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money It's not all about the This year's Compensation Survey shows salaries fairly static, with increases and decreases in some areas, but law firms are definitely providing more non-monetary benefits. By Michael McKiernan I f money talks, then its voice got a little softer for associates in 2016, according to the results of Canadian Lawyer's annual Compensation Survey. Despite a 12-per-cent bump in salary to $73,000 from $65,000, the average new call still rakes in significantly less than the $80,000 peak set in 2014, according to the survey. Meanwhile, for lawyers two to six years out, median wages were largely static compared with 2015, and in fact slight cuts were more likely than incremental boosts to pay packets. At the other end of the experience spectrum, the median pay for associates with more than seven years under their belt continued on the downward trajectory established in the last few years, hitting $125,000, down from $130,000 in 2015, and even further below the $145,000 peak set in 2014. The results don't surprise Gene Roberts, the division leader at Robert Half Legal in Toronto, who says law firms have reacted to the changing desires of younger lawyers. "It's not all about salary any more," Roberts says. "That's still an important factor, but what we're seeing is more emphasis on things like longer parental leave, opportuni- ties for sabbaticals, and better benefit packages. Firms are realizing that work-life balance is very important." Roberts' suspicions are borne out elsewhere in the survey, where 56 per cent of respondents said they offered benefits, up from 40 per cent in 2015, while 55 per cent provided perks such as professional development and health club memberships, up from 46 per cent in 2015. Almost 10 per cent also said they sponsor a pension plan, compared with a negligible number of respondents last year, and around four per cent of firms in 2014. "Recruit- ing and retention are becoming much more the focus for law firms, which has meant lots of enhancements to benefits and career advancement opportunities; the things 30 J U L Y 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m