WHAT CAREER OPTIONS ARE THERE IN LAW?
A law degree can lead to many different legal careers. You could work as a solicitor or barrister, join a law firm, work in-house for an organisation, build a career in government or the courts, or work in the community legal sector. Within these careers, you can also specialise in areas such as commercial, criminal, family or property law.
There is no single career path you have to follow. Where you work, what type of law you practise and the roles you take on can all change as your career develops.
At a glance
Your legal career can be shaped by three big choices:
What you do
Solicitor · Barrister · Other legal roles
Where you work
Law firm · In-house · Government · Courts · Community Legal Centres
What you practise
Commercial · Criminal · Family · Property · Litigation · Employment + more
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A LAWYER, SOLICITOR AND BARRISTER?
The word lawyer is an umbrella term.
Both solicitors and barristers are lawyers, but they have different roles and responsibilities.
In simple terms, solicitors generally work directly with clients, provide legal advice, prepare documents and manage legal matters. Barristers specialise in advocacy and expert legal advice and often represent clients in court after being briefed by a solicitor.
A career as a solicitor
Most lawyers begin their careers as solicitors.
As a solicitor, you’re often the first point of contact for a person or organisation seeking legal advice. Your responsibilities could include:
- Advising clients about their legal rights and obligations
- Assisting organisations with legal and regulatory compliance
- Preparing legal documents, including contracts and wills
- Negotiating with other parties
- Managing legal matters and disputes
Some solicitors specialise in disputes and litigation. This can involve preparing claims and evidence, conducting settlement negotiations and appearing in court.
Working as a solicitor can also open the door to many different practice areas, workplaces and future career paths.
A career as a barrister
Barristers specialise in court advocacy and expert legal advice.
They usually practise independently and receive work by referral from solicitors. Their work can include:
- Representing clients in court
- Developing legal strategies and arguments
- Advising on complex legal issues
- Applying the rules of evidence and court procedure
- Providing written or verbal legal opinions
Barristers don’t generally work for law firms or in partnership with other barristers, although they may share chambers.
To become a barrister, you’ll need to meet the requirements of the Bar authority in the state or territory where you intend to practise. Requirements vary between jurisdictions.
Public Notary
A Public Notary is an experienced lawyer who is authorised to authenticate and certify documents, often for use overseas.
Their work can include:
- Attesting documents and certifying their execution
- Preparing and certifying powers of attorney, deeds, wills and contracts
- Administering oaths
- Witnessing signatures on certain legal documents
Becoming a Public Notary generally requires significant legal experience and additional study, with requirements varying between jurisdictions.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL LEGAL CAREER PATH LOOK LIKE?
There is no single career path in law.
In private practice, a traditional solicitor pathway might look something like:
Practical Legal Training → Solicitor → Associate → Senior Associate → Partner
But that’s only one option.
As your career develops, you might move into a different practice area, join an in-house legal team, work in government, go to the Bar, become a principal of your own practice or explore another legal career entirely.
Your first legal role doesn’t have to determine the rest of your career.
WHERE CAN YOU WORK AS A LAWYER?
Lawyers work in many different environments, from small suburban practices to global businesses, government departments, courts and Community Legal Centres.
Where you work can shape the clients you work with, the matters you handle and what your day-to-day career looks like.
Private practice
Private practice means working for a law firm that provides legal services to clients.
Firms can be small, medium or large and located in cities, suburbs or regional areas.
Each offers a different experience, so it’s worth considering both what type of law you want to practise and what kind of workplace suits you.
Small firms
Small firms generally have fewer lawyers and may work across several areas of law.
As a graduate lawyer, you may have opportunities to work closely with senior lawyers, gain exposure to different matters and take on increasing responsibility for client work as you develop.
Medium firms
Medium-sized firms can offer a broader range of work while still providing opportunities to work across different teams and practice areas.
Depending on the firm, you may be able to move between areas as your interests develop.
Large firms
Large firms often have structured graduate recruitment, induction and training programs, specialist practice groups and more complex organisational structures.
Many also offer ongoing professional development, pro bono opportunities and exposure to large or complex matters.
Compared with smaller firms, lawyers in large firms are often more specialised in a particular area of practice.
Sole practices
A sole practice has one principal solicitor who owns the practice and may employ other solicitors and staff.
