How to become a lawyer in Australia
Solicitors provide legal advice, prepare and draft legal documents, and conduct negotiations on behalf of clients on matters associated with the law.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the solicitors group are projected to grow 21.2% 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
- Interviewing clients to determine the nature of problems, and recommending and undertaking appropriate legal action
- Preparing cases for court by conducting investigations, undertaking research, arranging witness preparation and attendance, and giving notice of court actions
- Representing clients in court
- Managing conveyancing and other property matters by preparing contracts of sale, mortgage documents, lease documents and other documents relating to the transfer of land and buildings
- Preparing and critically reviewing contracts between parties
- Preparing wills
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the solicitors group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 98% a degree or higher, 1% a diploma, 0% 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.
Careers with similar interests
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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.