Nonetheless, nearly 40% of legal professionals are not happy with their salaries
Flexible working is the most common benefit granted to lawyers, according to the College of Law’s 2025 Australian Legal Salary Survey
Fifty-two percent of respondents were able to avail of flexible working arrangements. This is in line with the finding that for 34% legal professionals, work/life balance is the most important aspect of a position.
“Interestingly, work/life balance still ranks as the top priority when considering a new role, followed by a competitive salary and work advancement opportunities. Employers appear to be meeting employee expectations halfway with 74% of those surveyed receiving additional benefits predominantly in the form of flexible work arrangements”, College of Law Group CEO Marcus Martin said.
Just 29% of respondents considered competitive salaries to be their main priority, but it remains a key factor. Thirty-eight percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with their salaries; only 44% of lawyers in small to large law firms were pleased with their salaries and just 34% of lawyers in boutiques and sole practitioner firms were satisfied with their pay.
Nonetheless, 54% of lawyers at corporates were content with their salaries, as were 51% of those in government and 50% with not-for-profits. The survey showed that corporates have the highest average base salary ($151,989, 4% increase compared to 2024) followed by not-for-profit roles ($114,471, 7% increase). Meanwhile, small to large law firms offer an average base salary of $107,367 (2% increase), while boutiques and sole practitioners pay just $97,253 in average base salary.
Martin noted that in 2025, the average base salary has increased by 7% to $109,353 - a percentage considerably above the inflation rate.
While it has narrowed in some respects, gender pay gaps continue to exist in law firms.
“A frustratingly persistent trend is the gender pay gap present across all levels of experience and role delineation within law firms. This trend begins immediately after graduation with a 6% gender pay gap and expands with years of experience”, Martin said. “A small silver lining is that at graduate level the pay gap has decreased by 2%, conversely, the overall pay gap persists at an average of 16% this year. We must continue to educate the profession that there is an ongoing parity issue within our industry”.
Lawyers with five years of experience or less actually reported an increase in the pay gap from 5% to 6%. Among legal professionals with 6-10 years of experience, the gap remained at 22%. The gap tightened from 25% to 19% among lawyers with 11 or more years of experience.
Meanwhile, 51% of lawyers do not have billable targets. Just 10% of lawyers in corporates, government positions and not-for-profits had targets; however, 85% of those in small to large law firms had weekly and/or monthly targets.
The 2025 Australian Legal Salary Survey is the second edition of the College of Law’s annual national salary survey. Over 1,100 legal professionals across Australia were surveyed earlier this year.
