Barrister
What the work is
Pleads cases before civil, criminal and industrial courts and other tribunals.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Receives briefs and verbal instructions concerning cases from Solicitors, other specialist legal professionals, and clients
- Provides advice and written opinions on points of law
- Confers with clients and witnesses in preparation for court proceedings
- Draws up pleadings, affidavits and other court documents
- Researches statutes and previous court decisions relevant to cases
- Outlines the facts to the court, calls and questions witnesses, and makes addresses to the court to argue a client's case
- May draw up or settle documents
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a barrister's chambers and the courts of a fictional state, preparing and arguing cases for clients. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Months of preparation come together in a clear argument that the judge follows
- A client who was frightened of court walks out feeling they had a fair hearing
- You turn an overwhelming pile of papers into a simple story you can tell in five minutes
Hard days
- A brief arrives at 6pm for a hearing the next morning
- A client wants you to argue something you know will not work
- Waiting in a corridor for a hearing that is delayed all day
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 281131, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.