WHAT DO ARTICLING STUDENTS AND LAWYERS IN THE FEDERAL PUBLIC SECTOR EARN?

What are the Job Classifications for Articling Students and Lawyers?

What do Federal Lawyers Earn?

What do Articling students Earn?

What do LA-1s Earn?

What do LA-2s Earn?

What is the history of negotiations between the AJC and the Federal Government?

What Are the Job Classifications for Articling Students and Lawyers?

It is important that you understand how articling students and lawyers are classified.  In particular, a lawyer’s classification determines what his or her pay will be.  Similarly, a certain stature and level of responsibility goes with a classification.

Articling students and lawyers in the federal public sector are part of the LA Group.  It is common to hear articling students and lawyers referred to as “LAs.”  Articling students fall into the LA-DEV classification, whereas junior lawyers are in the LA-1 classification.  The vast majority of working level lawyers in the federal public sector are in the LA-2A classification, although some of our more experienced lawyers are at the LA-2B and LA-3 level.  The following table covers the classifications of most of our members:

As of May 10, 2009, the pay range for articling students (LA-DEV) in the federal public sector is $29,610 -  $67,144.  This pay range will rise to $30,054 - $68,151 on May 10, 2010.

As of May 10, 2009, the pay range for a junior lawyer at the LA-1 level will be $58,961 - $84,119.  This will rise to $59,845 - $85,381 on May 10, 2010.

Prior to recent pay increases, it has come to the AJC’s attention that LA-1 lawyers were earning as little as $55,000 per year.  This amount is $10,000 less per year than an articling student with the Province of Ontario would earn.

If an LA-1 lawyer were offered a mid-range salary of $72,000, that lawyer would easily reach the top of the pay range within four years, assuming a modest performance rating (providing a raise of 4.6% per year).

The Law Practice Model will mean that junior lawyers will spend 6-7 years at the LA-1 level before advancing to the LA-2A level.  Based on the foregoing scenario, an LA-1 lawyer would be stuck at the top of the pay range for 2-3 years before being able to advance to the LA-2A level.  The loss of earnings for this 2-3 year period will be substantial.

A Toronto LA-2A lawyer at the top of the pay range earns just 75% of what a comparable Ontario government lawyer would earn and an LA-2A from outside Toronto earn 66%.

On May 10, 2009, the pay range for an LA-2A lawyer was fixed at $81,692 - $117,236.  That pay range will change to $82,917 - $118,995 on May 10, 2010.

LA-2A lawyers in Toronto are paid a higher rate of pay in the range of $81,701 - $134,969.  On May 10, 2010, this pay range will rise to $82,927 - $136,994.

It is useful to put the pay of LA-2A lawyers in context.  An LA-2A lawyer employed outside of Toronto who is at the top of his/her pay range earns only 66% of what comparable public sector lawyers employed by the Province of Ontario earn.

Similarly, a Toronto LA-2A lawyer at the top of the pay range earns just 75% of what a comparable Ontario government lawyer would earn.

Our efforts to bring the pay of federal lawyers in line with lawyers doing the same work for the provinces was stifled.
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Treasury Board is the employer of federal public servants and represents the government in collective bargaining. The AJC began collective bargaining with Treasury Board in 2006. 

Treasury Board stonewalled and little progress was made in the negotiations from 2006 to 2009 on central issues such as pay.  The AJC was forced to move to mediation and then arbitration. 

            The government used the economic situation in late 2008 as an excuse to deny lawyers in the federal public sector the opportunity to have an arbitrator determine what a fair rate of pay would be for them.  Our efforts to bring the pay of federal lawyers in line with lawyers doing the same work for the provinces were stifled.

Potential salary gains were legislated away, even for the first year of negotiations (2006) when the government had a record surplus of close to $14 billion.