Articling students at Davies now make more than first-year associates at most other Bay Street firms
On July 29, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP announced a raise to $2,250 per week for their articling students, substantially higher than McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s raise to $1,900 per week and Torys LLP’s raise to $1,700 per week earlier this summer. Davies is expected to keep their tuition bonus for articling students; the firm has traditionally not offered a bar study stipend.
However, McCarthy’s cut benefits typically offered at “Bay Street” firms, that is, the tuition bonus and bar study stipend, which effectively lowers their raise to the equivalent of $1,700 per week, the same as most Bay Street firms.
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP raised their articling salaries to $1,800 per week while retaining those benefits that McCarthy’s cut, leaving Fasken paying the third highest articling salary, including benefits, after Davies and Bennett Jones LLP. Bennett Jones has kept their benefits for articling students.
At Davies, articling students will now make more than first-year associates at almost all Bay Street firms on an annualized basis, excluding bonuses; $2,250 per week represents an annualized salary of $117,000. Most Bay Street firms pay their first-year associates $110,000. Davies pays their first-year associates a market-leading $130,000.
A spokesperson for Davies could not be reached for comment.
Bay Street firms have now fragmented with respect to articling pay; a majority matched Torys’ raise to $1,700 per week. Most have kept their articling student benefits.
Firms paying articling students $2,250 per week
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Firms paying articling students $1,900 per week
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Firms paying articling students $1,850 per week
Bennett Jones LLP
Firms paying articling students $1,800 per week
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Firms paying articling students $1,700 per week
Aird & Berlis LLP
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Dentons Canada LLP
DLA Piper (Canada) LLP
Fogler, Rubinoff LLP
Glaholt LLP
Goodmans LLP
Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP
Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP
Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP
McMillan LLP
Miller Thomson LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein LLP
Polley Faith LLP
Rae Christen Jeffries LLP
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP
Stikeman Elliott LLP
Torkin Manes LLP
Torys LLP
WeirFoulds LLP
Wildeboer Dellelce LLP
This story is developing and we will update this article if and when firms announce raises. Did your firm raise student salaries? Email us at [email protected].
This piece was last updated September 7, 2019.
