How much does a criminal lawyer earn in Canada? [CanadianLawyer Mag]

[Phaedrus]

Well, CanadianLawyer Magazine ran an article about it. They say the average is $50-120,000/yr. Sounds about right if you do some digging for government sector pay scales. 

Keep in mind it's hard to make a living off criminal alone, and most of the big name defence lawyers I know have other practices areas (usually civil litigation and/or personal injury). 

[BHC1]

While some of the charts cited in the article are helpful, the article comes off as if it was written by an AI.

Some of the information in it is so off, I’d be worried about anyone giving too much weight to the article:

”Public defenders or prosecutors are hired by the government through the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) or the provincial prosecution services. On the other hand, private law firms employ criminal lawyers in private practice.”

 

[Yogurt Baron]

21 hours ago, Phaedrus said:

They say the average is $50-120,000/yr.

 

1 hour ago, BHC1 said:

 the article comes off as if it was written by an AI.

Yeah, that pay range is big "in conclusion, Libya is a land of contrasts" energy.

[SNAILS]

That article is not helpful at all.

You'd be better off just looking at job ads online to get a sense of it.

Edited August 19, 2024 by SNAILS

[Phaedrus]

Here's some public sector reports and relevant job postings:

• British Columbia: Crown starts at $118,575
• Ontario (LAO): Starts at $90,187
• New Brunswick: CBC ran an article earlier this year. Crown starts at $57,000
• Nova Scotia: Crown and legal aid start at $82,830
• Newfoundland: Legal aid start at $80,452. Oddly, Crown starts lower at $78,875

I'm sure people can find information for the rest of the country. Anecdotally, a starting salary of $50,000 is on par for private firms on the east coast. Either that or it's eat what you kill on a fee-split. 

[AlanDershowitz]

Ontario MAG now starts at $105,000

[TommyBratton]

On 10/25/2024 at 2:38 PM, AlanDershowitz said:

Ontario MAG now starts at $105,000

As a 2024 call, while Bill 124 was repealed, I am not earning that much as an ACA. As of my last paycheck, it puts me at a hair under $100k.

[AlanDershowitz]

On 11/15/2024 at 2:53 PM, TommyBratton said:

As a 2024 call, while Bill 124 was repealed, I am not earning that much as an ACA. As of my last paycheck, it puts me at a hair under $100k.

The retropayments are scheduled for Mach 2025

[TommyBratton]

On 11/20/2024 at 10:19 AM, AlanDershowitz said:

The retropayments are scheduled for Mach 2025

Yes. I am not saying what you are saying is incorrect. I'm providing context of what MAG lawyers are currently making (i.e. what is actually hitting our bank accounts).