Latest College of Law legal salary survey reveals pay disparity

While some results were in line with other research already undertaken, such as gender ratios in the profession, a number of central themes are apparent from this year’s results. College of Law Group CEO, Marcus Martin says one of them is the number of lawyers who are not satisfied with their income. The survey found that almost 40 per cent of legal practitioners were “dissatisfied” with their salaries.

When it comes to the things that matter most for lawyers, the survey found that work/life balance was still the most important thing for candidates when contemplating a new job, followed by a competitive salary, and job advancement opportunities.

“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 six per cent gender pay gap and expands with years of experience.

“A small silver lining is that at graduate level the pay gap has decreased by two per cent … the overall pay gap persists at an average of 16 per cent this year,” he says.

Many of the respondents in this year’s survey were younger lawyers. 40 per cent were aged between 18 and 29, 30 per cent were aged between 30 and 39, 16 per cent were aged between 40 and 49, 10 per cent were aged between 50 and 60 and 4 per cent were over the age of 61.

Another significant finding from the survey was the average base salary which sits at $109,353, up from $102,100 in 2024. The results also showed that the base salary increased as the practitioner’s experience increased. Those who have been in practice for less than five years had an average base salary of $89,500, which increased to $122,671 once they reached six to ten years of experience, and increased to over $161,030 once they obtain more than 15 years of experience.

Results from the survey show a correlation between the type of organisation and salary levels. Corporate organisations paid the highest average base salary at $151,989 and boutique law firms and sole practitioners paid the lowest average base salary at $97,253.

It is not surprising that practitioners in corporate, government and not for profit organisations experienced greater satisfaction with their salaries (54 per cent, 51 per cent and 50 per cent respectively), compared to 34 per cent of solicitors in boutique law firms and sole practitioners.

The number of female solicitors (64 per cent) continues to outnumber male solicitors (34 per cent). Two per cent responded as diverse or preferred not to say.

Women continue to experience a gender pay gap especially as they gain more experience and seniority. The survey found that for a solicitor with one year or less experience working within a law firm, the gender pay gap is six per cent, down from eight per cent in 2024. By the time the solicitor gets to 11 or more years of experience, the pay gap increases to 19 per cent. Interestingly, this is down from a 25 per cent pay gap in 2024.

The 2025 survey found that the average gender pay gap in law firms is 16 per cent.

Respondents reported work/life balance as being the most important factor in considering a new job, at 34 per cent. This is followed by competitive salary at 29 per cent, job advancement opportunities at 14 per cent and professional development opportunities at 12 per cent.

51 per cent of respondents reported having no billable targets. Solicitors in small to large law firms were most likely to have billable targets with 85 per cent of respondents reporting having weekly and/or monthly billable targets. 56 per cent of practitioners in boutique sized firms or practising as sole practitioners reported having billable targets.

Similar to the 2024 survey results, the median billable hours for solicitors is six hours a day.

The report is available on the College of Law website.