Average Litigation Attorney Salary in Canada for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Litigation Attorney salary for 2024 in Canada and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Canadian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the CAD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Litigation Attorney Make in Canada?

A Litigation Attorney working in Canada will typically earn around 294,300 CAD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 151,800 CAD to the highest average salary of 454,400 CAD.

Average Annual Salary
294,300 CAD
Average Monthly Salary
24,525 CAD

Lowest Annual Salary
151,800 CAD
Lowest Monthly Salary
12,650 CAD

Highest Annual Salary
454,400 CAD
Highest Monthly Salary
37,866 CAD

These are average salaries for a Litigation Attorney in Canada and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Litigation Attorney to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Litigation Attorney salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Litigation Attorney Salaries in Canada

So we've looked at the average salaries a Litigation Attorney will earn in Canada. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Litigation Attorney can earn between 151,800 CAD and 454,400 CAD on average in Canada. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Litigation Attorney in Canada is 286,400 CAD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 286,400 CAD, and 50% of the population earn more than 286,400 CAD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Litigation Attorney salary in Canada, 25% of the population are earning less than 195,500 CAD while 75% of the population earn more than 195,500 CAD.

75% of the population earn less than 364,700 CAD, and 25% of the population earn more than 364,700 CAD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Litigation Attorney Salary by Experience Level in Canada

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average litigation attorney salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Litigation Attorney in Canada that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 167,100 CAD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Litigation Attorney salary would increase to 218,100 CAD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Litigation Attorney, the average salary would be 308,400 CAD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 368,600 CAD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Litigation Attorney with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 401,300 CAD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Litigation Attorney with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 435,200 CAD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
167,100 CAD
2-5 Years +31%
218,100 CAD
5-10 Years +40%
308,400 CAD
10-15 Years +20%
368,600 CAD
15-20 Years +9%
401,300 CAD
20+ Years +8%
435,200 CAD

Litigation Attorney Salary by Education Level in Canada

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Litigation Attorney in Canada based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Litigation Attorney in Canada with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 199,700 CAD.

  • Master's Degree. A Litigation Attorney in Canada with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 295,400 CAD.

  • PhD. A Litigation Attorney in Canada with a phd education can earn an average salary of 428,400 CAD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree
199,700 CAD
Master's Degree +49%
295,400 CAD
PhD +45%
428,400 CAD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Canada is around 49,800 to 149,000 CAD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Litigation Attorney Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Canada, a male litigation attorney will earn an average of 300,500 CAD, while a female litigation attorney will earn around 286,100 CAD.

This means that a male litigation attorney earns approximately 5% more than a female litigation attorney for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Canada

Male
300,500 CAD
Female -5%
286,100 CAD

Litigation Attorney Average Pay Raise in Canada

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Litigation Attorney in Canada is around 13% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Canada is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 10%

What this means is that a Litigation Attorney in Canada can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 10% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Canada for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Canada.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
2%
Energy
4%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
8%
Travel
1%
Construction
3%
Education
5%

Litigation Attorney Bonus and Incentive Rates in Canada

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Litigation Attorney is a moderate bonus based job, with 60% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

40% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
60%
No Bonus
40%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Canada earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
123,000 CAD
Private Sector -6%
115,600 CAD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Litigation Attorney

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Litigation Attorney in Canada.

Job Title Category Salary
Administrative Law Judge Legal 320,500 CAD
Arbitrator Legal 152,700 CAD
Associate Attorney Legal 158,700 CAD
Attorney Legal 243,000 CAD
Bailiff Legal 71,200 CAD
Barrister Legal 60,100 CAD
Candidate Attorney Legal 128,400 CAD
Conciliator Legal 115,600 CAD
Contracts Associate Legal 79,600 CAD
Contracts Manager Legal 130,500 CAD
Contracts Negotiator Legal 114,600 CAD
Contracts Specialist Legal 74,500 CAD
Conveyancing Secretary Legal 60,700 CAD
Corporate Counsel Legal 172,200 CAD
Counsel Legal 175,200 CAD
Court Clerk Legal 54,200 CAD
Court Judicial Assistant Legal 88,600 CAD
Court Liaison Specialist Legal 107,300 CAD
Court Reporter Legal 86,100 CAD
Court Representative Legal 68,900 CAD
Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer Legal 336,800 CAD
General Counsel Legal 307,400 CAD
Immigration Executive Legal 167,100 CAD
In House Counsel Legal 175,200 CAD
Intellectual Property Specialist Legal 119,700 CAD
Judge Advocate Legal 245,600 CAD
Law Clerk Legal 51,800 CAD
Lawyer Legal 238,300 CAD
Legal Administrative Assistant Legal 60,100 CAD
Legal Advisor Legal 141,000 CAD
Legal Assistant Legal 61,700 CAD
Legal Associate Legal 114,900 CAD
Legal Consultant Legal 146,700 CAD
Legal Consultant Legal 148,300 CAD
Legal Counsel Legal 175,100 CAD
Legal Editor Legal 111,700 CAD
Legal Executive Legal 206,100 CAD
Legal Executive Secretary Legal 63,500 CAD
Legal IP Officer Legal 57,100 CAD
Legal Officer Legal 72,700 CAD
Legal Secretary Legal 64,600 CAD
Legal Services Director Legal 274,700 CAD
Legal Services Manager Legal 280,400 CAD
Legal Support Worker Legal 43,400 CAD
Legislative Liaison Legal 114,900 CAD
Litigation Paralegal Legal 151,800 CAD
Magistrate Judge Legal 360,200 CAD
Paralegal Legal 92,900 CAD
Patent Attorney Legal 167,100 CAD
Staff Attorney Legal 175,100 CAD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Canada, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Brampton 283,400 CAD
Calgary 308,200 CAD
Edmonton 303,600 CAD
Gatineau 272,800 CAD
Halifax 280,600 CAD
Hamilton 286,700 CAD
Kitchener 295,400 CAD
Markham 271,300 CAD
Mississauga 296,400 CAD
Montreal 324,100 CAD
Ottawa 300,500 CAD
Quebec 300,500 CAD
Regina 252,500 CAD
Richmond 265,800 CAD
Saskatoon 258,700 CAD
Surrey 296,400 CAD
Toronto 317,100 CAD
Vancouver 325,300 CAD
Vaughan 263,700 CAD
Windsor 257,700 CAD
Winnipeg 285,300 CAD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in Canada.

City Average Salary
Alberta 325,300 CAD
British Columbia 300,500 CAD
Manitoba 286,100 CAD
New Brunswick 283,400 CAD
Newfoundland-Labrador 272,900 CAD
Northwest Territories 304,300 CAD
Nova Scotia 283,500 CAD
Nunavut 310,200 CAD
Ontario 330,900 CAD
Prince Edward Island 254,400 CAD
Quebec 324,100 CAD
Saskatchewan 281,100 CAD
Yukon 255,000 CAD

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