Average Salary For Lawyers In South Africa

A lawyer (also called attorney, counsel, or counselor) is a licensed professional who advises and represents others in legal matters. Today’s lawyer can be young or old, male or female. Nearly one-third of all lawyers are under thirty-five years old.

Below are salaries earned by Lawyers Earn In South Africa

A person working as an Attorney in South Africa typically earns around 61,000 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 28,100 ZAR (lowest) to 97,000 ZAR (highest).

This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Attorney salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.

Attorney Salary Distribution in South Africa

The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range

Salary Range

Attorney salaries in South Africa range from 28,100 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 97,000 ZAR per month (maximum salary).

Median Salary

The median salary is 65,900 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Attorney(s) are earning less than 65,900 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 65,900 ZAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.

Percentiles

Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Attorney(s) are earning less than 42,300 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 42,300 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Attorney(s) are earning less than 87,900 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 87,900 ZAR.

Attorney Salary Comparison by Years of Experience

How do experience and age affect your pay?

The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Attorney salaries by experience level and this is what we found.

An Attorney with less than two years of experience makes approximately 31,900 ZAR per month.

While someone with an experience level of between two and five years is expected to earn 42,500 ZAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two years of experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 62,900 ZAR per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, Attorney(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 76,700 ZAR per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 83,500 ZAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 90,400 ZAR per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

Attorney average salary change by experience in South Africa

0 – 2 Years31,900 ZAR
2 – 5 Years+34%42,500 ZAR
5 – 10 Years+48%62,900 ZAR
10 – 15 Years+22%76,700 ZAR
15 – 20 Years+9%83,500 ZAR
20+ Years+8%90,400 ZAR

Attorney Salary Comparison By Education

We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Attorney salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.

When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of an Attorney is 36,300 ZAR per month.

While someone with a Master’s Degree gets a salary of 57,000 ZAR per month, 57% more than someone having a Bachelor’s Degree degree.

A Ph.D. gets its holder an average salary of 95,600 ZAR per month, 68% more than someone with a Master’s Degree.

Attorney average salary difference by education level in South Africa

Bachelor’s Degree36,300 ZAR
Master’s Degree+57%57,000 ZAR
PhD+68%95,600 ZAR

Attorney Salary Comparison By Gender

Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Attorney employees in South Africa earn 12% more than their female counterparts on average.

Male64,400 ZAR
Female-11%57,600 ZAR

Attorney Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa

How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for Attorney(s)

? How often do employees get salary raises?

Attorney

Attorney(s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 12% every 18 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.

Attorney Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?

An Attorney is considered to be a high bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.

15% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 85% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 5% to 9% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
85%

No Bonus
15%

Attorney Average Hourly Wage in South Africa

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 350 ZAR. This means that the average Attorney in South Africa earns approximately 350 ZAR for every worked hour.

What type of lawyer makes the most money in South Africa?

For what they do, tax lawyers tend to be among the highest-paid lawyers, not only in South Africa but in the whole world.

How much do LLB lawyers earn in South Africa?

The average tenure for legal professionals in South Africa is sitting at two years.

This is how much money lawyers earn in South Africa.

IN-HOUSE – COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY2020 ANNUAL SALARY
3-6 years’ post-qualified experienceR750 000 – R950 000
1-3 years’ post-qualified experienceR500 000 – R750 000

How much does a junior attorney earn in South Africa?

An entry-level Entry-Level Attorney with less than 1-year experience can expect to earn an average total compensation (includes tips, bonus, and overtime pay) of R117,459 based on 48 salaries.

How many years does it take to study law in South Africa?

4 years

The standard requirement before one can practice as a lawyer is completing an LLB degree which takes 4 years. Alternatively, some students choose to first study a BCom or BA which takes 3 years, and then study another 2 years to complete their LLB.

Is maths required for law in South Africa?

Proficiency in mathematics is necessary to qualify for the major LAW entrance exams like CLAT (Common Law Admission Test), and AILET (All India Law Entrance Test ) for admission to reputed Institutions under National Law University or any other university or college other than NLUs.

What subjects go well with the law in South Africa?

Many law students take at least one ‘facilitating’ subject such as a foreign language, maths, science, English, history, or geography, which are deemed as good choices for students who want to keep their degree options flexible.