NALP Bulletin+
May 2025
In December 2024, NALP launched the inaugural Canadian Associate Salary Survey to study associate, summer student, and articling student compensation within Canadian law offices. By late February, 66 law offices across five provinces participated in the survey, and we are pleased to share the high-level findings from this new study with NALP members. For the purposes of this article, most salary figures have been rounded to the nearest $25 CDN and were reported as of January 1, 2025.
NALP's 2025 Canadian Associate Salary Survey report reveals that the overall median base salary for first-year associates called to the bar in 2024 was $115,000, although median salaries varied by city, ranging from a low of $97,000 in Ottawa to a high of $130,000 in Toronto. Median first-year salaries were also higher in offices of more than 100 lawyers ($130,000) and boutique law firms ($127,500). Beyond the first year, median base salaries increased with years of experience, topping out at $222,500 for associates called to the bar in 2017. For summer and articling students, the national median weekly salary was $1,550 for summer 1Ls, summer 2Ls, and 2024-2025 articling students; however, as with associate salaries, figures were higher in Toronto, where the median weekly salary for all three groups was $1,900. (See Table 1 and Charts 1-3).
The survey also collected data on associate performance bonuses paid in calendar year 2024. While median performance bonuses were generally lower for early career associates, the relationship between years of experience and bonuses did not follow the same clear upward trend that was observed with salaries. Median performance bonuses ranged from $7,925 for associates called to the bar in 2024 to $30,000 for associates called to the bar in 2017. (See Chart 4.)
There's much more to explore about Canadian lawyer compensation in NALP's full 2025 Canadian Associate Salary Survey report. The inaugural publication includes:
Order your copy of the 2025 Canadian Associate Salary Survey report in the NALP bookstore.
Read more about NALP's research on the Canadian legal market at www.nalp.org/canadian_legal_market. Learn more at www.nalp.org/research.
| Firm Size — Number of Lawyers in Canada | ||||||||
| 100 or Fewer | 101-300 | 301+ | All Sizes | |||||
| Year Called to Bar | Median | # Rept. | Median | # Rept. | Median | # Rept. | Median | # Rept. |
| 2025 | $110,000 | 11 | $115,000 | 19 | $110,000 | 23 | $110,000 | 53 |
| 2024 | 122,500 | 14 | 117,000 | 19 | 115,000 | 28 | 115,000 | 61 |
| 2023 | 133,500 | 14 | 135,000 | 20 | 132,500 | 29 | 135,000 | 63 |
| 2022 | 143,500 | 14 | 153,500 | 18 | 150,875 | 29 | 150,000 | 61 |
| 2021 | 162,000 | 14 | 166,500 | 18 | 171,750 | 29 | 170,000 | 61 |
| 2020 | 187,500 | 12 | 175,000 | 20 | 188,525 | 28 | 184,425 | 60 |
| 2019 | 200,500 | 12 | 185,325 | 14 | 209,275 | 26 | 201,500 | 52 |
| 2018 | 187,500 | 9 | 186,675 | 12 | 220,000 | 21 | 214,325 | 42 |
| 2017 | 176,500 | 10 | 192,500 | 9 | 233,750 | 24 | 222,500 | 43 |
| Summer Student and Articling Student ($/week) | ||||||||
| 1Ls (Class of 2027) | $1,725 | 6 | — | — | $1,550 | 17 | $1,550 | 31 |
| 2Ls (Class of 2026) | 1,625 | 15 | 1,550 | 18 | 1,550 | 23 | 1,550 | 56 |
| Articling students (2024-25) | 1,550 | 13 | 1,625 | 20 | 1,550 | 27 | 1,550 | 60 |
Note: All figures are based on average salaries reported by law offices. Salaries were reported as of January 1, 2025 or fiscal year 2025 if the firm set compensation slightly after this date. The “# Rept.” column indicates the number of offices reporting. For purposes of this summary report, medians have been rounded to the nearest $25. A dash indicates that fewer than five unique firms reported salary data.
