Barrister

Advocate and provide specialist legal opinions, primarily in court and tribunal proceedings.

Registration: Bar Readers Course and admission to the relevant state Bar

Jobs, demand and who does this work

Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Barrister (271111), the closest official match for barrister, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).

People employed: 8,500
Future demand: Strong
Work full-time: 87%
Average full-time hours: 48 a week
Women: 35%
Median age: 44

Where the jobs are (share of workers)

NSW	31.2%
VIC	37.5%
QLD	14.7%
WA	6.6%
SA	3.7%
TAS	1.8%
ACT	2.8%
NT	1.6%

Highest qualification held by workers

Postgraduate qualification	37.3%
Bachelor degree	53.8%
Diploma or advanced diploma	4.2%
Certificate I-IV	0.9%
Year 12	1.9%
Below Year 12	0.6%

What a barrister actually does

Barristers are sole practitioners who take individual briefs from solicitors. Most work from a set of chambers shared with other barristers but bill independently. Court days dominate the calendar: appearing in directions hearings, interlocutory applications, mediations, arbitrations, and trials in state and federal courts. Non-court days are spent in chambers preparing: reading the brief, conferring with the instructing solicitor and the client, drafting opinions, written submissions and cross-examination plans. The trial bar runs by an unpredictable calendar built around listed hearing dates. Many barristers run two to four matters at any one time and juggle preparation against current hearings. Hours sit at 50-65 a week during a contested matter and drop sharply in quieter periods between briefs. Income is fee-for-service and varies more between barristers than in almost any other legal role.

Typical tasks

Advise solicitors on legal issues.
Run hearings as advocate.
Provide written opinions.

Skills you'll use

Oral advocacy in court and tribunal
Cross-examination of witnesses under pressure
Reading thousands of pages of evidence quickly and identifying the issues
Writing tight, persuasive written submissions
Negotiating settlements during mediation
Conferring with solicitors and lay clients to test a case theory
Managing your own small business (fees, BAS, professional insurance)
Maintaining independence and professional ethics

How to become one

1Finish Year 12 with strong English and a competitive ATAR; most law schools want low to mid 90s
2Complete an accredited Bachelor of Laws (LLB, 4 years) or a Juris Doctor (JD, 3 years postgraduate)
3Complete Practical Legal Training and be admitted as a lawyer in a state Supreme Court
4Work as a solicitor for 2-7 years, ideally in litigation or as an associate to a judge or barrister
5Apply to the state Bar Association (NSW Bar Association, Victorian Bar, Queensland Bar Association etc.) and pass the Bar Exam
6Complete the Bar Readers Course (full-time for around 8-10 weeks in NSW; similar in other states) and a mandatory mentored reading period with a senior barrister
7Take chambers and start accepting briefs as a junior barrister

Where you can work

Sets of barristers' chambers in capital-city CBDs
The Federal Court, Federal Circuit and Family Court
State Supreme, District and Local Courts
Specialist tribunals (AAT, NCAT, VCAT and equivalents)
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (state and Commonwealth)
Mediation and arbitration venues
Royal commissions and statutory inquiries

Career progression

Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.

Reader and junior barrister
0-5 years at Bar
Typical roles: Bar reader, Junior counsel, Federal Court junior
Established junior counsel
5-15 years at Bar
Typical roles: Senior junior counsel, Commercial junior, Crown prosecutor
Senior Counsel or King's Counsel
15+ years at Bar
Typical roles: Senior Counsel (SC), King's Counsel (KC), Leading silk

Is this for you?

This might not suit you if

You want a fixed salary and predictable hours
You hate public speaking or freeze under direct questioning
You want a job done at 5pm every day during a contested matter
You can't tolerate gaps in income while you build a practice

Ways in

Uni and TAFE routes for barrister. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.

University

Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.

TAFE / VET

Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.

No direct TAFE pathway to this career.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.