OSCA 281331

Solicitor

Overview

  • Employed persons

    70,800

  • Employment status

    82.9% Full time

    17.1% Part time

  • Median age

    38 years

  • Employment by sex

    54.3% Female

    45.7% Male

    Gender balanced

  • Indigenous employment share

    0.7%

  • Main employing industry

    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services

Indicator Solicitor Total employment
Employed persons 70,800 12,049,400
Median age 38 years 40 years
Full-time share 82.9% 64.2%
Part-time share 17.1% 35.8%
Female employment share 54.3% 48.5%
Male employment share 45.7% 51.5%
Gender segregation intensity scale Gender balanced Gender balanced
Indigenous employment share 0.7% 2.2%
Main employing industry Professional, Scientific and Technical Services Health Care and Social Assistance
Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

Occupation overview

Solicitors provide legal advice, prepare legal documents, conduct negotiations on behalf of clients on matters associated with the law, and plead cases before civil, criminal and industrial courts and tribunals.

What the occupation involves

  • Interviews clients to determine the nature of cases and recommends appropriate legal action
  • Prepares cases by conducting investigations, undertaking research, arranging witness preparation and attendance, and giving notice of court actions
  • Represents clients in civil, criminal and industrial courts and tribunals
  • Prepares and critically reviews legal documents between parties
  • Prepares wills
  • Provides advice on family, company, commercial and property law, as well as partnerships and trusts
  • May act as trustee or guardian
  • May act as executor of clients' wills

Common occupation titles

No alternative occupation titles are listed for this occupation.

Specialisations

  • In-house Solicitor

Note: Specialisations are examples of roles in within this occupation and are not separate OSCA occupations.

Skill level (education and experience level)

Skill level 1
equivalent to a university level qualification (Bachelor degree or higher).

Note: While skill levels are described using formal education levels, some people use a combination of informal learning, on-the-job training and personal experience to achieve an equivalent level.

Licensing or registration requirements

Registration or licensing is required.

OSCA structure

Professionals (2)

Employment

On this page

    Industries

    Top 10 most common industries, 2021

    Solicitor Total employment
    Industry Share of occupation Industry Share of occupation
    Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 78.7% Health Care and Social Assistance 14.5%
    Public Administration and Safety 9.4% Retail Trade 9.1%
    Financial and Insurance Services 3.8% Construction 8.9%
    Health Care and Social Assistance 0.8% Education and Training 8.8%
    Other Services 0.8% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 7.8%
    Education and Training 0.7% Public Administration and Safety 6.6%
    Construction 0.6% Accommodation and Food Services 6.5%
    Information Media and Telecommunications 0.6% Manufacturing 5.9%
    Administrative and Support Services 0.5% Transport, Postal and Warehousing 4.5%
    Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services 0.5% Financial and Insurance Services 3.7%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    States and territories

    Employment distribution by states and territories, 2021

    • New South Wales

      38.8%

    • Victoria

      26.1%

    • Queensland

      17.2%

    • South Australia

      4.7%

    • Tasmania

      1.2%

    • Northern Territory

      0.7%

    • Australian Capital Territory

      3.5%

    Solicitor Total employment
    State / Territory Employment Share of occupation Employment Share of occupation
    New South Wales 27,500 38.8% 3,684,200 30.6%
    Victoria 18,500 26.1% 3,162,900 26.2%
    Queensland 12,200 17.2% 2,444,100 20.3%
    South Australia 3,300 4.7% 839,400 7.0%
    Western Australia 5,600 7.9% 1,306,200 10.8%
    Tasmania 840 1.2% 254,700 2.1%
    Northern Territory 480 0.7% 107,000 0.9%
    Australian Capital Territory 2,500 3.5% 248,600 2.1%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    Age and sex

    Employment distibution by age group and sex, 2021

    Solicitor

    Total employment

    Age group Solicitor Total employment
    15–24 years 3.8% 14.3%
    25–34 years 36.0% 22.7%
    35–44 years 25.2% 22.3%
    45–54 years 16.8% 20.4%
    55–64 years 11.2% 15.3%
    65–74 years 5.9% 4.3%
    75 years and over 1.0% 0.6%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.
    Sex Solicitor Total employment
    Female 54.3% 48.5%
    Male 45.7% 51.5%
    Note: N/A values indicate data are not available due to confidentiality or data reliability requirements.

    On this page

      OSCA occupation profiles data

      This file contains data available from the OSCA Occupation Profile page.

      Use of this data must include the relevant attribution text provided.

      OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census.xlsx

      xlsx 1236447

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      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA)

      Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA) is the skill-based classification used to categorise occupations across the Australian labour market. OSCA is used to define occupations across all official occupational statistics. OSCA replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).

      Each job is classified to one, and only one, group of jobs at each level of the classification with no overlaps. This prevents the accidental double-counting of roles within the Australian labour market. For more information about OSCA, visit the What is OSCA information page, or the ABS website.

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