An overriding theme has emerged from Canadian Lawyer’s detailed analysis of NextGen Lawyers 2024: a disconnection in values and priorities between industry leaders and firm partners and a significant number of their younger, salaried employees
Survey Analysis Report
An overriding theme has emerged from Canadian Lawyer’s detailed analysis of NextGen Lawyers 2024: a disconnection in values and priorities between industry leaders and firm partners and a significant number of their younger, salaried employees.
This nationwide survey canvassed the views of a range of industry professionals with varying degrees of seniority and a mix of practice areas such as litigation, family law, criminal, and intellectual property.
The respondents encapsulate a diverse cross-section of Canada’s legal sector with a mix of ethnic backgrounds and genders.
CL’s association partners were:
Legal recruitment experts consulted were:
This report explores the changing values and priorities of lawyers in Canada, particularly between younger professionals and older generations, including Baby Boomers, who are often in leadership roles. The survey reveals a significant gap between the expectations of firm partners and the desires of younger lawyers, which is reflected in key areas like compensation, work-life balance, and career aspirations.
The analysis highlights the younger generation’s preference for a better work-life balance, a less rigid billable hours model, and more meaningful work, often aligning with their values and interests. Younger lawyers also express a desire for greater autonomy and decision-making power, particularly within the firm culture. In contrast, those in older generations, who are often accustomed to traditional work models, prioritize long-term stability and career security, sometimes at the cost of personal life.
These generational differences will continue to impact the legal profession and could spur the implementation of significant structural changes. Ultimately, the report aims to shed light on these evolving perspectives and encourage a dialogue between generations within the legal field to bridge the gap and foster a more sustainable and fulfilling work environment for all.
Shaped by the Great Depression and World War II, traditionalists are known for their loyalty, dependability, and preference for hierarchy. Valuing respect and recognition, they appreciate personal communication, such as handwritten notes, and see age as equating to seniority.
Boomers are competitive, work-driven, and value personal achievement after paying their dues. As of 2021, they represent less than 25 percent of the Canadian population, declining due to aging. Many continue to work past retirement age, contributing to increasing demands on healthcare and pension systems.
Generation X is flexible, independent, and values diversity and work-life balance. Despite facing economic challenges early in their careers, they now make up a significant portion of startup founders. Gen X prioritizes efficient communication and personal fulfillment over company loyalty.
Millennials are competitive, open-minded, and civically engaged. They prioritize growth, development, and work-life balance and often communicate through digital platforms. By 2025, they are expected to make up 75 percent of the global workforce and could surpass Baby Boomers in population by 2029.
Digital natives, Generation Z is entrepreneurial, values diversity, and prefers communication through social media and instant messaging. This generation seeks personalization, creativity, and innovation in the workplace and is projected to surpass both Baby Boomers and Millennials in population by 2045.
Millennials and Gen Z comprise the up-and-coming next generations and leaders of the workforce and will dictate the tenor and tone of the future of Canada’s legal landscape.
Millennials rank the lowest in job satisfaction, with only 46 percent expressing contentment, compared to Gen X (66 percent), Boomers (56 percent), and Gen Z (52 percent). Rather than mere satisfaction, this generation prioritizes professional development and purpose. Gallup reports that 52 percent of Millennials value career advancement over salary, with 65 percent choosing employers based on progression opportunities. Preferred development includes strong mentorship (28 percent) and role changes to gain broad experience (21 percent).
Flexibility is key for this generation, with many ranking it as the top factor for job satisfaction. Additionally, 70 percent place significant emphasis on flexible paid time off and vacation time. Mental health support is also a priority, with 56 percent of Millennials viewing it as essential, more than any other generation. This focus reflects increasing awareness around mental health conditions like depression and anxiety, which contribute significantly to global productivity losses.
Gen Z, comprising 25 percent of the global workforce, is highly values-driven, focusing on issues like diversity and climate change. They are twice as likely as other generations to have side hustles, seeing work primarily to support fulfillment outside the office. This generation is demanding in terms of work flexibility, with over 50 percent having relocated due to remote work opportunities.
Mental health and overall wellness benefits are also critical, with 53 percent considering these offerings important. Additionally, Gen Z expects employers to provide paid time off for charitable activities, although this benefit is often underutilized. Employers navigating this generation’s preferences must balance profit imperatives with Gen Z’s emphasis on corporate social responsibility.
The Federation of Law Societies of Canada, representing the nation’s 14 law societies, offers a comprehensive overview of the legal profession’s landscape in its latest Statistics Report (Federation Statistics Report 2022).
