Lawyers by Age and Gender
| Age |
Total |
Male |
Female |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| Under age 30 |
|
3% |
4% |
| Age 30 – 39 |
|
12% |
14% |
| Age 40 – 49 |
|
13% |
11% |
| Age 50 – 65 |
|
21% |
10% |
| Over Age 65 |
|
11% |
1% |
| Total |
46,054 |
60% |
40% |
Paralegals by Age and Gender
| Age |
Total |
Male |
Female |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| Under age 30 |
|
6% |
21% |
| Age 30 – 39 |
|
7% |
14% |
| Age 40 – 49 |
|
10% |
12% |
| Age 50 – 65 |
|
15% |
10% |
| Over Age 65 |
|
3% |
0% |
| Total |
5,942 |
41% |
59% |
Geographical Distribution of Lawyers
| Location |
Total |
Male |
Female |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| Metropolitan Toronto |
50% |
29% |
21% |
| Ontario (excl. Metro Toronto) |
42% |
26% |
16% |
| Canada (excl. Ontario) |
5% |
3% |
2% |
| Outside Canada |
4% |
2% |
2% |
| Total |
100% |
60% |
40% |
Geographical Distribution of Paralegals
| Location |
Total |
Male |
Female |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| Metropolitan Toronto |
38% |
16% |
22% |
| Ontario (excl. Metro Toronto) |
61% |
25% |
36% |
| Canada (excl. Ontario) |
1% |
0% |
1% |
| Outside Canada |
0% |
0% |
0% |
| Total |
100% |
41% |
59% |
Type of Employment for Lawyers in Ontario
| Age Range |
Total |
Male |
Female |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. 9,596 lawyers who are retired, who live outside of Ontario or who have had their fee excused are not counted in employment statistics. |
| Sole Practitioner |
|
16% |
6% |
| Partner |
|
15% |
4% |
| Employee |
|
2% |
2% |
| Associate |
|
10% |
9% |
| Education |
|
1% |
1% |
| Government |
|
6% |
9% |
| Other (incl. Corporate and non-profit sectors) |
|
10% |
9% |
| Total |
36,458 |
60% |
40% |
Membership (Paralegal) by Area of Employment in Ontario
| Age Range |
Total |
Male |
Female |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. 1,028 paralegals who are retired, who live outside of Ontario or who have had their fee excused are not counted in employment statistics. |
| Sole Practitioner |
|
19% |
10% |
| Partner |
|
2% |
1% |
| Employee |
|
5% |
10% |
| Associate |
|
1% |
2% |
| Education |
|
0% |
0% |
| Government |
|
2% |
4% |
| Other (incl. Corporate and non-profit sectors) |
|
14% |
29% |
| Total |
4,914 |
43% |
57% |
Lawyers Called to the Bar in 2013
| Lawyers Called |
No. |
| *Total includes 5 L3, 70 mobility, 2 returning and 39 transfers. |
| Men |
1005 |
| Women |
989 |
| Total |
1994 |
Paralegals Issued a Licence in 2013
| Licences Issued |
No. |
| *Total includes 12 non-college and 86 exempted licences. |
| Men |
442 |
| Women |
902 |
| Total |
1344 |
Enrolment in the Licensing Admission Process: 2009-2013
| |
% of total candidates in 2009 |
% of total candidates in 2010 |
% of total candidates in 2011 |
% of total candidates in 2012 |
% of total candidates in 2013 |
*Based on applications for candidates who entered the licensing process in 2009 through 2013.
†Percentages obtained from applications for the licensing process in 2009 through 2013, in which applicants voluntarily self-identified.
|
| Women* |
52.9% |
53% |
54% |
50% |
53% |
| Racialized communities*† |
12.9% |
19% |
22% |
24% |
45% |
| Francophones*† |
7% |
5% |
6% |
5% |
4% |
| Aboriginal People*† |
1.9% |
2% |
2% |
2% |
2.6% |
Paralegal Enrolment in the Licensing Process: 2009-2013
| |
% of total candidates in 2009 |
% of total candidates in 2010 |
% of total candidates in 2011 |
% of total candidates in 2012 |
% of total candidates in 2013 |
*Based on applications for candidates who entered the licensing process in 2009 through 2013.
