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ANZSCO 2712Skill level 1Law and government

Barrister

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

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

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Salary

Cited figures from Job Outlook and QILT. ExamExplained does not publish predictive earnings or projections.

FigureAUDSource
Full-time weekly earnings$3000Job Outlook (2025-06-01)

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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

  1. 1Finish Year 12 with strong English and a competitive ATAR; most law schools want low to mid 90s
  2. 2Complete an accredited Bachelor of Laws (LLB, 4 years) or a Juris Doctor (JD, 3 years postgraduate)
  3. 3Complete Practical Legal Training and be admitted as a lawyer in a state Supreme Court
  4. 4Work as a solicitor for 2-7 years, ideally in litigation or as an associate to a judge or barrister
  5. 5Apply to the state Bar Association (NSW Bar Association, Victorian Bar, Queensland Bar Association etc.) and pass the Bar Exam
  6. 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
  7. 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 salary bands. Salary figures are sourced from Job Outlook, QILT or industry bodies; brackets are 25th-75th percentile not absolute floors or ceilings.

  1. Reader and junior barrister
    0-5 years at Bar
    Typical roles: Bar reader, Junior counsel, Federal Court junior
    Salary band: $80,000 - $200,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  2. Established junior counsel
    5-15 years at Bar
    Typical roles: Senior junior counsel, Commercial junior, Crown prosecutor
    Salary band: $200,000 - $500,000 per year (source, sourced 2026-05-21)
  3. 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?

You might love this if

  • You like building and testing arguments in front of a sceptical audience
  • You can stand up, think on your feet and recover from a tough question
  • You're willing to run your own small business and live with variable income
  • You can absorb thousands of pages of evidence and find the live issues
  • You write tightly under deadline pressure
  • You're comfortable working largely on your own preparation

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

Three ways in

Uni, TAFE and trade routes for barrister. Not every career has all three; 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.

Apprenticeship trade

Earn while you learn through an Australian Apprenticeship.

Not an apprenticeship trade.

Sources

ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Job Outlook directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.