Because these practices are small, working in one can provide broad, hands-on exposure to legal practice.
Thinking about running your own practice one day? Depending on where you practise, you may need additional experience and practice management training before becoming a principal.
Regional firms
You don’t have to work in a capital city to build a legal career.
Regional firms can offer opportunities to build close relationships with clients and work across a variety of matters affecting local individuals, businesses and communities.
In-house lawyer or counsel
In-house lawyers provide legal advice to the organisation they work for rather than working for an external law firm.
Your role might involve:
- Advising on the organisation’s business and operations
- Reviewing and negotiating contracts
- Managing corporate risk and compliance
- Supporting organisational change
- Working with teams across the business
- Engaging external lawyers or barristers when specialist advice is needed
In-house roles can involve many different areas of law because your focus is on the legal needs of one organisation. Company secretary is another role sometimes held by someone with legal qualifications.
Community Legal Centres
Community Legal Centres (CLCs) are independent, not-for-profit organisations that help people access legal assistance and advocate for fairer access to justice.
Their work can include:
- Providing legal advice, casework and information
- Supporting people experiencing disadvantage or with particular legal needs
- Delivering community legal education
- Advocating for law reform
CLCs can provide PLT placement opportunities as well as career pathways for admitted lawyers.
The courts
Courts offer another pathway for law graduates and lawyers.
One option is becoming a judge’s associate, working closely with a judge and assisting with tasks such as legal research, preparing and maintaining documents, liaising with court staff and sitting in court during proceedings.
Other court roles can include:
- Registrars
- Legal assistants
- Law clerks
- Legal executives
For experienced lawyers, becoming a judge or magistrate may eventually be another career path.
Government Legal Careers
Government offers a wide range of career opportunities for law graduates and lawyers across departments, statutory authorities and regulatory bodies.
Depending on the organisation, you could work in areas such as:
- Legal advice
- Policy development
- Legislation and law reform
- Regulation and compliance
- Litigation and prosecution
- Legal research
Both federal and state public services regularly recruit law graduates and experienced lawyers, with many offering structured graduate programs and opportunities to build experience across different areas of government.
Interested in working for the Australian Government? You can search current opportunities through the Australian Public Service Jobs website or individual government department and agency websites.
Federal Government Organisations That Recruit Lawyers
There are legal career opportunities across many Australian Government departments, courts, commissions, regulators and other agencies.
Examples include:
Administrative Review Tribunal
Conducts independent merits review of Australian Government administrative decisions across areas including migration, social security, taxation and other Commonwealth matters.
WHAT TYPES OF LAW CAN YOU PRACTISE?
There are dozens of different areas of law, and the type you choose can have a big impact on the clients you work with and what your day looks like.
Some areas you might explore include:
Commercial and corporate law · Commercial litigation · Criminal law · Family law · Property law · Employment law · Banking and finance · Wills and estates · Intellectual property · Dispute resolution · Government and public law · International law + more
You don’t need to understand every practice area now.
DO YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE YOUR LEGAL CAREER STRAIGHT AWAY?
No.
You don’t need to know exactly what kind of lawyer you want to become while you’re at law school.
Clerkships, internships, volunteering, work experience, graduate rotations and early legal roles can all give you opportunities to experience different workplaces and types of law.
Your interests can change too.
You might begin your career in private practice and later move in-house. You might discover a practice area you hadn’t considered at university. Or you might eventually decide that you’d like to use your legal skills outside traditional legal practice.
Your first role is a starting point, not a lifelong commitment.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE A PRACTICE AREA?
Start by thinking about the type of work you enjoy, the problems you like solving and the people or organisations you’d like to work with.
Some areas of law are highly people-focused. Others involve business, transactions, advocacy, research or complex problem-solving.
You can also use work experience and early legal roles to test different areas before deciding where you’d like to specialise.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO WITH A LAW DEGREE?
You don’t have to become a practising lawyer just because you’ve studied law.
A law degree can help you develop transferable skills in research, communication, analysis, negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving. Those skills can lead to careers across many other industries.
Law graduates can build careers in areas such as:
Government and policy
Consulting
Banking and finance
Compliance and risk
Technology
Human resources
Journalism and communications
Advocacy
Business + more