†Percentages obtained from applications for the licensing process in 2009 through 2013, in which applicants voluntarily self-identified.
|
| Women* |
70% |
67.1% |
64% |
68.6% |
70.8% |
| Racialized communities*† |
16.8% |
30.3% |
30.7% |
35.4% |
34.6% |
| Francophones*† |
1.3% |
1.5% |
2.9% |
1.7% |
2% |
| Aboriginal People*† |
1.7% |
2.9% |
2.6% |
2.4% |
3.25% |
Call to the Bar Statistics: 2009-2013
| Year |
Total Called |
Female |
% of Total |
Male |
% of Total |
| 2003 |
889 |
480 |
54% |
409 |
46% |
| 2004 |
954 |
517 |
54% |
437 |
46% |
| 2005 |
1,064 |
607 |
57% |
457 |
43% |
| 2006 |
1,128 |
592 |
53% |
536 |
47% |
| 2007 |
1,121 |
633 |
56.5% |
488 |
43.5% |
| 2008 |
1,297 |
673 |
51.9% |
624 |
48.1% |
| 2009 |
1,544 |
815 |
53% |
729 |
47% |
| 2010 |
1,651 |
836 |
51% |
815 |
49% |
| 2011 |
1,681 |
864 |
51% |
817 |
49% |
| 2012 |
1,866 |
960 |
51% |
906 |
49% |
| 2013 |
1,994 |
989 |
49.6% |
1,005 |
50.4% |
Paralegal Licensing Statistics: 2009-2013
| Year |
Total Licensed |
Female |
% of Total |
Male |
% of Total |
| 2009 |
427 |
297 |
69.5% |
130 |
30.4% |
| 2010 |
864 |
612 |
70.8% |
252 |
29.1% |
| 2011 |
751 |
490 |
65.2% |
261 |
34.7% |
| 2012 |
1,049 |
698 |
66.5% |
351 |
33.4% |
| 2013 |
1344 |
902 |
67.1% |
442 |
32.8% |
Law Firms by Size
| Number of Licensees |
# of firms |
% |
| *Percentages are based on total firms and may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| 1 lawyer |
9,072 |
77% |
| 2 – 10 lawyers/paralegals |
2,415 |
21% |
| 11 – 25 lawyers/paralegals |
161 |
1% |
| 26 – 50 lawyers/paralegals |
47 |
0% |
| 51 + lawyers/paralegals |
40 |
0% |
| Total |
11,735 |
100% |
Paralegal Firms by Size
| Size Per Number of Licensees |
Firm |
% |
| *Percentages are based on total firms and may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| 1 paralegal |
1,437 |
86% |
| 2 paralegals |
145 |
9% |
| 3 paralegals |
45 |
3% |
| 4 paralegals |
17 |
1% |
| 5 paralegals |
7 |
0% |
| 6 – 10 paralegals |
11 |
1% |
| 11 – 15 paralegals |
3 |
0% |
| 16 – 20 paralegals |
1 |
0% |
| Total |
1,666 |
100% |
Law Firms by Number of Licensees Working in Them
| Size of firm |
# of licencees |
% |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| 1 lawyer |
9,072 |
34% |
| 2 – 10 lawyers/paralegals |
8,059 |
30% |
| 11 – 25 lawyers/paralegals |
2,497 |
9% |
| 26 – 50 lawyers/paralegals |
1,581 |
6% |
| 51 + lawyers/paralegals |
5,522 |
21% |
| Total |
26,731 |
100% |
Paralegal Firms by Number of Licensees Working in Them
| Size Per Number of Licensees |
Firm |
% |
| *Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding. |
| 1 paralegal |
1,437 |
68% |
| 2 paralegals |
290 |
14% |
| 3 paralegals |
135 |
6% |
| 4 paralegals |
68 |
3% |
| 5 paralegals |
35 |
2% |
| 6 – 10 paralegals |
85 |
4% |
| 11 – 15 paralegals |
41 |
2% |
| 16 – 20 paralegals |
16 |
1% |
| Total |
2,107 |
100% |
New Complaints Received in PRD by Year
| |
2013 |
2012 |
| Received by Intake Department |
5,040 |
4,782 |
| Transferred by Intake |
| To Complaints Resolution |
1,852 |
1,839 |
| To Investigations |
1,309 |
1,201 |
| To other departments |
23 |
26 |
| Cases completed in Complaints Resolution |
| Complaints closed |
1,788 |
1,769 |
