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Solicitor and conveyancer recruitment for regional employers

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help regional law practices, councils and in-house legal teams hire solicitors, licensed conveyancers, law clerks and legal executives, from law graduates to experienced practitioners. We build the practising certificate, licence and practice areas your role needs into the search from the first conversation.

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Illustrative image: a solicitor and conveyancer review a property plan in a regional law office.

Legal hiring at a glance

About one in ten solicitor ads is outside the major cities, and both solicitors and conveyancers are rated in shortage in 2026.1,2

of solicitor job ads are outside the major cities
10.3%
179 of 1,738 ads a month, against 29.2% of all job ads. Three months to September 2026.1
of conveyancer and legal executive job ads are outside the major cities
17.2%
59 of 344 ads a month, three months to September 2026.1
of employers recruiting professionals had difficulty filling the role
50%
National, September quarter 2026.2
of recruiting professional, scientific and technical services employers had difficulty
49%
The industry that includes legal services. National, September quarter 2026.2

What do solicitors and conveyancers do, and how do they qualify?

Solicitors advise clients, prepare cases and represent them in court, prepare contracts, wills and property documents, and advise on family, company and commercial law. Conveyancers prepare and advise on contracts of sale, run title and council searches, negotiate and exchange contracts and calculate settlement adjustments.3 In 2021 about 70,800 people worked as solicitors and 7,200 as conveyancers.4

A solicitor is admitted to practice and then holds a practising certificate; newly admitted lawyers usually complete about two years of supervised legal practice before they can practise as a principal.5 Conveyancers usually hold the Advanced Diploma of Conveyancing (BSB60220), the qualification licensing bodies in Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory list.6,7,8,9

Which practising certificate or licence applies in each state?

New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia regulate lawyers under the Legal Profession Uniform Law; Western Australia joined on 1 July 2022.10,11 The other jurisdictions have their own Acts. The solicitor column names each local issuer; an Australian practising certificate from another jurisdiction may still allow practice there.12 Conveyancer licensing differs more: Queensland reserves conveyancing to solicitors.13

Who issues solicitors’ practising certificates, and how conveyancers are licensed, by state and territory. Checked 1 November 2026.

JurisdictionSolicitorsConveyancers
New South WalesPractising certificate from the Law Society of NSW, under the Uniform Law5Conveyancer licence from NSW Fair Trading; legal practitioners don't need one14
VictoriaPractising certificate from the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner, under the Uniform Law15Conveyancer's licence from the Business Licensing Authority, through Consumer Affairs Victoria7
QueenslandPractising certificate from the Queensland Law Society; restricted until supervised practice is complete16No separate licence: conveyancing is reserved to solicitors, and payment must go to a law practice13
Western AustraliaPractising certificate from the Legal Practice Board, under the Uniform Law since 1 July 202211,12Settlement agent licence and triennial certificate from Consumer Protection8
South AustraliaAustralian practising certificate, applied for through the Law Society of South Australia17Conveyancer registration with Consumer and Business Services18
TasmaniaPractising certificate from the Law Society of Tasmania19Conveyancer licence through Consumer Affairs Tasmania20
Northern TerritoryPractising certificate from the Law Society Northern Territory21Conveyancing agent licence from the Agents Licensing Board9
Australian Capital TerritoryRestricted or unrestricted practising certificate from the Law Society of the ACT22No conveyancer licence: the ACT agents law has no conveyancer class, and only solicitors can do conveyancing work23,24

What does a solicitor or conveyancer earn?

The Legal Services Award 2020 covers employers whose business is legal and legal support services, except community legal centres and Aboriginal legal services. From 1 July 2026, a law graduate completing practical training before admission (Level 5) must be paid at least $1,291.80 a week ($33.99 an hour), and a law clerk (Level 6) $1,369.20. Legal clerical and administrative staff range from $1,073.10 at Level 1 to $1,291.80 at Level 5. The law graduate level excludes anyone already admitted.25 A solicitor doing conveyancing in a law firm is award-free and entitled to the national minimum wage, $1,004.90 a week from 1 July 2026. A licensed conveyancer employed by a law firm or conveyancing business is covered by the Legal Services Award, at a classification set by their duties, skills and experience.24,26

Median full-time earnings were $2,070 a week for Solicitors and $1,575 for Conveyancers and Legal Executives in May 2025, against $1,852 for all occupations.3 These are national figures; no regional pay series exists for legal roles.

Where are solicitors and conveyancers in demand?

Solicitor and Conveyancer are both rated in shortage nationally in 2026, counting a national or regional shortage rating; Legal Executive and Law Clerk are not.27 Ads have eased over the year: outside the major cities, solicitor ads averaged 179 a month in the three months to September 2026, down from 217, and conveyancer and legal executive ads 59, down from 88.1

Online job ads a month by state and territory, three-month average to September 2026 and a year earlier, rounded to whole ads. State figures include the capital cities.28

State or territorySolicitor adsA year earlierConveyancer and legal executive ads
New South Wales573639111
Victoria51154267
Queensland404460116
Western Australia12411625
South Australia627218
Australian Capital Territory46585
Tasmania11112
Northern Territory16242
Australia1,7481,923346

What should you tell us about a legal role?

