Industry Statistics and Trends
Market size and recent performance (2014-2029)
Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 3.0 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $20.7bn in 2024.
Trends and Insights
With economic growth, the pool of clientele for law firms has increased
- Since revenue for law firms rises in tandem with economic growth, companies benefit when flourishing businesses seek legal guidance. The need for law firms has risen with the expansion of the overall Canadian economy, which increased business spending on legal services, especially those related to capital market activities.
- Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Source: IBISWorld
Industry outlook (2024-2029)
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Trends and Insights
A growing economy will support new spending on legal services
- Improvements in investment activity, corporate profit and overall economic performance will drive demand for law firms in Canada. Given Canada's abundant natural resources and sophisticated legal market, demand for legal services will rely on international investment and trade.
Biggest companies in the Law Firms in Canada
| Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue ($m)
2024 | Profit ($m)
2024 | Profit Margin (%)
2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
NRF | 661.6 | 161.3 | 24.4 | |
BLG | 582.2 | 142.0 | 24.4 | |
Fasken | 582.2 | 142.0 | 24.4 |
To view the market share and analysis for all 3 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.
Products & Services Segmentation
Source: IBISWorld
Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Commercial law services, Civil negligence, personal injury and criminal law services and Labour and employment law services. Commercial law services is the largest segment of the Law Firms in Canada.
Trends and Insights
Business and commercial law fluctuates with the economy
- This segment includes financial deal-making and structuring, such as merger and acquisition activity; capital raisings involving debt and equity markets; activities relating to initial public offerings; legal services associated with private equity transactions that include leveraged buyouts; and the securitization of credit derivatives.
- More insights available in the full report
Table of Contents
About this industry
Industry definition
The Law Firm industry in Canada comprises offices of legal practitioners, such as lawyers, barristers and solicitors, who are primarily engaged in the practice of law. The industry’s establishments provide expertise in a range of areas of law, such as criminal, corporate, family and estate, patent, real estate and tax.
What's included in this industry?
Commercial law servicesCivil law servicesCriminal law servicesPersonal injury servicesLabour and employment law servicesReal estate law servicesCompanies
NRFBLGFaskenPurchase this report to view all 3 major companies in this industry.
Related Terms
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (IPO)MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS (M&A)INSOLVENCYPRO BONOIndustry Code
NAICS 541110 - Law Firms in Canada
Performance
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
Analyst insights
Restructuring, secondary offerings, and capital market activities have raised demand for top law firms. These firms generate substantial income from corporate clients seeking...
In this chapter (4)
- Current Performance
- Outlook
- Volatility
- Life Cycle
Key metrics
- Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
- Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
- Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
- Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business
Charts
- Revenue, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
- Employees, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
- Businesses, including historical (2014-2023) and forecast (2024-2029)
- Profit, including historical (2014-2024)
- Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
- Industry Life Cycle
Detailed analysis
- Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
- Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
- Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
- How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.
Products and Markets
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Analyst insight
Commercial law services represent the largest product segment within the legal industry because they command higher fees. These services typically address complex business tr...
In this chapter
- Products & Services
- Major Markets
Key metrics
- Largest market segment and value in 2024
- Product innovation level
Charts
- Products & services segmentation in 2024
- Major market segmentation in 2024
Detailed analysis
- Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
- Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
- Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
- Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services
Geographic Breakdown
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Analyst insights
The distribution of law firms in Canada generally follows the distribution of the Canadian population. There is increased establishment density near significant markets, incl...
In this chapter (1)
- Business Locations
Charts
- Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each province
- Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2024
Tables
- Number and share of establishments in each province in 2024
- Number and share of revenue each province accounts for in 2024
- Number and share of wages each province accounts for in 2024
- Number and share of employees in each province in 2024
Detailed analysis
- Geographic spread of the industry across North America, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
- Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage
Competitive Forces
Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.
Analyst insights
Law firms in Canada compete on quality of service, location and the law specialties they offer. Establishing a good reputation is essential to being competitive.
In this chapter (4)
- Concentration
- Barriers to Entry
- Substitutes
- Buyer & Supplier Analysis
Key metrics
- Industry concentration level
- Industry competition level and trend
- Barriers to entry level and trend
- Substitutes level and trend
- Buyer power level and trend
- Supplier power level and trend
Charts
- Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2019-2024
- Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart
Detailed analysis
- Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
- Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
- Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
- Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
- Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
- Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
- Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
- Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
- Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.
