Legal Services Award Rates: Complete Guide 2025
Keeping compliant with Fair Work legislation
To escape the mess of manually entering in pay rates, many businesses are using automatic award interpretation software. This reduces the chances of making errors from manual processes. Workforce Management Software can add the correct pay rates to rosters and timesheets, and adjust for overtime, allowances and higher duties.
For example, Tanda has built in support for a large number of awards, including the legal services award, with built-in rates that automatically sync with payroll. The rates are updated each year, and will move employees up when its their birthday. This keeps businesses compliant without having to constantly monitor Fair Work’s changes to Award rates.
Classifying employees under the Legal Services Award
One of the biggest reasons employers underpay staff is because they have been incorrectly classified. The rates and entitlements in the legal services award vary dramatically depending on whether an employee is a clerk, a graduate, and whether they work full time, part time, or as a casual. For a complete guide on how to classify staff, Fair Work provides advice here. But, for a basic outline, see below:
Full-time employees
- Usually works, on average, 38 hours each week.
- Can be a permanent employee or on a fixed-term contract.
Part-time employees
- On average work less than 38 hours per week.
- Commonly work regular hours each week.
- Can be a permanent employee or on a fixed-term contract.
Casual employees
- Are employed with the understanding that there is no firm advance commitment to ongoing work with an agreed pattern of work.
Casual conversion
In response to community concern that some casuals were being exploited, new laws have introduced that allow some casuals to become permanent. Casual conversion covers the Legal Services Award, and you should remember this when rostering employees. Casual conversion could change the financial structure of your wages. Full time and part time employees are entitled to annual leave and sick leave, and you should remember this when structuring your roster.
The casual conversion process was updated as part of the Closing Loopholes No.2 Act 2024. Now, it operates as an employee choice pathway where eligible staff can request conversion to permanent employment - this means the onus is no longer on the employer to track and provide offer of conversion (NB: the previous employer-led pathway applies to small businesses until 26 August 2025). Clause 11.4 of the Legal Services Award specifies the circumstances for casual workers to apply for part-time classification, including:
- They have been working for the business for six (6) months (twelve (12) months for small businesses); and
- They believe they no longer meet the requirements of the casual employee definition.
Penalties and allowances
Under the legal services award, employees are entitled to penalties and allowances under certain conditions. Typically, penalty rates offer workers higher rates for working at inconvenient times, including weekends or at night (after 6PM). Workers are also eligible for overtime pay if they work longer than their rostered hours. Typically, overtime rates increases the more overtime an employee does in a shift.
Legal Services employees are also given allowances by the award. This includes allowances for laundry, clothing and meals amongst other things. The interpretation of these allowances can be complicated and depends on the situation of your business. For a full list, click here.
Leave entitlements
Staff can expect to receive the same leave entitlements under the Legal Services Award as many other modern awards, as employees are entitled to leave as set out in the National Employment Standards (NES). Leave entitlements are commonly dictated by the classification of the employee.
Typically, this means casual workers receive an extra 25% pay loading in return for not having entitlements like annual leave, with part-time and full-time workers receiving these benefits on the Legal Services Award.. But, there are many entitlements and interpreting them isn’t always straightforward.
Full-time employees
- Are entitled to paid leave including annual leave and sick & carer’s leave.
Part-time employees
- Are entitled to paid leave including annual leave and sick & carer’s leave.
Casual employees
- Are not entitled to paid leave including annual leave and sick & carer’s leave.
General Legal Services Award pay rates
Below are the minimum general Legal Services Award pay rates for 2025 for the various levels of employment. The current rule set came into effect on the 1st of July 2025.
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $26.96
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $28.12
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $29.70
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $31.19
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $32.45
- Law graduate, level 5 - $32.45
- Law clerk, level 6 - $34.40
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $33.70
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $35.15
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $37.13
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $38.99
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $40.56
- Law graduate, level 5 - $40.56
- Law clerk, level 6 - $43.00
Under 16 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $12.13
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $12.65
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $13.37
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $14.04
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $14.60
- Law graduate, level 5 - $14.60
- Law clerk, level 6 - $15.48
16 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $13.48
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $14.06
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $14.85
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $15.60
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $16.23
- Law graduate, level 5 - $16.23
- Law clerk, level 6 - $17.20
17 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $16.18
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $16.87
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $17.82
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $18.71
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $19.47
- Law graduate, level 5 - $19.47
- Law clerk, level 6 - $20.64
18 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $18.87
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $19.68
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $20.79
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $21.83
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $22.72
- Law graduate, level 5 - $22.72
- Law clerk, level 6 - $24.08
19 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $21.57
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $22.50
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $23.76
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $24.95
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $25.96
- Law graduate, level 5 - $25.96
- Law clerk, level 6 - $27.52
20 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $24.26
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $25.31
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $26.73
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $28.07
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $29.21
- Law graduate, level 5 - $29.21
- Law clerk, level 6 - $30.96
Under 16 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $15.16
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $15.81
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $16.71
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $17.55
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $18.25
- Law graduate, level 5 - $18.25
- Law clerk, level 6 - $19.35
16 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $16.85
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $17.58
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $18.56
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $19.50
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $20.29
- Law graduate, level 5 - $20.29
- Law clerk, level 6 - $21.50
17 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $20.23
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $21.09
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $22.28
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $23.39
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $24.34
- Law graduate, level 5 - $24.34
- Law clerk, level 6 - $25.80
18 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $23.59
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $24.60
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $25.99
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $27.29
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $28.40
- Law graduate, level 5 - $28.40
- Law clerk, level 6 - $30.10
19 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $26.96
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $28.13
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $29.70
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $31.19
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $32.45
- Law graduate, level 5 - $32.45
- Law clerk, level 6 - $34.40
20 years
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 1 - $30.33
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 2 - $31.64
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 3 - $33.41
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 4 - $35.09
- Legal clerical and administrative employee, level 5 - $36.51
- Law graduate, level 5 - $36.51
- Law clerk, level 6 - $38.70
Harry Spicer
Harry joined Tanda as Head of Content after a career as a senior journalist with radio stations 2GB, 3AW and 4BC. He has a strong interest in workplace and industrial relations issues.
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