The practice areas and the mix of files (conveyancing, wills and estates, family, commercial, litigation), the state the person will practise in, and whether you need an unrestricted practising certificate, a conveyancer licence or a law graduate you will supervise.

Also the file load, the practice management software, who the person reports to, and any court circuit or outreach travel.

How we help you hire solicitors and conveyancers

You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.

  1. Step 1

    Understand the role

    We talk with you about the practice areas, the files, the state of practice, the certificate or licence the role needs and the experience you expect.

  2. Step 2

    Source and screen

    We talk with candidates about their admission and certificate type, conveyancing licence, practice areas and file load, and whether a move to your town suits them.

  3. Step 3

    Introduce suitable people

    We introduce the candidates who best match your brief, so you decide who to interview.

  4. Step 4

    Coordinate the hire

    We coordinate the next steps and keep both sides informed through interviews and the offer. You employ the person directly.

Can you find lawyers willing to move to a regional practice?

Yes. Legal roles are office-based, so the search often reaches lawyers who want to move to a regional centre, or who grew up there and want to return. Tell us the practice areas, the support and supervision you offer and any relocation help, and we raise them at the start. A lawyer moving interstate checks their Australian practising certificate, its conditions and the rules for their principal place of practice, so we cover that early. If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.

Looking for legal work in the regions?

If you are a solicitor, licensed conveyancer, law clerk or legal executive, register with Hire Australia. Tell us your admission and certificate, practice areas and where you would like to live, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.

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Talk to us about your next legal hire

Tell us the role, the practice areas, the state, the location and when you need the person to start.

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.

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A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Good to know.

Which legal roles does Hire Australia recruit?

Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We recruit solicitors, licensed conveyancers, law clerks and legal executives for regional law practices, councils and in-house legal teams. We search for law graduates through to experienced practitioners, and build the practising certificate, licence and practice areas the role needs into the search from the first conversation.

Can a licensed conveyancer work in Queensland?

Not as an independent conveyancer. In Queensland conveyancing is reserved to solicitors, and payment for conveyancing services must go to a law practice.13 Conveyancers are licensed or registered in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.7,8,9,14,18,20 Hire Australia builds the arrangement for your state into the brief.

What does a solicitor earn in Australia?

Median full-time earnings for Solicitors were $2,070 a week in May 2025.3 A solicitor in a law firm is award-free, so the legal floor is the national minimum wage of $1,004.90 a week from 1 July 2026.24,26 Hire Australia discusses your pay range with candidates early in the search.

Are solicitors and conveyancers in shortage?

Yes. Solicitor and Conveyancer are both rated in shortage nationally in 2026.27 Only 10.3% of solicitor job ads were outside the major cities in the three months to September 2026.1 Hire Australia searches beyond local applicants, including lawyers and conveyancers ready to move to a regional practice.

Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?

No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.

What does it cost to use Hire Australia?

Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply whether Hire Australia recruits a law clerk, a conveyancer or a senior solicitor.

Sources (28)

  1. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by JSA remoteness and Northern Australia classification, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  2. Jobs and Skills Australia, Recruitment Experiences and Outlook Survey, September 2026 data file. Table 3.2, Sept quarter 2026: employers with difficulty filling their latest vacancy. About 1,000 employers a month, 5+ staff, many government bodies excluded, weighted. Accessed 1 Nov 2026. Back to text ↑
  3. Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation data - February 2026: Table 2 descriptions, Table 3 tasks, Table 4 earnings (ABS Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  4. Jobs and Skills Australia, OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census. Released July 2026. Data: 2021 Census. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  5. The Law Society of New South Wales, Australian Practising Certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  6. training.gov.au, BSB60220 Advanced Diploma of Conveyancing. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  7. Consumer Affairs Victoria (Business Licensing Authority), Apply for a conveyancer's licence - individual. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  8. Government of Western Australia (Consumer Protection), Apply for Settlement agent licence. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  9. NT Government (Agents Licensing Board), Eligibility for conveyancing agents. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  10. Law Council of Australia, Legal Profession Uniform Law. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  11. Legal Practice Board of Western Australia, Uniform Law. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  12. Legal Practice Board of Western Australia, Practising certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  13. Queensland Law Society, Using an agent for Electronic Conveyancing. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  14. NSW Government (NSW Fair Trading), Conveyancer licences. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  15. Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner, Practising certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  16. Queensland Law Society, Practising Certificate. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  17. The Law Society of South Australia, Practising Certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  18. Government of South Australia (Consumer and Business Services), Conveyancer registration. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  19. Law Society of Tasmania, Apply for a Practising Certificate. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  20. Service Tasmania (Consumer Affairs Tasmania), Apply for or renew a conveyancer licence. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  21. Law Society Northern Territory, Practising Certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  22. Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory, Types of practising certificates. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  23. ACT Parliamentary Counsel, Agents Act 2003 (republication 45, effective 6 December 2025). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  24. Fair Work Ombudsman, Award coverage for conveyancers. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  25. Fair Work Commission, Legal Services Award 2020 [MA000116], clause 15.1. Data: from 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  26. Fair Work Ombudsman, Minimum wages: the National Minimum Wage. Data: from 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  27. Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 ratings, ANZSCO 2022 sheet. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
  28. Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