Shine Lawyers
    (81 reviews)

    Company Reviews

    Working at Shine Lawyers

    3.281 ratings in total
    5
    31
    4
    13
    3
    4
    2
    11
    1
    22
    70%
    Rate salary as high or average
    54%
    Employees recommend this employer to friends
    Work/Life balance
    3.5(80 ratings)
    Career development
    3.2(80 ratings)
    Benefits & perks
    2.9(81 ratings)
    Management
    3.0(81 ratings)
    Working environment
    3.2(81 ratings)
    Diversity & equal opportunity
    3.5(79 ratings)
    Ratings for Shine Lawyers are shared as-is from employees in line with our community guidelines

    Reviews

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    1.0
    Administration Assistant/Paralegal
    Mar 2026
    Bundaberg & Wide Bay Burnett QLDLess than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Inadequate training, inconsistent management direction, and a lack of support.
    The good thingsThis experience taught me the importance of supportive leadership, clear training, and healthy workplace culture in order to perform and grow in a role.
    The challengesI worked as an Administration Assistant/Paralegal and unfortunately my experience was quite disappointing. From the beginning, I felt there was a lack of structured training and support for someone entering the role without prior legal experience. Although I was assured during the interview process that training would be provided, in practice I often felt left to navigate tasks without adequate guidance. There were also inconsistencies in instructions and processes, which made it difficult to understand the correct procedures. Different managers appeared to have different expectations, and this created confusion when trying to complete work correctly. Access to support from colleagues was limited, which made learning the role more challenging. When questions were asked, responses were sometimes delayed, which slowed down workflow and added to the pressure of meeting expectations. I also found the workplace culture difficult at times.
    2 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Paralegal
    Jan 2026
    Geelong VIC 3220Less than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Managers on a power trip.
    The good thingsThe snacks ordered by admin and the trauma bonds I now have with past staff.
    The challengesI was warned about Shine before I began, that they “chew up and spit out staff”, but wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I was essentially pushed out of the job by managers on a power trip, and unfortunately I would describe my experience as traumatic, given I now suffer from workplace anxiety that I did not possess previously. I wasn't provided with any of the training I was promised and asked for on numerous occasions- then later blamed for it (as well as many other things to disguised the fact that management hadn't done their job). False promises, toxic work culture, poor pay, poor organisation, lack of training, lack of flexibility and a HR team who is anything but impartial. The turnover rate speaks for itself, your lucky if staff stick around for more than a year, and I would not recommend this ‘company’ and its high school politics to my worst enemy. They deliberately didn't send me an employee survey when I left. Please go ANYWHERE else- just not to Shine.
    4 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Paralegal
    Jan 2026
    Bundaberg & Wide Bay Burnett QLDLess than 1 year in the role, former employee
    Take care of yourself, do not work here
    The good thingsThis organisation positions itself as an advocate for the “little guy,” a value strongly promoted during onboarding, however this principle appears to apply primarily to external clients rather than internal staff. Employees experiencing health challenges often receive limited support and may feel vulnerable in relation to job security.
    The challengesWhen I attended a HR meeting following a period away from work, no support was offered, no meaningful questions were asked about my wellbeing, and no genuine attempt was made to understand my circumstances. There was no discussion of support options. I was terminated without warning and instructed to leave immediately. Subsequent communication to me placed strong emphasis on confidentiality, which felt discouraging of open discussion and added to the power imbalance during an already difficult process. Performance targets are frequently unrealistic, requiring significant daily revenue generation while many employees continue to experience financial strain. Bonuses and rewards appear disproportionately allocated to management, despite much of the operational workload being carried by support staff. This imbalance contributes to consistently high staff turnover, limited role stability, and a culture where continuity, morale, and employee wellbeing appear secondary to financial outcomes.
    6 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Paralegal Assistant
    Dec 2025
    Geelong VIC 32201 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Worst place to work for. Save yourself grace and work elsewhere.
    The good thingsHorrible workplace they treat their workers like absolute garbage
    The challengesYou say you have a work life balance but treat your workers like garbage. Its no wonder you have high turnover in staff
    3 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Paralegal
    Jul 2024
    Cairns QLD 48701 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    Toxic workplace
    The good thingsColleagues are the only thing that make the job bearable
    The challengesManagement and lack of support. No salary increase. Bonuses are offered but not achievable due to the ridiculous KPI’s. There document system is set up so you fail. The expectations of support staff are high and then reward you with a super low salary under the industry norm. I wouldn’t recommend working at Shine. Especially in regional areas where there is no support and a small office.
