How Canadian Law Offices Run

Author: Natalie Fraser for The Lawyers Weekly

The number of lawyers in a Canadian law office can range from one to several hundred. The size of the Canadian firm in which a lawyer practices reveals many important factors about the firm. These can assist clients in deciding which one best suits their needs.

Sole Practitioners

Many Canadian lawyers practice on their own, and are known as sole practitioners. They offer personal service to their clients, and usually charge lower fees than other firms since expenses can be kept to a minimum. Clients often feel a high comfort level when they hire a sole practitioner, since they receive individual attention and usually get to know the office staff.

Small Canada Firms

Small Canadian firms, with two to approximately ten lawyers, have many of the same advantages as sole practitioners. As well, often each Canadian lawyer within the firm focuses on one area of law, allowing the firm to offer clients expert advice in those areas. Since lawyers fill in for each other during vacations or other absences, the small law firm provide full coverage for clients.

Mid-sized Canada Firms

Mid-sized Canadian firms, with approximately ten to fifty lawyers, offer many of the advantages of the smaller firms, as well as providing specialty lawyers in every area of the law. They have the resources and connections to handle cases against major law firms while maintaining some of the individual attention offered by smaller firms.

Large Canadian Firms

Large Canadian law firms, with fifty or more lawyers, provide the same legal services as smaller firms. However, they are more likely to take on bigger and more complex cases, having developed a high level of expertise in these areas. They often represent the Canadian government, large organizations, and major corporations. They may have offices in more than one city in Canada.

Multi-disciplinary Firms in Canada

In Canada, some mid-size and large law firms have developed into multi-disciplinary firms. This means that the lawyers practice in association with other Canadian professionals such as accountants, and offer their clients "one-stop shopping" for all their financial and legal needs.

Natalie Fraser practised law in Whitby, Ontario for seventeen years and is now a freelance legal writer. She often writes for The Lawyers Weekly.