What is the salary of a masters degree in law in Canada?
Asked by: Dr. Amani McGlynn | Last update: February 16, 2026Score: 4.2/5 (26 votes)
Salaries for Master of Laws (LLM) graduates in Canada vary widely, with typical starting ranges from CAD $60,000 to $100,000, but can reach over $110,000+ for specialized roles in corporate or IP law, depending heavily on location (Toronto, Vancouver pay more), experience, and firm size, with some senior lawyers earning much more.
What is the salary of an LLM in Canada?
Depending on factors such as specialisation, location, and level of experience, the average starting salary for LLM graduates in Canada typically ranges from CA$60,000 to CA$100,000 annually. Major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, which have high demand for legal professionals, often offer higher salaries.
What jobs pay $500,000 a year in Canada?
Jobs paying $500k a year in Canada are typically high-level executive, specialized medical, top-tier finance/law/tech roles, or highly successful entrepreneurs/salespeople, including roles like CEOs, surgeons (cardiologists, neurosurgeons), investment bankers, chief financial officers (CFOs), and senior software engineers at major firms, often with substantial bonuses or commissions.
What is the highest paid type of lawyer in Canada?
Tax Lawyers
Senior tax associates often earn in the $200,000 to $250,000 range, while partners can make $400,000 to $600,000 in strong years. Tax lawyers with a book of high-value corporate clients are among the most consistently high-paid professionals in the country.
How long is a Master's in law in Canada?
The Master of Laws (LLM) is a one-year degree program that provides students with an opportunity for more profound study beyond their first law degree. (Please note: the LLM program is an academic program and is not designed to meet National Committee on Accreditation [NCA] requirements.)
Top 10 UNIVERSITIES in CANADA With HIGHEST ACCEPTANCE for International Students (APPLY NOW)
Is an LLM better than a JD?
While a JD program provides the foundational knowledge you need to practice law, an LLM allows you to specialize in your specific area of interest and distinguish yourself in the legal market. Since an LLM allows you to dig deeper into specialized subject matter, it can also open up more job opportunities.
Do lawyers get paid well in Canada?
Salary: $130,000 to $170,000 per year
Whether you're handling civil and criminal cases, litigation and trial lawyers are some of the lawyers that make the most money.
What jobs pay $300,000 a year in Canada?
Jobs paying $300k+ in Canada are primarily in specialized fields like medicine (surgeons, cardiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, family physicians), senior executive roles (CEOs, VPs, high-level IT/Engineering Managers), and specialized finance/law, often requiring extensive experience, specialized skills (AI, software), and sometimes involving high-risk or remote work. Top earners in these areas, plus successful business owners/entrepreneurs and certain highly skilled trades/sales roles, can achieve this income.
Which field in law pays the most?
The most lucrative types of law generally involve high-stakes corporate matters, intellectual property (especially patents), and large-scale litigation like medical malpractice or securities law, with Patent Attorneys, Corporate Lawyers, and Intellectual Property Lawyers** often topping salary lists due to specialized skills and demand, alongside top-tier Big Law partners in transactional or litigation roles. While patent law requires a STEM background, corporate law involves M&A, tax, and securities, while litigation can yield huge contingency fees.
What jobs pay $200,000 a year in Canada?
Jobs paying $200k+ in Canada are common in Technology, Healthcare, Finance, and Law, including roles like Software Engineering Manager, Data Scientist, Anesthesiologist, Physician, Lawyer, and Senior Executives, with some high-earning potential in skilled trades (like union plumbers/electricians) and specialized sales/management roles. Experience, specialization, location (major cities), and demand for specific skills heavily influence salaries, with roles like Airline Pilot, Chief Marketing Officer, and Petroleum Engineer also frequently hitting this bracket.
How do Canadian salaries compare to the US?
According to Statistics Canada, the Canadian median income was $68,400 CAD in 2021, whereas in the same year, the US median income was $70,784 USD, according to the US Census. It doesn't look like a massive difference but keep conversion rates in mind — $68,400 CAD is equal to $50,348 in USD.
What job pays you $2 million a year?
Physician Dermatology - Competitive Salary
over 2 million in the United States.
What jobs are always in-demand in Canada?
Explore in-demand careers
- Education. Early childhood educators and assistants. ...
- Health care. Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations. ...
