How to become a barrister in Australia
Barristers plead cases before civil, criminal and industrial courts and other tribunals.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the barristers group are projected to grow 20.9% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Receiving written information in the form of briefs and verbal instructions concerning cases from solicitors, other specialist legal professionals and clients
- Providing advice and written opinions on points of law
- Conferring with clients and witnesses in preparation for court proceedings
- Drawing up pleadings, affidavits and other court documents
- Researching statutes and previous court decisions relevant to cases
- Outlining the facts to the court, calling and questioning witnesses, and making addresses to the court to argue a client's case
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the barristers group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 91% a degree or higher, 4% a diploma, 1% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria81 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Laws (Honours) · Monash, Clayton95.50 Laws (Honours) · La Trobe, Melbourne90.25 Law · Deakin, Melbourne Burwood90.00 Laws · RMIT, City86.00 Law · Swinburne, Hawthorn77.35 Laws · ACU, Melbourne75.20 Law (Degree) · VU, City75.20 Arts/Law · Melbourne, Parkville99.80Showing 8 of 81 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT179 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Laws · UTS99.95 Bachelor of Laws (3 years) · UNE96.50 Bachelor of Laws · Macquarie96.05 Bachelor of Laws (Non-graduate entry) · Western Sydney91.70 Bachelor of Laws (Direct Entry) · Wollongong90.20 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Combined · Newcastle87.85 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) · Griffith85.20 Bachelor of Laws · Canberra85.20Showing 8 of 179 matches. Search every course.
Queensland114 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Laws (Honours) · UQ, St Lucia97.60 Bachelor of Laws (3 Years) · UNE, Armidale87.95 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) · QUT, Gardens PointOnline84.15 Bachelor of Laws (4 Years) · UNE, Armidale80.30 Bachelor of Laws · UniSQ, Toowoomba79.00 Bachelor of Laws (Honours) · Griffith, Gold Coast78.15 Bachelor of Laws · CQUniversity, Online77.25 Bachelor of Laws · ACU, Brisbane77.10Showing 8 of 114 matches. Search every course.
Western Australia45 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Laws · Murdoch, Perth80.55 Bachelor of Laws · Curtin, Perth76.15 Bachelor of Laws · ECU, City76.15 Bachelor of Laws · Notre Dame, Fremantle75.40 Bachelor of Business in Business Law · Murdoch, Perth70.00 guaranteed Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education) - Humanities and Social Sciences Education in Politics and Law · Curtin, Perth63.20Showing 8 of 45 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 419 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Enterprising, Conventional, Investigative.
From O*NET ratings for "Lawyers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.