How much does a lawyer earn?
The most reliable public figure for a typical lawyer’s pay comes from the ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, reported by. For solicitors (the largest category of lawyers), the median full‑time weekly earnings are $2,070. That is a median, meaning half of full‑time solicitors earn more and half earn less. It is not an average.
Converted to a year: $2,070 × 52 = $107,640 a year. On a 38‑hour week, that is $54.47 an hour ($2,070 ÷ 38). The national full‑time adult average from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings, May 2026 is $2,083.70 a week ($108,352 a year). So the typical solicitor sits just below the line.
The award floor for legal roles
Fair Work’s Legal Services Award (MA000116) sets the minimum pay for legal clerical and administrative employees, law graduates, and law clerks. From 1 July 2026, the weekly minimums range from $1,073.10 (Level 1) to $1,291.80 for a Law Graduate Level 5 and $1,369.20 for a Law Clerk Level 6. These are the legal minimums; most lawyers are above award. See the full award at.
Reading the same pay as a year, a week, and an hour
The site shows every salary as a yearly figure, then converts to a week and an hour using a standard 38‑hour week. For the median solicitor:
- Year: $107,640
- Week: $2,070
- Hour (38‑hour week): $54.47
Compare that to the national full‑time average ($108,352 a year, $2,083.70 a week, $54.83 an hour). The difference is small—about $712 a year less. For the national minimum wage (from 1 July 2026): $52,255 a year, $1,004.90 a week, $26.44 an hour. Even a law graduate on award ($1,291.80 a week) earns nearly 29% more than the minimum.
How lawyer pay compares across states
The national full‑time average varies by state. The median solicitor pay of $107,640 is close to the national average, so it sits above some state averages and below others:
- ACT: $119,090 (average $119,090 a year)
- WA: $115,825
- NSW: $109,658
- Victoria: $106,137
- Queensland: $106,064
- SA: $102,450
- NT: $103,173
- Tasmania: $96,008
A solicitor earning the median would be above the average in Tasmania but below the average in the ACT. See States and territories for more.
What about barristers and other legal professionals
The ABS data covers solicitors. Barristers are a separate occupation with fewer employees. No separate median is published for barristers due to high standard error. The same principles apply: most earn above the national average, but no precise public figure is available.
Place your own salary on the line
If you want to see how any salary compares, use the [Place a salary on the line](/line] tool. It will show the week and hour on a 38‑hour week, plus distance from the full‑time average.
Summary
- Median solicitor pay: $2,070 a week, $107,640 a year, $54.47 an hour (38‑hour week).
- National full‑time average: $2,083.70 a week, $108,352 a year.
- Legal award minimums: $1,073.10 to $1,369.20 a week.
- National minimum wage: $1,004.90 a week.
For more occupation comparisons, see Job medians.