Legal job market in Canada, earnings, and future of the profession

[hellohi]

Hello all, I am a prospective law student trying to gain a better understanding of the legal profession in Canada. Becoming a lawyer has always been something that interested me, but I know it certainly isn't the only profession that would bring me satisfaction and meaning. I have finished my undergrad with strong grades but I have not written my LSAT. Before potentially writing my LSAT and preparing to apply to law school, I was hoping to better understand the current circumstances of the Canadian legal profession, including employment rates, salaries, work life balance etc.  

After searching around the internet, it appears that the legal market is quite saturated and becoming increasingly competitive. It seems as though the American legal market is more saturated than it's Canadian counterpart, although neither of them are what they once were. For the US, I have heard that going to a prestigious T20 school is generally needed to be safe in securing a relatively sought after position unless you want to work in a rural or less populated area. I understand a similar trend is occurring in Canada to some extent (for instance, going to a prestigious school matters for big law) although it is not quite as dire. Big markets like Toronto and Vancouver are more saturated/competitive, but they are also the regions where Canadian Big Law is based according to my research. I've also heard of many recent law graduates failing to find articling positions and that starting salaries are often quite poor for the amount of hours worked. There is also apparently a large demand for certain types of lawyers, but many clients can't foot the bill. A lagging economy, outsourcing, and increased law school graduates are all contributing factors.

Please forgive me if my information is inaccurate, I am still quite new to seriously considering all of this. I'm not sure how reliable my sources are, but if anyone has any recommendations for resources to keep up with the state of the Canadian legal market on a national or regional basis, that would be much appreciated. Here are some sources I used for my information and conclusions: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/despair-ahead-millennial-lawyers-and-the-legal-job-market/270546 | https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/Podcasts/Transcripts/COVID-19-and-Job-Market-Prospects-for-Young-Lawyer | https://www.cba.org/Publications-Resources/Podcasts/Transcripts/COVID-19-and-Job-Market-Prospects-for-Young-Lawyer | https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2017/07/22/how-foreign-and-domestic-law-graduates-can-compete-in-a-tight-legal-market/?sh=5a4c65fd335 | https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/fruitful-market-for-legal-jobs-says-survey/276182 (This source goes against the others saying that the legal market is looking up although it's merely based on a survey. I didn't want to exclude it because confirmation bias lol)| https://heqco.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Labour-Market-Trends-and-Outlooks-for-Regulated-Professions-in-Ontario.pdf | https://precedentjd.com/news/are-there-too-many-lawyers/

My biggest hesitation with pursuing law is that I would lose a ton of time and money only to struggle to find a job or pay off my debt. The bottom line is that I ultimately would not want to pursue law if the profession has become too saturated for new grads or if many law grads cannot find work or reasonably pay off debt. Is the legal job market and the earning potential of Canadian lawyers reasonable given the amount of time and money involved, forecasted economic conditions, saturation etc.? How does this vary based on region, area of practice, and other factors?

 

 

 

[Avatar Aang]

Instead of reading random Internet articles, go directly to the source and look at the hiring numbers on Ultra Vires - http://ultravires.ca/2021/05/toronto-summer-2021-2l-recruit-numbers/. This is only for Toronto and most of these positions are in business law, so if this is what you want to do, then you are in luck. However, I am also wondering why you think you're going to find satisfaction, meaning, etc. in Biglaw? I have never heard anyone say that they have always wanted to be a corporate lawyer. Most people just fall into it because of the formal recruitment in law school, allure of money and working for sophisticated clients, etc., but this isn't some lifelong dream people have when going to law school. If you just want to work in the corporate field, do an MBA or technical master's degree instead. 

Why would Biglaw only be situated in Toronto and Vancouver? You don't think corporations, high-net-worth individuals and institutions in Calgary or Montreal need lawyers? Go on the website of a Biglaw firm and look at where their offices are located.   

No one outside of Ontario will care that you went to U of T or Osgoode for the most part. Even in Ontario, it doesn't matter much for most jobs as Ottawa grads place well in the Ottawa Biglaw market, and Queen's and Western place well in the Toronto Biglaw market alongside U of T and Osgoode. Ryerson also performed well in their first year of running in the 1L recruit, so people are optimistic about its future. Not everyone wants to work in Biglaw either as people have varied interests such as criminal, family, personal injury, insurance defence, immigration, labour and employment, health, environmental, indigenous, wills, trusts, and estates, etc.

The Calgary Biglaw market hires mostly from Calgary and Alberta, and Vancouver from UBC and UVic. Every region in Canada has its own law school/s to service them. We don't have 200+ law schools here; we have 20 common law schools. Ontario has 8 law schools, but again, not everyone wants to work in the same locations and in the same areas of law. The market is saturated with NCA candidates and foreign trained lawyers, but no one attending a Canadian law school should view this cohort as their competition as Canadian employers have an obvious preference for those that studied law in Canada. Moreover, you will have to compete with qualified candidates in every field and should not be afraid of competition. 

The real estate market is saturated, but I don't see this stopping anyone from getting their license and selling homes. Law is an entrepreneurial field at the end of the day. When you are called to the bar, you are given a license to practice law. Many lawyers are sole practitioners (this is only recommended if you know what you are doing and have good training and mentorship), or work in small firm settings. As long as there are people and institutions needing legal advice, there will be a need for lawyers. It is up to you to market yourself accordingly for the field you want to go into. 

Be clear on how much debt you are looking to take on (as there are cheaper law school outside of Ontario), which area/s of law you want to pursue, in which locations you want to work, and how much money you are expecting to make. Whether the money is worth it is entirely dependent on the individual. Many of my peers working in the corporate field don't think it is worth it for the amount of hours they work, but my peers working in the public interest or practicing criminal law are the opposite (these are also some of the most competitive jobs to land). They tend to find more passion in their work and so the money is worth it.  

If you didn't go to law school, what are your alternative options? Are you currently employed in a decent career making good money or have the potential to make good money, or are you in an entry-level position? Do you have a practical degree, or are you an arts or pure sciences major? You'll get better advice if you be more direct about your personal situation, as opposed to asking people here to make guesses about the legal profession as a whole 5-10 years in the future. At the end of the day, law is a client service profession and people will always need lawyers and this isn't something that can be automated with technology. The job market may be saturated and competitive, but it is up to you to make yourself an attractive candidate to employers. Attending a Canadian law school is a good start. Once you get there, things start falling into place as you learn the law, participate in extracurriculars and clinical programs, network with employers, and apply for jobs. You have jobs laid out to you through multiple formal recruitment processes. Even if you could not secure a job, there is always the Law Practice Program which will get you called to the bar. How much more security do you need than this? If you are looking for guarantees, there are none.

[SlytherinLLP]

There's almost nothing else to add to the excellent and exhaustive response above, other than to emphasize that you don't have to have everything figured out now.

I wouldn't worry about the state of the legal market (which is hot at the present) or job prospects. You'll face the same challenges in almost any industry.

If you want peace of mind talk to lawyers or law students to understand what studying/practicing law is like and if it is something you would be interested in doing. If it is, everything else will fall into place as you go through the process.