Grad Programs
With multiple vacancies
458
Last 12 months
Job Growth
Increase/decrease of jobs
9.7%
Last 12 months to the year before
Average Salary
For graduate lawyers
65 - 75k
What’s it like to be a Graduate Lawyer?
Working at the top end of the legal profession can be a high pressure environment, regardless if you are working for a top tier firm or a community legal centre. Being a legal graduate can however be a highly rewarding profession due to your advice and work directly advises and impacts large companies or individuals on a personal and professional basis.
There are a number of reasons that you need to be prepared for when it comes to strange working hours but the key thing to understand is the legal profession is driven and thrives on tough deadlines. Fast paced deals can often result in last minute instructions from the client and partners and with the meticulous nature of the law acting on these instructions can make or break a case or deal.
There are a number of different legal areas and it doesn’t matter if you end up working on the cutting edge of law with leading companies and personalities, through to serving the community one of the most rewarding parts of the legal profession stated by graduates is that you represent your client whilst acting as their voice to make sure their needs are met.
Tasks and duties you could be responsible for as a graduate lawyer:
- Preparing, assessing and reviewing contracts and agreements
- Research and compile case files and reports
- Offer general support to Senior partners, Solicitors, Lawyers and/or judges
- Representing clients, both companies an Indvidual's in court, mediation sessions and tribunals
- Visiting and working with clients or working with other business units to achieve business goals
- Extremely accurate timekeeping
How much do law graduates earn?
Graduate Lawyers on average start around $70,000 per year. The location that you end up working can also have an impact which you can see below:
- ALL
- NT
- QLD
- SA
- VIC
- TAS
- ACT
- WA
- NSW
Most common salary for Law is in
- count
Do I need to do a clerkship or internship?
If you are looking at attaining a legal graduate position at a reputable firm, many will prioritise those with clerkship experience so you should absolutely do one. More information on this here in our in-depth run through on all things clerkship related.
How to become a graduate lawyer?
Beyond searching all the law graduate jobs on GradConnection, there are a number of things that will help you in securing a legal graduate job:
Bachelor Degree
A bachelor degree is a must and most law firms will turn you away without one. Whilst less important, attending the right law school can help
Clerkships
Clerkships are a must and will go a long way in demonstrating to a firm that you can handle the legal profession.
Volunteer
Beyond using services like SEEK volunteer to gain experience, a number of local community legal practices are always in need of the expertise law graduates hold.
Engage with your local law society
Whilst there are practical elements around PLT and other training and oversight of the law industry, law society events can provide you with many strong networking opportunities and have you rubbing shoulders with lawyers who might potentially hire you in the future.
What kind of legal jobs are there?
Our friends at SEEK have analysed the most popular job’s and their details such as salary, location etc and compiled the most popular legal jobs. Whilst you are still trying to secure your first law role, understanding where you want your to career to go can also help as a talking point in your interview.
Lawyer
The voice of companies and individuals in a wide range of scenarios
Employment Lawyer
Governing the rights of people, employers and employees
Family Lawyer
Dealing with all family matters, adoptions, divorces and settlements
What skills are law graduate employers looking for?
As a graduate in the legal profession, even from day one you are in a position to make or break a case, deal or anything else that needs to follow the letter of the law. Because of this, the legal employers on GradConnection are looking for some very specific things
Attention to detail
The small details can have large impacts on legal proceedings. Being able to pick up on small details as well as covering them off yourself is a top trait employers look for and will be assessed at every step, from your cover letter through to your case studies in the application process.
