66 law offices found these medians as of January 1, 2025 (NALP).

First-year medians ranged from $97,000 in Ottawa to $130,000 in Toronto.

Bay Street pay

At the largest Toronto firms, first-year associates earn about $135,000 and seventh-years about $275,000 in base salary, following raises reported in early 2025 (The Globe and Mail). Bonuses come on top. See our Bay Street salary scale.

What shapes a lawyer's pay

• Employer type. Large national firms pay the most at junior levels. Government and legal aid roles usually start lower but often include defined-benefit pensions and more predictable hours.
• City. As NALP's medians show, Toronto pays more than Ottawa, and large firm markets pay more than smaller ones.
• Years of call. In NALP's data, median base pay roughly doubles between first-year and eighth-year associates.
• Practice setting. Employers in transactional and corporate practices at large firms generally pay at the top of the market.

How to read these numbers

Different sources measure different things, so they do not always agree. Keep these differences in mind before comparing a figure here with an offer you receive.

• Job Bank wages are hourly. They come from survey data across every kind of employer, including government, legal aid, sole practitioners, and large firms. Converting to an annual figure assumes 40 hours a week, which may not match your hours.
• NALP covers law firms only. Its medians reflect the 66 offices that took part, which lean toward larger firms. Small firms and in-house roles are not well represented.
• Base salary is not total pay. Bonuses, profit shares for partners, and benefits can add a large amount, and none of the hourly wage figures above capture them well.
• Data lags. Survey figures describe a past reference period. Raises since then, such as the 2025 Bay Street increase, may not appear yet.

Using salary data in your job search

Salary data is most useful as a range. When you assess an offer, compare it with the median for your province and your year of call, then adjust for the employer type and the hours involved. If you are moving between practice settings, such as from a firm to government or in-house, expect the base pay and the benefits to shift in different directions. A clear, accurate resume makes those conversations easier. See our lawyer resume format guide.