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Years as members of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada
Number of law firms in Canada
The long-held assumption that lawyers have their eyes set on becoming partners is no longer true for a majority of practitioners, according to CL’s data.
A combined 39 percent of legal professionals reported to be extremely or very interested.
However, even more revelatory is that partners believed the figure to be far higher at 59 percent.
Joan Rataic-Lang, executive director and library director of the Toronto Lawyers Association, says, “My first law firm job was in 1988, and it seemed to me back then everybody wanted to be a partner. Even in the early 2000s, when there was somebody who didn't want to be a partner and just wanted to be an associate, we were still taken aback.”
Industry expert and Robert Half vice president of legal practice group Stacy Manton has noticed developments in this area too.
“Some people just don’t see themselves being a partner in a law firm full stop. They see working as legal counsel in a company as a better fit,” he says. “There are some partners who don’t want to be a partner only because of the onerous business development requirements. It’s a difficult transition to make for lawyers who did limited business development to then meeting business development expectations at the partner level.”
And offering a possible solution to the issue of legal professionals not seeking to become partners, Manton adds, “Law firms can offer more opportunities for counsel positions, which are positions with lower billable hour targets and a significantly less of an emphasis on business development.”
Recruitment professional Megan Gallagher, a senior consultant with Robert Walters specializing in recruiting senior legal professionals, says, “A lot of young and ambitious lawyers are realizing their careers can be just as fulfilling and successful with a move in-house. I believe this is across the board and not just a Canadian issue. Work-life balance remains a top priority for young professionals, and the reality is if you want to be a partner at a law firm, you will have to make sacrifices, and younger generations aren’t willing to do this as much.”
In addition, she feels the difference relates to long-term security.
“Boomers, like their younger counterparts, value financial stability and compensation,” Gallagher says. “However, their perspective on a career [in] law extends beyond immediate gains. For boomers, law represents a secure and enduring career path. They view it as a long-term commitment, emphasizing job security alongside financial rewards. While millennials and Gen Z prioritize other factors, boomers appreciate the stability that a career in law offers.”
This disparity between the report’s two groups is again underlined in incentive structures.
For legal professionals, the least appealing initiatives are bonuses. For example, 58 percent stated they were not at all or not very likely to willingly sacrifice their base salary in exchange for a bonus related to billable hours. However, 47 percent of partners stated their firm offers this as an incentive, and it is the most common incentive, too.
“I think what we’re seeing is a gap, where they don’t understand each other; hence, you have responses where the partners don’t even know that their associates don’t want to be partners or go after billable hours bonuses,” says Rataic-Lang. “There’s this stratified existence in firms where people suppose and put their thoughts and values on those below them, without even asking.”
Another extension of this is displayed by the 40 percent of legal professionals willing to sacrifice a portion of their total income for a better work-life balance. Only 11 percent feel the same about working on more prominent cases. Yet 62 percent of partners reported it as extremely or very important to offer associates the chance to work on more prominent cases.
Rataic-Lang adds, “It shows a disinclination from associates to put their lives on the line for the job. They know more prominent cases mean more time and effort. There’s a lot of ego involved in that, and maybe we’re just seeing less ego now.”
The clear majority of associates would be willing to sacrifice income for a profit-sharing plan or equity in the firm, with 63 percent and 72 percent of respondents, respectively, agreeing. This suggests that they value being part of the decision-making process and feeling empowered within their organization.
“The associates want to be valued, appreciated and play an important role, not just have work assigned to them and be expected to do it without comment or question,” says Rataic-Lang.
This is echoed by Victoria Pileggi, associate at Paterson MacDougall LLP and board member of Young Women in Law, who adds, “Perhaps young lawyers are aspiring to be in those leadership positions because that's the only way they are going to have autonomy over their careers.”
Another trend is the difference in acceptance of the billable hours model, with younger professionals being less inclined to want to follow it, another factor in their decisions not to seek partnership.
This goes hand in hand with the idea of connecting the job to being deskbound; Pileggi feels it indicates that the billable hours model may not be optimal for modern society.
In her view, an underlying assumption that supports the billable model is that it has been based on typical gender roles. “It's predominantly men who had wives at home to take care of their children and to do all the housework, meaning they could stay at the office until very late and be in the office early in the morning.”
Gallagher feels adapting the model would pay dividends and ensure younger lawyers want to reach partnership. She notes that this is a regular issue she encounters when dealing with clients and candidates.
