To be given the title "accredited specialist", is the highest accreditation attainable as a solicitor in Australia. To become an accredited specialist, a solicitor must meet certain requirements and go through various examination stages, testing their skills and knowledge in the specific area of the law that they are competent in. Once a solicitor fulfils the requirements, they are entitled to use the prestigious title of accredited specialist after their name to differentiate themselves as experts in that area of law.[1]
Be engaged in the practice of law full-time for at least 5 years;
In each of the three years immediately preceding your application, have been engaged in the area of practice of law in which you would like to become an accreditation specialist;
In the three years preceding this application, have practiced in the area for not less than 25% of full-time practice.
Specialist Accreditation exam
The Specialist Accreditation exam occurs every year but once every two years for a specific area of law. For example, there was a specialist accreditation exam for Immigration law in 2018, you'll be expecting the next exam in 2020.
The accreditation process takes approximately 6–7 months until results are released. The processes are as follow:
Submitting application for specialist accreditation before closing date
Take home assessments where solicitors are given a timeframe to complete
Formal written exams and live assessments
Results released
Areas of law
Only solicitors as individuals can become an accredited specialist, not firms. As of 2025, specialist accreditation is offered in the following areas of law:[3]
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