Resilience
With the high demands of tight turnaround times, a huge amount on the line and not always a positive outcome at the end of massive effort, employers are looking for grads who can take this in their stride and keep going
Strong grasp on language
When it comes to contracts, being concise, avoiding ambiguity and clearly conveying what your client requires is extremely important
Interpersonal skills
Straight off the bat as a legal graduate you will be potentially working along side senior lawyers and partners within a firm or company. Each one of these partners has their own specialty as well as style when navigating and administering the law so being able to work
Employers sometimes search for very specific skills so make sure you update your profile to ensure that they can always find you
The Australian Law Student – Building connections that build careers
For students starting in legal and professional services industries, seemingly small decisions can have substantial impacts on their career. Last November, a group of high-achieving law students encountered this. In response, they decided to simply cut the red tape and demystify the options available to those entering the sector. They launched The Australian Law Student, a platform designed to bridge the gap between university and the professional world, guiding students through the often-daunting process of starting a career. The group’s rapid growth speaks to their authentic and relatable approach, which is resonating with students from across the country.
The Australian Law Student podcast
The platform’s standout feature is its podcast. Each season offers listeners top-tier insights from Australia’s leading legal professionals, politicians and members of the judiciary. Past guests include prominent figures like The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG (Apple Podcasts/Spotify) and The Hon. Chief Justice Andrew Bell (Apple Podcasts/Spotify), who candidly discuss the challenges they have faced in their journeys to success. By facilitating conversations that speak directly to modern concerns, The Australian Law Student empowers listeners with the career learnings of figures that have helped to shape the industry. Real-life stories help to humanise practice and show what it takes to succeed in such a competitive profession. The podcast is also great for study, breaking key principles into digestible four-minute ‘LawIn4’ episodes. These serve as a tool for students to start or round-off their understanding of specific elements including Mens Rea (Apple Podcasts/Spotify) and Consideration (Apple Podcasts/Spotify) or industry-oriented topics like the hierarchy of courts in Australia (Apple Podcasts/Spotify).
Recently, the podcast achieved a notable milestone, breaking into Australia’s top 50 ranks for Spotify’s coveted “Business” category, where it peaked at #37. The group believes this success highlights the impact they’re making and their growing role as a key resource for law students nationwide. However, they note that while the top-ranking podcast is a significant focus, it’s just one of the ways they’re helping students integrate into an industry, known historically for its inaccessibility.
Social media and wider student resources
You can find The Australian Law Student on all major social media. As they say, put Gen-Z in charge and they’ll be on Tik Tok in a matter of minutes. Or maybe that’s just The Australian Law Student team. As a platform founded by students, for students, their content stands out for having an honesty that traditional, institution-driven resources cannot. The team makes sure to balance content about the highs and hurdles of the law, with plenty of memes. After all, there has to be some humour in the chaos, right?
The team behind it all
- The Australian Law Student boasts an incredible team, accomplished in their own rights. Founders Oliver Hammond, Nick Hodgkinson, Henry Plummer, and Jason Zhu He started the platform November 2023 and have been supported by a number of interns that have contributed to the platform and content. Two of these have stayed in more permanent roles: Ella Miels and Daniel Case.
- Among a plethora of other achievements, this team has managed to grow incredible success with The Australian Law Student. They have amassed over 1.1k followers on Spotify and reached over 500k users across platforms. If year one is any indication, they show extreme promise as members of the professional services industry.
What are the best law firms and companies?
Whilst the top tier firms are the apples of the eye for many aspiring legal graduates, there are a large amount of options and it’s important to choose what’s right for you:
When do employers hire law graduates?
Take a look below to see when employers are busiest hiring law students and when you need to be ready to apply:
Insights from Law graduates
Harriet W
KPMG Law
What do you think made you stand out against other candidates in the recruitment process?
Firstly, I actively sought out opportunities. Be active on Linkedin, post about things you are interested in & apply for jobs even if you think you have no change of success – your genuine enthusiasm will show through in the recruitment process. Secondly, it is so important to be yourself. Any job opportunities I have missed out on are those where I have tried to present myself in a way that I think would appeal to the employer. With my KPMG Law team, I feel confident and comfortable in being my complete self at work!
What do you think was the hardest part of your job hunt?
I think the hardest part of any job hunt is persistence and resilience in the face of rejection. Inevitably, you will not be successful in every job opportunity you pursue. But if you learn to view rejection as an opportunity to refine your application and interview skills, then you will be better placed for success next time around!