“If the current system would be revised to adapt to the current world of working, it would encourage a lot more young lawyers to consider chasing partnerships,” says Gallagher. “Adopting somewhat of a more modern-day approach or perhaps having bigger teams to share the workload could incentivize more young professionals to join and have their careers in private practice. Adapting to this new way of working is crucial for succession planning and retention.”
In keeping with the theme, this section of the report also displays a chasm between the two respondent groups.
Among junior legal professionals, 11 percent wish to be fully remote, whereas 14 percent would like to be in the office five days a week. Preferences among partners and leadership are much more skewed toward in-office work, with just 3 percent preferring to be fully remote compared to 37 percent who would prefer to be fully in the office.
Focusing on remote working, only 15 percent of partners feel their team is much more or somewhat more productive when out of the office, while 52 percent of junior legal professionals reported that remote work gives them a boost in productivity.
This interlinks to the idea of connecting the job to being deskbound, and Pileggi feels it indicates that the billable hours model is non-optimal for modern society.
“There are certain older generations that believe that no other models should exist because they see it as a results-driven business,” she says. “However, that billable model has been based on very gendered roles. It’s predominantly men who had wives at home to take care of their children and to do all the housework, meaning they could stay at the office until very late and be in the office early in the morning.”
“The legal professionals are more adaptable and more willing to change. With that comes work-life balance, as there’s a good chance they are the people raising kids and have other responsibilities, so working from home makes sense,” adds Rataic-Lang. “Whereas the leadership wants them in the office, so maybe they’ve forgotten what it’s like to have a family or, in many cases, weren’t involved in some aspects of their family life.”
Partners placed more emphasis on working on high-profile cases than their employees. The situation was reversed for working outside of the core practice area.
When legal professionals were questioned about staff having equal access to opportunities, regardless of race and gender, 41 percent strongly agreed and 25 percent somewhat agreed that their workplaces were free from such discrimination. The partners were far more confident, with 75 percent alone strongly agreeing and an additional 16 percent somewhat agreeing.
This difference extends to gender and diversity inequalities. Ironically, when asked about how important it is that policies are in place to address gender and racial inequities in the workplace, both groups were broadly in agreement. Where the clear difference was apparent was when this was extended to looking at how effective an organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies are. A total of 46 percent of leadership and partners felt it was extremely or very effective, and only 28 percent of professionals felt the same.
Canadian law school enrollment is down 5.2 percent from 2024 to 2025. Compared to two years ago, current-year applicants are up 7.6 percent.
The law school applicant pool skews significantly female, comprising 59 percent of the 2025 applicant pool. The ratio of female applicants was consistent with prior years, where female law school applicants represented 59 percent, 57 percent, and 55 percent of the 2024, 2023, and 2022 incoming classes, respectively.
The majority of the data points and differences reaffirm there is a fault line within the industry.
The younger and more junior professionals seek different things and prioritize other matters, compared to leadership and partners.
With four generations – Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z – in the workforce, it seems likely that this divergence will continue unless there is structural change.
Gallagher says, “There is a huge mindset shift from boomers to Millennials and Gen Z, and being a ‘workaholic’ who might have to sacrifice other aspects of life to meet these expectations is not as attractive as it once was. Millennials and Gen Z want to work hard and have successful careers but value having a healthy work-life balance far more than boomers.”
And for the younger professionals, it’s clear to Gallagher what motivates them.
She says, “I think the biggest driver for Millennials and Gen Z deciding to have a career in law comes down to two key things: money and family. Post-COVID, the market was incredibly competitive, and salaries on offer were at an all-time high. While this has somewhat levelled off, the average base salary for a two- to three-year-called lawyer is around $130-170k CAD. Family also has a big influence. It’s quite a common field to keep in the family and very normal for young professionals who have parents who are lawyers to pursue the same path.”
Manton also shares their insight on the difference in ambitions.
“I believe boomers were more motivated by compensation, making a good living, and working for a respectable organization.”
And he adds, “Young lawyers are motivated by doing the type of work that aligns with their values and interests, as well as working in law firms that also align with their values and interests. Young lawyers seem to seek out meaning more so than the older generations.”
This theme is echoed within the industry due to the issue of differing demographics and ambitions.
“Right now, we’re at a crux. We’ve got four generations in the workforce, and they’re kind of diametrically opposed in what they value. That’s why we’re seeing this division,” says Rataic-Lang. “The role model of management in the firms is still that workaholic attitude, and the others don’t aspire to that. Maybe in 20 years’ time, this will be different when the culture in firms has changed, but that’s if we see a change, as the younger ones are saying, ‘If being a managing partner means 2,500 billable hours, I don’t want to do it’.”