    8 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Solicitor
    May 2024
    Sydney NSW 20003 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    Rewarding. Good people.
    The good thingsGood opportunities for growth professionally.
    The challengesCan be lots of change.
    1 person found this helpful
    1.0
    Marketing Department
    Aug 2023
    Brisbane QLD 40003 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    Poor leadership and strategy
    The good thingsGood pay, work flexibilities
    The challengesPoor understanding and ambition to modernise technologies, lack of strategic direction from senior leadership team, toxic managers
    5 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Law Clerk
    Jun 2023
    Canberra ACT 26001 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Amazing experience with great management.
    The good thingsIt’s like going to work with your friends. Great environment with great management. You are given the opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive environment. Realistic performance goals are set and and great perks for overachieving.
    The challengesThe system can be difficult to learn at first but once you get your head around it it works well.
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Senior Paralegal
    Jun 2023
    Sunshine VIC 30201 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Feel so luck that I have landed here
    The good thingsI have been working at Shine Lawyers in Sunshine for a year now and am so happy that I have landed here. The support you receive from my colleagues and in particular Catie Norman is second to none. The opportunities to grow are always there and life work balance for me is so important and this is exactly what I get here. I have worked in the industry for over 20 years and have never been happier here at Shine Sunshine. Feel very fortunate.
    The challengesNo challenges here. Its been easy and comfortable with amazing training and support continuously.
    5.0
    Solicitor
    May 2023
    Sunshine VIC 30205 to 6 years in the role, current employee
    Working at Shine lawyers Sunshine has allowed me to help many vulnerable and injured people while also connecting with amazing colleagues and progressing in my career.
    The good thingsShine lawyers Sunshine is an amazing place to work. I have worked here for coming 5 years, starting as a casual paralegal, to undertaking the graduate program before transitioning into a Solicitor role. Shine is a great place for opportunity and growth. I look forward to coming to work everyday knowing that I have such great and supportive colleagues. Everyone is always willing to help one another during busy times and our Legal Practice Manager, Catie is always looking out for us, providing us with opportunities and is very responsive to any queries we may have.
    The challengesYou are required to take on difficult cases that other firms may put in the “too hard” basket.
    4.0
    Administration Clerk
    Oct 2022
    1 to 2 years in the role, former employee
    A learning experience
    The good thingsGood team vibe. Great office.
    The challengesBusy workload. High expectations.
    5.0
    Learning and Development Role
    Sep 2022
    3 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    Supportive environment with fulfilling work to be done.
    The good thingsGreat development opportunities for career progression. Transparency from leaders regarding strategic initiatives and projects. On a whole, there is a One Team approach.
    The challengesAs it is a growing company, there is lots of projects underway each year, and need to be balanced accordingly to each department of the organisation and their needs.
    5.0
    Senior Associate
    Aug 2022
    7 to 8 years in the role, current employee
    A wonderful and rewarding group of people to work with
    The good thingsThere are excellent opportunities for career advancement and development. My views and opinions are sought and valued.
    The challengesAs a big company there are processes and procedures to navigate but I feel they lead to better decision-making and outcomes.
    5.0
    Senior Lawyer
    Jun 2022
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Great culture, pay and career opportunities.
    The good thingsThe culture is supportive and friendly. There is a real commitment to the firm values from senior management, who are accessible and listen. For example most Vic staff are now working partially from home following the pandemic, and an option to work a 9 day fortnight is shortly being implemented. The onboarding, learning and file management system is the most sophisticated I have encountered in 10+ years of practice. There is real opportunities for career progression as Shine is expanding in Victoria. The salary is above most other PI firms. Performance is rewarded with a decent bonus structure that includes paralegals as well as lawyers. Parental scheme / paid mat leave is good.
    The challengesShine doesn't shy away from hard cases and discourages giving up.
    5.0
    Senior Associate
    Jun 2022
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    A business that looks after both its clients and staff equally well - a great place to work.
    The good thingsThe firm is very keen to develop its staff and there is a real focus on career progression. Very good working culture with all the staff being here for the right reasons, namely to help disadvantaged plaintiffs.
    The challengesBeing a large publicly listed company, there is a lot of corporate and financial reporting that is required in addition to working with clients. But, this means the firm is very well resourced which is a good thing when it comes to representing plaintiffs.
    5.0
    Lawyer
    Jun 2022
    5 to 6 years in the role, current employee
    Growth and career progression with amazing people
    The good thingsThis firm makes me feel valued. There is real career progression
    The challengesThe too hard basket is discouraged. But you get support to manage this
