Law Clerks

ANZSCO ID 599214

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
8,100
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
60%
Female Share
81%
Average age
30

Summary

Law Clerks perform specialised clerical work associated with legal practice and law courts.

Tasks

  • Assists solicitors in areas of conveyancing, contracts, common law, probate and other legal practice matters.

Characteristics

Job Type
Clerical And Administrative Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • University
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Analytical
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Court and Legal Clerks, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 60% of people employed as Law Clerks work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 6 percentage points below the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 41 hours per week in their main job. This is similar to the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
78.2%
2
Public Administration and Safety
14.5%
3
Financial and Insurance Services
1.6%
4
Health Care and Social Assistance
0.7%
5
Other industries
4.4%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

29.1% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

36.3% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

17.1% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

5.1% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

7.2% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.9% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

2.8% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Law Clerks All Jobs Average
NSW 29.1 31.6
VIC 36.3 25.6
QLD 17.1 20.0
SA 5.1 7.0
WA 7.2 10.8
TAS 1.9 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 2.8 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
30
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
81%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Law Clerks is 30 years. This is younger than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 25 to 34 years.

    Females make up 81% of the workforce. This is 33 percentage points above the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Law Clerks All Jobs Average
15-19 3.3 5.0
20-24 26.7 9.3
25-34 28.5 22.9
35-44 14.2 22.0
45-54 14.2 21.6
55-59 5.6 9.0
60-64 4.5 6.0
65 and Over 3.0 4.2
Median Age 30 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Law Clerk. Although some workers have a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification in legal or paralegal services or a university degree in law.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.
  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Public Sector VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Law Clerks All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 8.1 10.1
Bachelor degree 25.7 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 12.0 11.6
Certificate III/IV 8.8 21.1
Year 12 33.3 18.1
Year 11 5.4 4.8
Year 10 and below 6.6 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Court and Legal Clerks, who are professional, courteous and responsible.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 64%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 61%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 61%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 61%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 57%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 57%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 54%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 50%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 50%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 50%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 48%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 46%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 43%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 41%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 41%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 39%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 37%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 34%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

  • 34%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 25%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 77%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 77%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 60%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 58%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 34%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 33%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 32%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 31%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 25%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 23%

    History and archeology

    Events of the past, their causes, how we learn about them, and how they influence the way we live today.

  • 22%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 19%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 19%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 18%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 16%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 16%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 15%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 13%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 10%

    Production and processing

    Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

  • 8%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 64%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 63%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 63%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 61%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 55%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 55%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 55%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 54%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 52%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 52%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 48%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 41%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 41%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 41%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 37%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 37%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 37%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 37%

    Memorization

    Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.

  • 32%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 83%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 81%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 68%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 68%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 67%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 67%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 63%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 62%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 62%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 58%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 55%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 48%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 47%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 43%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 42%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 41%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 40%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 40%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 34%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 31%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 81%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 76%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 57%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 29%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 29%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 14%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 71%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 62%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

  • 62%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 52%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 52%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 43%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 98%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 93%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 93%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 92%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 92%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 87%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 81%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 80%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 80%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 78%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 76%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 72%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 67%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 63%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 61%

    Repeating same tasks

    Repeat the same tasks or activities (e.g., key entry) over and over, without stopping.

  • 56%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 55%

    Making repetitive motions

    Spend time making repetitive motions.

  • 54%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 50%

    Loud or uncomfortable sounds

    Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.

  • 50%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 23-1012.00 - Judicial Law Clerks.


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