This division shown by CL’s data is of no surprise to Pileggi and connects to her work at Young Women in Law.
She adds, “This data corroborates and substantiates some of the things that we have tried to advocate for at Young Women in Law being equity and diversity, mental health awareness, and mentorship. The results from this study indicate that there is a shift in the young lawyers’ mindset for a balanced life. Millennials and other younger generations are pushing against the status quo, and you see that in the results. But I don’t think there's any malicious intent from the partners, it's more just what they're used to, so they're going to lean into it.”
The Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA) is one of the largest specialty legal organizations in Canada, with more than 1,800 members. We are a voice for criminal justice and civil liberties in Canada. Our advice and perspective is sought by all levels of government and the judiciary on issues relating to legislation and the administration of criminal justice. We also assist our members in every aspect of the practice of criminal litigation. The Association is not-for-profit and is governed by an executive and board of directors elected by the membership. Our current President is Daniel Brown.
CLA develops and hosts continuing education programs for criminal law practitioners and offers the most comprehensive annual criminal defence law conference in Canada. The three day convention and education program each fall includes leading counsel and lecturers from Canada and elsewhere. The highlight of each convention is the presentation of the G. Arthur Martin Criminal Justice Medal for an outstanding contribution to criminal justice. G. Arthur Martin was Canada’s greatest criminal advocate before he became a leading jurist with the Ontario Court of Appeal.
The Hellenic Canadian Lawyers’ Association (HCLA) maintains a reliable network of lawyers, judges, and law students of Hellenic origin. In addition to creating professional opportunities, this network serves as a platform for members to knowledge share.
The HCLA provides and participates in ongoing educational programs, seminars, and courses with a view to promote legal education in the Hellenic Canadian community.
The HCLA works to create, stimulate, and increase public awareness of matters relating to the Hellenic Canadian community.
The Ontario Bar Association (OBA), a branch of the CBA, represents close to 16,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across the province. Approximately two-thirds of all practicing lawyers in Canada belong to the CBA.
The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) is the leader and voice of Canada’s legal profession.
An essential ally and advocate for members of the legal profession, we promote fair justice systems, facilitate effective law reform, uphold equality in the legal profession and are devoted to eliminating discrimination.
We are also the premiere provider of quality professional development and information to members of the legal profession.
The South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA-NA) seeks to strengthen the rapidly growing South Asian legal community with a recognized and trusted forum for professional growth and development, and promotes the civil rights and access to justice for the South Asian community.
With 29 chapters throughout the United States and Canada, our attorneys work in all areas of the law, including large law firms, in-house counsel, government attorneys, and solo practitioners. Our bar hosts an Annual Conference, annual Lobby Day and numerous other successful programs throughout the year.
SABA North America is proud to be the voice of the South Asian legal community in North America.
For over 130 years, the Toronto Lawyers Association has represented the interests of lawyers practicing in the City of Toronto. The TLA operates the Courthouse Library, one of the largest private law library collections in Canada, and supports our members through three pillars: KNOWLEDGE, ADVOCACY, COMMUNITY.
Our state-of-the-art legal Library at 361 University Ave. provides an extensive collection of printed and electronic sources of legal information. It is staffed by professional librarians to assist clients with legal research. We also have available equipment such as computers, photocopiers and other office equipment for use by lawyers attending court in the vicinity.
While involved in innumerable community activities, the Association represents our members to the Ontario bench and bar, to all levels of government and to the public at large. We participate in charitable events, liaise with other professional lawyers' associations, provide educational mock trials at local public schools and sit on committees related to legal and courthouse issues.
Whether you are a new call looking for a place to start, or a seasoned lawyer looking for something meaningful and rewarding to supplement your day to day practice, members of the TLA are afforded an abundance of opportunities to get involved in their legal, local and social communities.
Young Women in Law (YWL) is a not-for-profit organization that aims to provide young women lawyers in their early stages of practice with a platform and the tools to connect with other lawyers, enhance their skills and give back to their community. YWL also provides support to young women lawyers as they navigate the early stages of their career, seek to make career transitions and strive to balance work with their personal life.
YWL hosts several networking events throughout the year to provide our members with opportunities to meet and establish connections with other YWL members, develop and enhance life and career skills, and get special access to conferences and deals offered by our strategic partners.