- Hospitality. Accommodation service managers. ...
- Skilled trades and construction. ...
- Technology and engineering.
Does LLM make you a lawyer?
No, an LLM (Master of Laws) doesn't make you a lawyer on its own; it's a postgraduate specialization for those who already have a law degree (like a JD in the U.S.) or for foreign-educated lawyers to gain U.S. qualifications, but you still need to pass the bar exam to practice. The standard path to becoming a lawyer in the U.S. involves a JD degree, followed by bar admission, while an LLM offers deeper expertise in areas like tax or international law, making you more competitive or eligible to take the bar in specific cases.
Which type of lawyer gets paid most?
The highest-paid lawyers are often in specialized fields like Patent Law, requiring science/engineering backgrounds, and Corporate Law, especially those advising major firms, plus Securities & Antitrust Lawyers, Medical Malpractice, and Intellectual Property (IP) Law, where high stakes and complex regulations drive huge incomes, particularly in BigLaw or in-house roles with bonuses.
What is the cheapest LLM program in Canada?
What are the cheapest LLM programs in Canada? The cheapest LLM courses are available at the University of Alberta and Dalhousie University. Both can be completed for under CAD 10,000 per year.
What is the wealthiest type of lawyer?
The richest types of lawyers are often specialists in high-stakes fields like Corporate Law, Intellectual Property (IP) & Patent Law, and Medical Malpractice/Personal Injury, especially those with science backgrounds or who handle massive litigation, with top earners often found in BigLaw or as successful plaintiffs' attorneys. While IP lawyers (especially patent attorneys with STEM degrees) command high fees for complex inventions, large corporate mergers, or complex personal injury settlements, overall wealth can also come from strategic business investments or big-ticket litigation.
Who are the Magic 5 lawyers?
The "Magic Circle" refers to five prestigious, London-headquartered law firms known for corporate law and high revenue: A&O Shearman, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters, and Slaughter and May. Coined by journalists in the 1990s, the term identifies these elite firms for their global reach, high-profile work, and significant financial success in the legal sector.
Which law is highest in demand?
Which law specialization is the most demanding in India? Corporate Law, Cyber Law, Intellectual Property Law, and Banking & Finance Law are the most demanding due to business growth and digital expansion.
What jobs pay $500,000 a year in Canada?
Jobs paying $500k a year in Canada are typically high-level executive, specialized medical, top-tier finance/law/tech roles, or highly successful entrepreneurs/salespeople, including roles like CEOs, surgeons (cardiologists, neurosurgeons), investment bankers, chief financial officers (CFOs), and senior software engineers at major firms, often with substantial bonuses or commissions.
What profession makes $400,000 a year?
Professions making $400,000 a year typically fall into medicine (specialized surgeons, anesthesiologists), law (partners in major firms), finance (investment banking, C-suite execs), big tech (senior engineers, executives), high-level sales (enterprise tech, medical devices), and executive leadership (CEOs), often requiring advanced degrees, specialized skills, and extensive experience, though top sales roles might bypass degree requirements for performance.
What type of lawyer makes the most money in Canada?
Top Earning Specializations
- Patent Attorneys. Patent attorneys consistently rank among the highest-paid legal professionals. ...
- Corporate Lawyers. ...
- Intellectual Property (IP) Attorneys. ...
- Trial Lawyers. ...
- Tax Attorneys.
How long is law school in Canada?
Law school is a three-year program, followed by 12 months of "Articling," where you work under the supervision of a practising lawyer and develop your lawyering skills.
What are the benefits of being a lawyer in Canada?
11 benefits of being a lawyer
- Variety of career options. As a lawyer, you can choose from several career options in the both public and private sectors. ...
- Starting your own business. ...
- Lucrative career. ...
- Intellectual stimulation. ...
- Flexibility. ...
- Adaptable skills. ...
- Ability to help others. ...
- Work environment.
What is the difference between a lawyer and attorney?
A lawyer is someone with a law degree, while an attorney is a lawyer who has passed the bar exam and is licensed to practice law and represent clients in court; therefore, all attorneys are lawyers, but not all lawyers are attorneys, a distinction that matters for courtroom advocacy. While "lawyer" refers to legal education, "attorney" signifies the official authorization (the license) to act as a legal representative in court, handle specific legal matters, and provide court-related services.