Companies
Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.
Analyst insights
The law firm industry in Canada is highly fragmented, with no single company accounting for more than 5.0% of industry revenue. Most of the law firms in the industry are smal...
In this chapter
- Market Share Concentration
- Companies
- Company Spotlights
Charts
- Industry market share by company in 2020 through 2024
- Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2024
- Overview of NRF's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
- Overview of BLG's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
- Overview of Fasken's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2018 through 2024
Detailed analysis
- Description and key data for NRF, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
- Description and key data for BLG, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
- Description and key data for Fasken, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
External Environment
Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.
Analyst insights
Law firms in Canada are required to comply with both federal and provincial regulations governing legal practice. All provinces adhere to common law principles, except for Qu...
In this chapter
- External Drivers
- Regulation & Policy
- Assistance
Key metrics
- Regulation & policy level and trend
- Assistance level and trend
Charts
- Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2014-2029)
- Assistance historical data and forecast (2014-2029)
Detailed analysis
- Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
- Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
- Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.
Financial Benchmarks
View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time.
Analyst insights
Cost structures among law firms vary significantly, influenced by the firm's size and the type of law practiced. Larger firms have higher overhead expenses, while small firms...
In this chapter
- Cost Structure
- Financial Ratios
- Key Ratios
Key metrics
- Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
- Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
- Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
- Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio
Charts
- Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
- Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2024
- Investment vs. share of economy
Data tables
- Liquidity Ratios (2017-2022)
- Coverage Ratios (2017-2022)
- Leverage Ratios (2017-2022)
- Operating Ratios (2017-2022)
- Assets (2017-2022)
- Liabilities (2017-2022)
- Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2014-2029)
- Revenue per Employee (2014-2029)
- Revenue per Enterprise (2014-2029)
- Employees per Establishment (2014-2029)
- Employees per Enterprise (2014-2029)
- Average Wage (2014-2029)
- Wages/Revenue (2014-2029)
- Establishments per Enterprise (2014-2029)
- IVA/Revenue (2014-2029)
- Imports/Demand (2014-2029)
- Exports/Revenue (2014-2029)
Detailed analysis
- Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability
Key Statistics
Industry Data
Data Tables
Including values and annual change:
- Revenue (2014-2029)
- IVA (2014-2029)
- Establishments (2014-2029)
- Enterprises (2014-2029)
- Employment (2014-2029)
- Exports (2014-2029)
- Imports (2014-2029)
- Wages (2014-2029)
Top Questions Answered
Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.
What is the market size of the Law Firms industry in Canada in 2024?
The market size of the Law Firms industry in Canada is $20.7bn in 2024.
How many businesses are there in the Law Firms in Canada industry in 2024?
There are 34,929 businesses in the Law Firms industry in Canada, which has grown at a CAGR of 0.4 % between 2019 and 2024.
Has the Law Firms industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Law Firms industry in Canada has been growing at a CAGR of 3.0 % between 2019 and 2024.
What is the forecast growth of the Law Firms industry in Canada over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Law Firms industry in Canada is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Law Firms market in Canada?
The biggest companies operating in the Law Firms market in Canada are NRF, BLG and Fasken
What does the Law Firms in Canada include?
Commercial law services and Civil law services are part of the Law Firms industry.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Law Firms in Canada?
The company holding the most market share in Canada is NRF.
How competitive is the Law Firms industry in Canada?
The level of competition is moderate and increasing in the Law Firms industry in Canada.
Related Industries
Widen your competitive advantage with related industries
Competitors
- Management Consulting in Canada
Complementors
- Accounting Services in Canada
- Tax Preparation Services in Canada
International industries
- Law Firms in the US
- Conveyancing Services in the US
- Immigration Lawyers & Attorneys in the US
- Personal Injury Lawyers & Attorneys in the US
- Family Law & Divorce Lawyers & Attorneys in the US
Methodology
How are IBISWorld reports created?
IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.
Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.
IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.
What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?
Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.
Key data sources in Canada include:
- Statistics Canada
- Industry Canada
- Canadian Business Patterns
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
- Industry and trade associations
- Industry federations or regulators
- Major industry players annual or quarterly filings
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
How does IBISWorld forecast its data?
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.
Learn more about our methodology and data sourcing on the Help Center.
