Australian Government Graduate Program - Legal Stream

Ready to launch your law career? Apply for the Australian Government Graduate Program’s Legal stream to access exciting and rewarding opportunities in legal policy and practice across the Australian Government.

• Commence a full-time position in an Australian Government department or agency, with a generous salary range between $50,000-$80,000 a year
• Get mentoring and financial assistance to complete your Practical Legal Training
• Advance to a higher classification and salary at the successful completion of the 12-month program
• Undertake rotations in different work areas
• Access on-the-job and formal learning and development opportunities

About the role

Legal graduates in the Australian Government work on exciting and varied projects that support the Australian community. Choose your own path with roles available in Legal Policy and Legal Practice. 

As a Legal graduate, you’ll have the opportunity to work across diverse areas of law like policy development, policy advice, statutory interpretation, freedom of information, corporate and commercial law and dispute resolution and litigation.

You could be placed in one of a number of participating departments and agencies and, at the end of your program, you’ll have a permanent full-time role.

Interested in Legal Policy? Apply for the Policy stream and work to develop, advise on and administer legal policy across the Government. Work you could do includes:

• Providing policy advice across Government to ensure decisions are lawful and strengthen policy outcomes to manage risk
• Providing advice on administration of departmental policy
• Examining and assessing legislation
• Undertaking casework to support Australia’s law and justice frameworks
• Administering and advising on legal or policy frameworks

Want to practice law? Apply for the Legal Practice stream to contribute to the provision of legal advice and representation with the Australian Government Solicitor (AGS) or an in-house legal team within another department. As a graduate, you could be involved in:

• Public law (administrative; freedom of information; privacy and public interest disclosure; human rights and discrimination; debt recovery)
• Legislative development
• Statutory interpretation
• Corporate and commercial law (general contract law; procurement and tendering; governance and probity; financial services and consumer credit; insurance; intellectual property; media; information communication and technology; insolvency and bankruptcy)
• Handling discovery in court proceedings
• Alternative dispute resolution and litigation
• Providing internal general counsel services to an agency/department

Most graduate roles are based in Canberra. Some roles may be available in other Australian cities and major regional centres. Relocation assistance is available for eligible successful candidates.

Find your fit

Successful applicants will be matched with a suitable position in a participating Australian Government department or agency. In 2022, more than 60 agencies placed graduates from the Australian Government Graduate Program.

You’ll have the opportunity to nominate your preferred placement when you apply.

Who can apply 

To be eligible for the program, you must:

• Be an Australian citizen
• Have or will have completed a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree or higher by 31 December 2023
• Have completed your qualification between 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2023
• Be able to obtain and maintain a valid Australian Government security clearance once accepted into the program
• Be willing to undergo any police, character, health or other checks required

To be eligible for the Legal Practice Stream you either need to have completed, or be willing to complete, your Practical Legal Training and be admitted as a lawyer.

How to apply

The selection process for this program typically includes:

• An online application, where you’ll upload your resume, academic transcript and proof of your Australian citizenship
• Online testing and/or video interview, which may involve problem solving, numerical reasoning, and behavioural or emotional testing
• Assessment centre, where you might participate in activities such as panel interviews, group presentations or written tasks
• Matching and offers, where successful applicants are matched with a suitable placement in an Australian Government department or agency