Johnny N
Ashurst
What do you think made you stand out against other candidates in the recruitment process?
What made me stand out against other candidates was my diversity of experience. I have worked in a lot of different countries, roles and industries. This demonstrates my genuine desire to learn. Commercial law firms value that kind of curiosity because the sector is changing so quickly and coping with increased disruption. Lawyers of the future will need to be adaptable people who are constantly learning about new issues. Participating in something like GradConnection's Top 100 competition is another activity that helped me prove to Ashurst that I was committed to continued learning.
What do you think was the hardest part of your job hunt?
The hardest part of the job hunt was developing a broader awareness of the whole industry. It isn't something that is included in the selection criteria but is always considered. This awareness affects every part of the process. The skills you focus on in your cover letter and resumes show how well you understand the industry’s needs. What you talk about in your interviews reflect this too. The Top100 competition helped me develop my awareness of the commercial industry by asking provoking questions in the process and, later, connecting me with like-minded peers looking to develop their own industry awareness.
What law graduate jobs are there?
We have many employers signed up to GradConnection who hire law graduates. Check out a few below to get you started
Graduate Jobs
Available locations
- Regional New South Wales
- Sydney
$80,000 - $90,000
Hires applicants with degrees in
- Accounting
- Actuarial Studies
- Administration
- Agriculture
- Architecture
- Arts and Humanities
- Aviation
- Banking and Finance
- Business and Commerce
- Communications
- Compliance
- Computer Science
- Construction
- Consulting
- Customer Service
- Cyber Security
- Data Science and Analytics
- Defence
- Design and User Experience
- Economics
- Education
- Engineering
- Engineering Aerospace/Aeronautical
- Engineering Chemical/Processing
- Engineering Civil/Structural
- Engineering Electrical
- Engineering Environmental
- Engineering Geotechnical
- Engineering Mechanical
- Engineering Mechatronics
- Engineering Petroleum
- Engineering Software
- Environment
- Exercise Physiology
- Fast Moving Consumer Goods
- Food Technology
- Funds Management
- Geology
- Government
- Health
- Health Policy, Promotion and Administration
- Horticulture
- Hospitality, Sports and Tourism
- Human Resources
- Industrial Design
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
- Insurance
- Intelligence
- Investment Banking
- Journalism
- Law
- Logistics and Supply Chain
- Management
- Marine Biology
- Marketing and Sales
- Mathematics
- Media and Advertising
- Medical and Biomedical Science
- Medicine
- Mining Oil and Gas
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Operations
- Pharmacy and Pharmacology
- Physics
- Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation
- Planning and Surveying
- Procurement
- Project Management
- Property
- Psychology, Counselling and Social Work
- Radiography and Medical Imaging
- Recruitment
- Research and Development
- Retail
- Science
- Speech Pathology
- Statistics
- Telecommunications
- Transport
- Utilities
Accepts International
NSW Government Graduate Program Expression of Interest.
Event
Sydney
Webinar featuring previous clerks and graduates sharing their experiences at Lander & Rogers, with a focus on the Family & Relationship Law and Workplace Relations & Safety practice groups.
Graduate Jobs
Available locations
- Melbourne
- Perth
- Sydney
Hires applicants with degrees in
- Accounting
- Banking and Finance
- Business and Commerce
- Computer Science
- Data Science and Analytics
- Economics
- Engineering
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Science
- Statistics
Accepts International
Join PwC as a Graduate in Technology & AI. Use data, technology and AI to solve real problems and drive digital transformation.
Graduate Jobs
Available locations
- Melbourne
- Sydney
Hires applicants with degrees in
- Accounting
- Actuarial Studies
- Agriculture
- Banking and Finance
- Business and Commerce
- Computer Science
- Data Science and Analytics
- Economics
- Engineering
- Environment
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
- Law
- Mathematics
- Psychology, Counselling and Social Work
- Science
Accepts International
Join PwC as a Graduate in Deals. Support high‑stakes decisions from mergers and acquisitions to growth strategy by analysing markets and risk.