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COMPENSATION 63.7 per cent say they are planning to keep the same number of lawyers on staff . Only 2.3 per cent said they were planning to downsize. Th at was just one of the fi ndings of the 2010 Canadian Lawyer compen- C sation survey, which looked at the earnings, salaries, bonuses, and perks of- fered to Canadian lawyers working at law fi rms and companies' in-house legal departments. Th e survey was conducted online with the managing partner or chief legal offi cer from fi rms or in-house legal departments responding; 315 came from small fi rms or legal departments that had one to nine lawyers in the team, followed by 70 respondents from organizations staff ed with 10 to 49 lawyers. Th ere were only 18 respondents coming from legal teams of 50 law- yers or more. LAW FIRMS More than 83 per cent of respondent law fi rms reported 2009 annual gross revenue (before taxes and partner distribution) of under $5 million; 8.5 per cent had earnings between $5 and $10 million; and eight per cent had earnings over $10 million, including 3.2 per cent with earnings over $200 million. Last year was one of economic austerity, and it is not surprising that more than half of the fi rms polled, 57 per cent, did not give bonuses to their associates in 2009, while 43 per cent did. However the Canadian Lawyer compensation survey fi nds the earnings of partners did increase in 2009 compared to 2008, averaging about seven per cent. When it comes to compensation for partners, the 193 fi rms that provided information on the subject show that a large part of the respondents, 44 per cent, make between $51,000 and $150,000 per year with 22 per cent each in the ranges of $51,000 to $100,000 and $101,000 to $150,000. Seven per cent of the partners are in the highest pay bracket surveyed, $450,000 and up, while 9.7 per cent are in the lowest bracket, up to $50,000. Please see accom- panying tables and charts for full results. Looking at the compensation of associates, the median income pro- gressed with each year for experience, as is to be expected, starting nation- ally at $62,000 for those called to the bar in 2009 and going up to $100,000 for those called in 2002 and earlier. Th e sample size of 70 is made up of mostly smaller law fi rms. See the accompanying tables for more detailed numbers. www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com SEPTEMBER 2010 35 The 2010 Canadian Lawyer SURVEY anada's improving economic climate might be starting to translate into more jobs for small Canadian law fi rms, accord- ing to the latest compensation survey conducted by Canadian Lawyer. Of the 256 fi rms that answered the question, 34 per cent said they would hire more lawyers in the coming year and A majority of firms and legal departments will maintain or increase their number of lawyers in the coming year. BY ANDI BALLA