Lawyers are among the best paid professionals in South Africa. As of 2016, the average monthly salary of a lawyer in this country is R 60,000 per month.
The salary vary across industries and it depends of individual level of experience. Lawyers fresh from college earn as little as R30, 000 per month while those who have stayed in the industry for as long as 3 years earn in excess of R40, 000 per month. Regardless on where you work as a lawyer, you can always determine what you earn as long as you are competent enough to win cases.
South African lawyers are among the most respected professionals in Africa. They represent clients even at the International Criminal Court and other influential courts on earth. This makes them among the highest paid lawyers in the region.
Comparing the pay at the private sector and the government, Lawyers are advised to do private practice because it pays more than being employed by the government. A single client can pay up to R1 million if a case is sensitive and volatile.
As a law student, you should not worry about your career because it’s among the best in South Africa.