    5.0
    Head Office
    Jun 2022
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    It's been a very positive experience and I'm looking to grow my career further within the company.
    The good thingsEveryone across the different branches are welcoming. When you need help, there is always someone to assist you. Also, great place to grow your career.
    The challengesSalary isn't the best, however, I do think they are trying to change this and give other perks.
    1.0
    Support Worker
    Apr 2022
    current employee
    If you like to work harder and not smarter, this is the place for you
    The good thingsPart time work from home
    The challengesManagement, workload, communication
    3 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Assistant
    Mar 2022
    I would not recommend this workplace to anybody
    The good thingsSome of the people are decent
    The challengesToo many things to list
    2.0
    Paralegal
    Feb 2022
    9 to 10 years in the role, current employee
    Potential to be great but sadly destructive and toxic place to work
    The good thingsLarge firm that has opportunity to build relationships with staff across departments. CEO/CFO/COO/CLO are great people with a really great vision which sadly just doesn’t flow into middle and lower management at times
    The challengesLow salary compared to industry standards and not consistent across staff Unrealistically high productivity expectations resulting in poor work/life balance
    7 people found this helpful
    4.0
    Administration Support Officer
    Feb 2022
    5 to 6 years in the role, current employee
    A great place to work
    The good thingsExcellent office environment, friendly coworkers, great corporate attitude. You always feel like someone is willing to listen to you.
    The challengesOpportunities for career progression are limited.
    2 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Learning Specialist
    Feb 2022
    current employee
    Fantastic place to work
    The good things- Great Leadership Team - Great benefits - Good Team Members that are supportive - Great place to work - Worklife balance options available
    The challengesIt is busy all the time - however, plenty of opportunities to grow and develop
    5.0
    Legal Practice Manager
    Feb 2022
    current employee
    Great place to work with genuine opportunities for career progression
    The good thingsShine is a fantastic place to work! I have had numerous opportunities for career progression and promotion. The firm has regularly provided internal training and supported my external training requests. The people are great to work with and very collaborative. My opinions are sought and count. Shine does great work for people in need and genuinely seeks the best outcomes for clients. Shine also supports flexible working arrangements, even pre-COVID, allowing me to start and finish early to better manage my work/life balance.
    The challengesIf you are afraid of a challenge (ie taking on difficult claims) or going above and beyond when looking after clients, then Shine might not be the right fit for you.
    2 people found this helpful
    1.0
    Legal team
    Nov 2021
    3 to 4 years in the role, former employee
    The emotional ab*se you receive working in the main brisbane office is not worth the strengths.
    The good thingsThe opportunities and recognition
    The challengesToxic culture and poor management.
    1 person found this helpful
    5.0
    Marketing Role
    Oct 2021
    5 to 6 years in the role, current employee
    Continual learning and opportunities
    The good thingsNo day is ever the same, there are always things to learn and exciting projects to challenge and extend you. Management have an open door policy and are easy to approach with challenges or questions.
    The challengesSometimes we run before we can walk and commit to trying to deliver too many things at once. Some data & technology elements have been a challenge but are in the process of being solved.
    5.0
    Recruitment Advisor
    Aug 2021
    Less than 1 year in the role, current employee
    Happy and energetic work environment
    The good thingsShine Lawyers have an amazing culture, very friendly. They genuinely look to hire people who are the best fit for the company. I would recommend the workplace environment to anyone who asks. The happy and energetic environment in the office makes being at work enjoyable.
    The challengesNo challenges so far
    5.0
    eLearning Instructional Design Lead
    May 2021
    3 to 4 years in the role, current employee
    In a Shared Services team, I am given the autonomy to use my expertise to produce high-quality material that supports our front line to support our clients.
    The good thingsThe OneTeam culture. Focus on values, and balance. High importance placed on development of their people, training and experience.
    The challengesFast growth of business, expanding rapidly.
    5.0
    Business Partner
    May 2021
    Feel valued and help make a difference.
    The good thingsGreat team and culture, creative and busy environment, opportunities to work on interesting and challenging projects.
    The challengesFast paced environment.
    1.0
    Paralegal
    May 2021
    former employee
    It’s the worst place I’ve ever worked at. They treatment of staff is just ridiculous.
    The good thingsSome of the staff and that’s it.
    The challengesToxic culture that leads to many leaving. Management team who don’t understand the challenges the workers are experiencing and aren’t willing to understand. It’s only just about billable hours and that’s all you are seen by.
    6 people found this helpful
    5.0
    Paralegal
    Mar 2021
    1 to 2 years in the role, current employee
    Great foundation to build upon
    The good thingsGreat Management Great Team Environment Opportunity for Growth
    The challengesAmount of software to learn
    1 person found this helpful
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