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Judges, Lawyers and Notaries in Canada
What they do?
Judges preside over courts of law, interpret/enforce rules of procedure, adjudicate civil/criminal cases, and administer justice. They may specialize in particular areas of law such as civil, criminal, and family law.
Lawyers and Quebec notaries provide legal advice and represent clients; prepare contracts, wills, and other legal documents; and may act as executors, trustees or guardians in estate/family law matters. They may specialize in specific areas of law such as criminal law (lawyers only) and corporate, real estate, and labour law.
Lawyers also plead cases or conduct prosecutions before courts of law, tribunals/boards, and negotiate civil dispute settlements.
Where they find work?
1. Legal services - 74.0%
2. Public administration - 16.0%
3. Finance and insurance - 3.0%
What education do I need?
1. To work in this field, you need a pre-law college or university program and a bachelor's degree from a law school.
2. To be a judge, you usually need extensive experience as a lawyer or law professor and continuous bar association membership. You must be a member in good standing with your provincial/territorial law societies or bar associations.
3. Judges appointed to more senior positions in a court usually have experience as judges in that court.
4. To be a lawyer, you must complete a period of articling, a bar admission course and exam, and a licence in the province/territory where you'll work.
5. To be a Quebec notary, you must complete a bachelor's degree from a recognized law school and a Diploma of Notarial Law (D.D.N.) or a master's degree of law with a specialization in notarial law and a 32-week vocational training program. You must be registered with the corporation of notaries.
6. Most recent entrants have an undergraduate university degree.
High School Subject that will help:
1. Math
2. English (Communication)
3. Family Studies
4. Social Studies (Law)
What can you expect to make:
The average hourly wages for Judges, Lawyers and Quebec Notaries is $33.37/HR, which is above average for occupations in the social science, education, government service and religion and are above average for all professional occupations. These wages grew at an above-average rate from 2002 to 2004.
Average Wage
Expected Wage by Age
Unemployment:
1% of Judges, Lawyers and Quebec Notaries are unemployed. This rate is below the average for professionnal occupations.
Unemployment
Trends in Unemployment
Current Job Outlook:
The job outlook for Judges, Lawyers and Quebec Notaries is considered Above Average because:
1. Employment grew at an average rate.
2. Hourly wages ($33.37) are above the average ($18.07), and the rate of wage growth is also above average.
3. The unemployment rate (1%) is below the 2004 average (7%).
Future Job Prospects:
Your job outlook will continue to be Above Average because:
1. The employment growth rate will likely be average because the high cost of legal services may lead people to use alternative dispute resolution processes that do not necessarily involve lawyers. As well, use of computerized legal databases may lead to greater demand for paralegal technicians at the expense of lawyers.
2. The retirement rate will likely be below average, and the number of retiring workers should not contribute significantly to job openings.
3. The number of job seekers will likely match the number of job openings.
Highest Concetration:
The highest concentrations (per 10,000 people) of Judges, Lawyer and Quebec Notaries are found in Quebec and Ontario while the lowest concentrations are in New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
Unionization Rate:
The unionization rate (16%) is below the average (32%) for all occupations.
Useful Experience:
1. Leadership
2. Community involvement
3. Interpersonal skills
Part Time Workers
Part time workers:
6% of Judges, Lawyers and Quebec Notaries are employed only on a part-time basis. There were 72,300 workers employed in these occupations in 2004, an increase of 19% since 1997.
Age Demographics
Age Demographics:
The relatively low percentage of younger workers suggests few entry-level job openings, and could point to a greater need for workers with experience or a number of years of training. The retirement rate to 2009 will likely be below average because of a tendency to retire at an older-than-average age (67).