| Complaints transferred out |
101 |
83 |
| Cases completed in Investigations |
| Complaints closed |
1,142 |
1,053 |
| Complaints transferred out |
202 |
202 |
Breakdown of Lawyers in Practice with Firm Size Identified who Received Complaints in Professional Regulation in 2013
| Size |
% |
| Sole practitioners |
55% |
| Lawyers in small firms (2-5) |
28% |
| Lawyers in medium-sized firms (6-20) |
12% |
| Lawyers in large firms (> 20) |
5% |
Breakdown of lawyers in practice with firm size identified
| Size |
% |
| Sole practitioners |
33% |
| Lawyers in small firms (2-5) |
21% |
| Lawyers in medium-sized firms (6-20) |
16% |
| Lawyers in large firms (> 20) |
30% |
Breakdown of Licensed Paralegals in Practice by Firm Size Identified who Received Complaints in Professional Regulation in 2013
| Size |
% |
| Sole practitioners |
72% |
| Paralegals in small firms (2-3) |
19% |
| Paralegals in medium-sized firms (4-6) |
7% |
| Paralegals in large firms |
2% |
Breakdown of paralegals in practice with firm size identified
| Size |
% |
| Sole practitioners |
52% |
| Paralegals in small firms (2-3) |
21% |
| Paralegals in medium-sized firms (4-6) |
10% |
| Paralegals in large firms |
17% |
Breakdown of Lawyers in Practice who received Complaints in Professional Regulation in 2013, by Years in Practice
| Years |
% |
| 0-5 years in practice |
9% |
| 6-10 years in practice |
13% |
| 11-15 years in practice |
12% |
| 16-20 years in practice |
11% |
| 21-25 years in practice |
13% |
| 26-30 years in practice |
11% |
| over 30 years in practice |
31% |
Breakdown of Lawyers by Years in Practice
| Years |
% |
| 0-5 years in practice |
19% |
| 6-10 years in practice |
14% |
| 11-15 years in practice |
15% |
| 16-20 years in practice |
11% |
| 21-25 years in practice |
12% |
| 26-30 years in practice |
9% |
| over 30 years in practice |
20% |
Breakdown of Licensed Paralegals in Practice who Received Complaints in Professional Regulation in 2013
| Years |
% |
| 0-1 years in practice |
13% |
| 2-3 years in practice |
29% |
| more than 3 years in practice |
58% |
Breakdown of Paralegals in Practice by Years in Practice
| Years |
% |
| 0-1 years in practice |
37% |
| 2-3 years in practice |
20% |
| more than 3 years in practice |
43% |
Area of Law in Which Complaints Occurred
| Type |
% |
| Civil Litigation |
26% |
| Matrimonial/Family |
20% |
| Real Estate |
17% |
| Criminal/Quasi-Criminal |
10% |
| Estates/Wills |
7% |
| Corporate/Commercial |
5% |
| Other |
12% |
| Employment/Labour |
2% |
| Bankruptcy/Insolvency |
1% |
| Administrative/Immigration |
10% |
Complaints by Reason for Closure
| Reason For Closure |
No. |
| No jurisdiction, early resolution or lack of information |
2,595 |
| Staff caution, best practices advice or allegation not established |
2,246 |
| Diversion (audit recommended, Invitation to Attend, Letter of Advice, etc.) |
104 |
| Law Society Tribunal hearing on conduct or capacity |
248 (encompassing 117 matters |
Complaints by Type
| Issues Raised in Compliants |
% of Complaints Received Which Raise Identified Issue |
Service: e.g. fail to account, fail to communicate, fail to serve client. Integrity: e.g. civility, counselling/ behaving dishonourably.
