What is the minimum pay for a law graduate under the Legal Services Award?

A law graduate who has completed a law degree but is not yet admitted to practice and works in a law firm is classified as Level 5 under the Legal Services Award 2020. From the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026, the minimum rate is $33.99 per hour or $1,291.80 per week for a full-time employee (38 hours). Casual employees receive a 25% loading, bringing the casual rate to $42.49 per hour. Superannuation of 12% is paid on top of these ordinary time earnings.

Are admitted lawyers covered by the same award?

No. A qualified lawyer who has been admitted to practice (solicitor, barrister, legal practitioner) is not covered by the Legal Services Award because there is no classification for their work. They are award-free and therefore entitled only to the national minimum wage, which from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour ($1,004.90 per week) plus the National Employment Standards. However, many law firms pay above this minimum through enterprise agreements or individual contracts.

Does superannuation apply on top of the graduate lawyer salary?

Yes. Under the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992, employers must pay superannuation contributions of at least 12% of an employee’s ordinary time earnings. This applies to both law graduates covered by the award and admitted lawyers who are award-free. The super guarantee is paid in addition to the base salary or wage rate, so a law graduate earning $33.99 per hour would also receive an extra 12% super contribution from their employer.

Graduate Lawyer Salary: Award Minimums and the National Floor Compared

The minimum pay for a law graduate (not yet admitted) under the Legal Services Award 2020 is $33.99 per hour or $1,291.80 per week, plus 12% superannuation. Admitted lawyers are award-free and entitled to the national minimum wage of $26.44 per hour.

Understanding the graduate lawyer salary in Australia

When people search for a “graduate lawyer salary”, they often want to know the minimum they can expect to earn. The answer depends on whether you have been admitted to practice as a lawyer or are still a law graduate completing your practical legal training. The two groups sit under different pay arrangements.

Law graduates: covered by the Legal Services Award

A law graduate is someone who has completed a qualification in law and is working in a law firm to satisfy the training requirements for admission, but has not yet been admitted. Under the Legal Services Award 2020, a law graduate is classified as Level 5. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s pay guide and the award itself set the minimum rate from 1 July 2026 at $33.99 per hour, or $1,291.80 per week for a full-time employee working 38 ordinary hours. Casual law graduates receive a 25% loading, bringing the casual rate to $42.49 per hour. Superannuation of 12% is paid on top of these ordinary time earnings.

This award rate is significantly higher than the national minimum wage. It applies to law graduates employed in private law firms and other employers in the legal services industry. If an enterprise agreement or individual contract offers a higher rate, that higher rate applies instead. The award also contains junior percentage rates for employees under 21, but law graduates are typically adults and receive the full adult rate.

Admitted lawyers: award-free and the national minimum

Once a person is admitted to practice as an Australian lawyer (solicitor, barrister, or legal practitioner), they are no longer covered by the Legal Services Award. The Fair Work Ombudsman confirms that there is no classification for qualified lawyers in the award, and the Miscellaneous Award does not cover professional employees. Therefore, admitted lawyers are award-free. Their minimum entitlement is the national minimum wage set by the Fair Work Commission. From 1 July 2026, that is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a full-time employee. Casual award-free employees receive a 25% loading, making the casual rate $33.05 per hour. Again, superannuation of 12% is paid on top.

In practice, most law firms pay admitted lawyers well above the national minimum, but the legal floor is much lower than the award rate for law graduates. This distinction is important for graduates transitioning to admitted practice: once admitted, the award safety net disappears and your pay is determined by your employment contract or any applicable enterprise agreement.

How the figures work

The rates mentioned come from the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Legal Services Award 2020 summary and the national minimum wage order. The award rates are effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. The national minimum wage also applies from 1 July 2026. Both are adjusted annually. For the most current figures, refer to Which minimum wage applies and Rate tables on this site.

Superannuation is additional

All salary figures discussed are before tax and do not include superannuation. The super guarantee rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings. For a law graduate on the award rate, that means an extra $4.08 per hour contributed to super. For an admitted lawyer on the national minimum, the super contribution is $3.17 per hour. These amounts are paid by the employer and are not deducted from the employee’s wage.

What about survey averages?

This guide focuses on the legal minimums. The Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes average weekly earnings, but those figures include all employees and are not specific to graduate lawyers. The Fair Work Ombudsman does not publish median or average salaries for law graduates. If you need a market rate for negotiation, you would need to consult industry surveys or recruitment data. The award rate and the national minimum are the only guaranteed floors.

Key takeaways

Law graduates (not admitted) working in law firms are covered by the Legal Services Award 2020 at Level 5, minimum $33.99/h.
Admitted lawyers are award-free and entitled to the national minimum wage of $26.44/h.
Both rates have superannuation of 12% on top.
Enterprise agreements or individual contracts can set higher rates.
Junior rates apply to employees under 21, but law graduates are usually adults.

For more detail on how the national minimum interacts with awards, see Guides. For the methodology behind these calculations, see How the figures work.