The Queensland Law Society has reached a new record for memberships, reaching 11,351 in the past financial year as a result of 713 new legal practitioners registering for membership. This equates to an approximate increase of six percent in memberships.
Student membership has increased by almost 14 percent bringing it to a total of 2,304 as of 30 June 2011; students now make up 20 percent of all QLS members. Full memberships rose to 8,501 and associate members total 546. The society also saw an increase in the number of practicing certificates it issued in the past financial year, up five percent to 9,021.
Females represented 45.7 percent of members in the past year, a one percentage point increase on the previous year. However, in 2001 only 28 percent of members were female and 15 years ago it was 24.4 percent. More than half the Society’s full members are under 39 years of age.
43 percent of all full members work in a law firm, 11 percent are sole practitioners, nine percent work in corporate law, and 2.6 percent are government lawyers.
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