Governance: e.g. fail to cooperate with the Law Society, unauthorized practice. Financial: e.g. mishandling trust accounts, misappropriation, real estate / mortgage schemes. Special Applications: e.g. capacity, good character.
Conflicts: e.g. licensee in a position of conflict, business / financial relations with client. (Note that one complaint can raise more than one issue.)
|
| Service |
56% |
| Integrity |
42% |
| Governance |
21% |
| Financial |
12% |
| Special Applications |
9% |
| Conflicts |
7% |
| Other Issues |
4% |
Types of Complaints Received in Professional Regulation, by Firm Size – Lawyers
| Firm Size |
Client Service Issues |
Integrity Issues |
Governance Issues |
Financial Issues |
Conflicts Issues |
| Sole Practitioner (52% of paralegals) |
53% |
54% |
68% |
64% |
52% |
| Small Firm: 2 to 3 licensees (21% of paralegals) |
30% |
29% |
22% |
26% |
25% |
| Medium Firm: 4 to 6 licensees (10% of paralegals) |
12% |
11% |
7% |
7% |
15% |
| Large Firm: > 6 licensees (17% of paralegals) |
5% |
6% |
2% |
3% |
9% |
Types of Complaints Received in Professional Regulation, by Firm Size – Paralegals
| Firm Size |
Client Service Issues |
Integrity Issues |
Governance Issues |
Financial Issues |
Conflicts Issues |
| Sole Practitioner (52% of paralegals) |
67% |
78% |
74% |
64% |
50% |
| Small Firm: 2 to 3 licensees (21% of paralegals) |
21% |
16% |
19% |
25% |
38% |
| Medium Firm: 4 to 6 licensees (10% of paralegals) |
8% |
5% |
5% |
11% |
13% |
| Large Firm: > 6 licensees (17% of paralegals) |
4% |
2% |
1% |
0% |
0% |
Hearings: Matters Heard and Disposed of by Hearing Panels in 2013
| Matters Type |
|
Lawyers |
Paralegals |
| Conduct |
Total |
94 |
18 |
| Reprimand |
19 |
4 |
| Suspension |
46 |
10 |
| Permission to surrender licence |
7 |
1 |
| Revocation of licence |
11 |
2 |
| Terms/conditions only |
1 |
0 |
| Dismissed/stayed |
9 |
0 |
| Withdrawn |
1 |
1 |
| Interlocutory suspension/restriction |
3 |
0 |
| Capacity |
2 |
0 |
| Competency |
0 |
0 |
| Non-compliance |
0 |
0 |
| Reinstatement |
1 |
1 |
| Licensing (including readmission) |
4 |
3 |
| |
104 |
22 |
| Total: 126 |
Discipline Issues by Percentage of Total
| Discipline Issues |
% |
| Figures total more than 100% because some files raise more than one issue. |
| Conflicts (Lawyer in position of conflict, business/financial relations with client) |
10% |
| Financial (Mishandling trust accounts, misappropriation, real estate/mortgage schemes) |
24% |
| Governance (Failure to co-operate with Law Society, unauthorized practice) |
43% |
| Integrity (Civility, counselling/behaving dishonourably) |
46% |
| Client Service Issues (Fail to account, fail to communicate, fail to serve client) |
44% |
| Special Applications (Capacity, good character) |
5% |
Tribunals: Files Opened
| |
2013 |
2012 |
|
*The Tribunals Office opens a file when it is issued upon the filing of an originating process that has been served on the parties. An originating process includes a notice of application, referral for hearing, motion for interlocutory suspension or practice restriction, and appeal.
