How much do you get paid as a lawyer in South Africa?

Asked by: Jett Mante  |  Last update: September 27, 2023
Score: 4.8/5 (11 votes)

The average lawyer salary in South Africa is R 720 006 per year or R 369 per hour. Entry-level positions start at R 231 450 per year, while most experienced workers make up to R 6 780 000 per year.

Do lawyers get paid well in South Africa?

The legal profession in South Africa offers one of the highest-paying and most lucrative careers in the country, with many legacy and emerging fields requiring highly skilled individuals to make sure affairs are in order.

What is the highest-paying lawyer in South Africa?

General Counsel salary in South Africa 2023

In South Africa, a general counsel earns an average salary of R1,185,677.00 yearly. The highest-paid lawyers in South Africa, according to the Robert Walters salary benchmark, are general counsels in the financial services, commercial, and industrial sectors.

Is becoming a lawyer in South Africa worth it?

A career in law can be immensely rewarding and offer job satisfaction. This is especially so when you are able to provide the client with a solution in an expeditious and cost effective manner. However it also has its drawbacks, the biggest of which must be the high levels of stress which lawyers work under.

What is the highest-paying job in South Africa?

The highest-paying jobs in SA in 2023
  1. Chief executive officer - R1,189,902 pa.
  2. Petroleum engineer - R1,129,021 pa. ...
  3. Medical doctor - R720,003 pa. ...
  4. Actuarial scientist - R706,602 pa. ...
  5. Judge - R622,474 pa. ...
  6. Plant manager - R563,488 pa. ...
  7. Investment banker - R562,501 pa. ...
  8. Financial manager - R543,927 pa. ...

Attorney (Lawyer) Salary 2022 | South Africa

36 related questions found

What is an ideal salary in South Africa?

Maximum and minimum salary range

The national average monthly salary in South Africa ranges from a minimum wage of 7,880 ZAR per month (USD 405) to a maximum average salary of 139,000 ZAR per month (USD 7,148.)

Can a foreigner become a lawyer in South Africa?

A person must be a South African citizen or permanent resident and be otherwise fit and proper in the opinion of the court to be admitted as a legal practitioner.

Is it hard to be a lawyer in South Africa?

Celebration. The process of becoming an attorney in South Africa takes at least 6 years. 4 Years of studying and 2 years of articles and writing the admission exams. That is a long time of working hard with late nights and early mornings.

Is law school expensive in South Africa?

Costs of Law Schools in South Africa

Law schools in South Africa are quite costly. One can expect to pay more for full-time law school as opposed to part-time law school. The average cost of law schools in South Africa ranges between R32, 000 – R40, 000.

Where do lawyers get paid the most in the world?

Switzerland is at the top of our list of countries that reward their lawyers the best. With an average annual salary of $260,739. The lowest salary for a Swiss lawyer is $120,279 and the highest salary is $414,058 per year.

Who is the richest lawyer in Africa?

Adewale Tinubu – $700 million

Adewale is Nigeria's wealthiest lawyer. He was born in Lagos State and graduated from the University of Liverpool in England.

Do lawyers earn more than doctors in South Africa?

The average salary of a qualified lawyer in South Africa is R 45,000 per month while that of doctors is R 50,000 per month. As you can notice, doctors earn better than lawyers at all levels. If you are into self-employment, as a lawyer you will start a law firm and as a doctor you will operate a clinic.

Who pays lawyers in South Africa?

Typically the purchaser pays the transfer fees charged by the conveyancing attorneys attending to the transfer of the property into the purchaser's name.

Do lawyers get hired in South Africa?

South Africa needs committed young graduates to join the legal profession. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a profession is a paid occupation which requires a prolonged education and training. Lawyers are part of more than 1 400 professions and careers open to young graduates from universities in South Africa.

Is law a good career in South Africa?

South Africa has different types of lawyers, and criminal attorneys are in high demand. These are professionals who defend individuals, organisations, and entities charged with crimes. They draft, file, and argue motions on behalf of clients.

How long is law course in South Africa?

The four-year programme comprises mostly law subjects with several Humanity or Commerce subjects at first year level. You must take certain core law subjects if you wish to graduate with an LLB. Other subjects form a set of electives you can choose from.

Is there a bar exam in South Africa?

The board exam consists of four examinations that you need to pass as a requirement for becoming a registered attorney in South Africa. This exam is now called the 'competency-based examination for admission as an attorney'.

How many years is it to study law in South Africa?

A law degree (LL. B.) in South Africa takes 3–4 years to complete. During your Bachelor of law program, you will devote a significant amount of time to studying law texts and criminal codes, as well as memorizing stipulations and exceptions.

Can an American lawyer practice in South Africa?

Do you need to hold local nationality to be eligible to practise law? A candidate must be a South African citizen, or permanent resident in the Republic. There are pathways open to foreign practitioners who have already fully qualified in their home country.

What are lawyers called in South Africa?

There is not difference between a lawyer and an attorney, other than semantics. In different regions around the world, licenced legal professionals are called by different names. In South Africa, we refer to someone who performs a legal function as lawyers or attorneys (which can be used interchangeably).

What are the two kinds of lawyers in South Africa?

We will explore some of these types of lawyers here, and what they do.
  • Divorce lawyer. When terminating a marriage there are many legal aspects that need to be addressed. ...
  • Family lawyer. ...
  • Immigration lawyer. ...
  • Criminal lawyer. ...
  • Accident and personal injury lawyer. ...
  • Business and corporate lawyer. ...
  • Bankruptcy lawyer. ...
  • Labour law lawyer.

Is 50k a month good in South Africa?

A breakdown of the respondents' pay package showed that 45% earn from R50 000 to R75 000; 24% earn from R75 001 to R100 000, while 31% earn more than R100 000. Asanda Thondlana wrote to Fin24 saying that gross income of R50 000 constitutes as wealthy, considering the average pay in the country.

How much is rent in South Africa?

The average monthly rent of residential properties increased across all provinces in South Africa in 2021, except for the Free State and Gauteng. In the final quarter of the year, the national average rent stood at approximately 7,900 South African rands.

How much do you need to live comfortably in South Africa?

Numbeo estimates that a family of four would need R30,775 per month, excluding rent, while a single person would need around R8,875. Below is a breakdown of how much it costs to live in the largest South African cities compared to other major cities around the world.