*Files related to the same lawyer or paralegal that are heard concurrently are counted as separate files.
|
| Hearing Files |
159 |
115 |
| Lawyer |
127 |
|
| Paralegal |
32 |
|
| Appeal Files |
20 |
22 |
| Lawyer |
19 |
|
| Paralegal |
1 |
|
| Total |
179 |
137 |
Tribunals: Files Closed
| |
2013 |
2012 |
|
*The Tribunals Office closes a file after the final decision and order (and reasons, if any) have been delivered or published. A file that is closed in a quarter may have been opened in that same quarter or at any time prior.
|
| Hearing Files |
134 |
129 |
| Lawyer |
115 |
|
| Paralegal |
19 |
|
| Appeal Files |
22 |
14 |
| Lawyer |
18 |
|
| Paralegal |
4 |
|
| Total |
156 |
143 |
Number of Lawyers and Paralegals before the Tribunals
| |
2013 |
2012 |
| PMC |
141 |
126 |
| Lawyer |
115 |
|
| Paralegal |
26 |
|
| Hearing Panel |
146 |
159 |
| Lawyer |
121 |
|
| Paralegal |
25 |
|
| AMC |
18 |
17 |
| Lawyer |
15 |
|
| Paralegal |
3 |
|
| Appeal Panel |
27 |
18 |
| Lawyer |
24 |
|
| Paralegal |
3 |
|
Requests for Reviews and Review Meetings Held
| |
2013 |
2012 |
| Requests for reviews |
223 |
262 |
| Cases reviewed |
205 |
242 |
| Decisions rendered |
205 |
242 |
| Recommendation for case to remain closed |
192 |
224 |
| Recommendation for further regulatory action |
9 |
9 |
| Other Recommendation |
4 |
9 |
| Director’s response to 9 files referred back for further investigation |
| Adopted CRC recommendation |
6 |
5 |
| Declined CRC recommendation |
3 |
4 |
LSRS Referrals to Lawyers and Paralegals
| Lawyers |
Paralegals |
Total |
| 62,288 |
3,639 |
65,927 |
LSRS Referrals by Area of Law: Lawyers
| Administrative Law |
Business Law |
Civil Litigation |
Criminal Law |
Family Law |
Labour & Employment |
Real Estate Law |
| 6% |
3% |
36% |
9% |
28% |
15% |
4% |
LSRS Referrals by Area of Law: Paralegals
| Administrative Law |
Civil Litigation |
Criminal Law |
| 34% |
54% |
12% |
LSRS Members by Geographical Region: Lawyers
| Central East |
149 |
| Central South |
93 |
| Central West |
162 |
| East |
160 |
| Metropolitan Toronto |
574 |
| Northeast |
15 |
| Northwest |
9 |
| Southwest |
62 |
| Total |
1,224 |
LSRS Members by Geographical Region: Paralegals
| Central East |
43 |
| Central South |
19 |
| Central West |
46 |
| East |
22 |
| Metropolitan Toronto |
63 |
| Northeast |
4 |
| Northwest |
0 |
| Southwest |
17 |
| Total |
214 |
Mortgage Fraud Outcomes Since 2001
| Outcome |
No. |
| *There have been 104 substantive mortgage fraud cases since 2001. |
| License Revoked (Disbarred) |
36 |
| Permission to Surrender License |
16 |
| License Suspended |
48 |
| Other Lesser Penalty (e.g.Reprimand, Fine) |
3 |
| Dismissed for Delay |
1 |
| Not Found |
0 |
2013 Hearing Panel Results of Mortgage Fraud Prosecutions
| Result |
No. |
| Lawyer reprimanded |
2 |
| Lawyer suspended |
14 |
| Lawyer permitted to surrender licence |
2 |
| Licence revoked |
1 |
