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The latest Legal Firm of Choice Survey data shows that lawyers in private practice are increasingly likely to be job hunting compared to last year.
What is the Legal Firm of Choice Survey?
Now in its 10th edition, the Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking serves as a significant component of the Legal Firm of Choice Survey, which sets out to identify the most desirable private legal practices across Australia.
The latest survey was conducted from 30 January to 13 February 2025 and garnered a total of 434 responses from legal professionals currently engaged in private practice throughout the country. It recorded the attitudes, priorities, and perceptions of these practitioners, offering a valuable glimpse into the evolving landscape of the legal profession.
Yesterday (Wednesday, 9 April), Lawyers Weekly published the Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking for 2024–25.
Plans to leave
The survey asked participants if they intended to leave their current employers within the next 12 months.
While the majority of private practice respondents (79 per cent) said they have no plans to leave their current firms, 21 per cent revealed they are looking to move.
This represents a 3 per cent increase in lawyers wanting to leave their firm, with last year’s Legal Firm of Choice Survey finding that 18 per cent of lawyers planned to make such a move.
According to the findings within the Legal Firm of Choice Survey 2024–25, 10 per cent of private practice professionals said they plan to move to a different law firm.
Further, 3 per cent said they intend to transition into the government sector, another 3 per cent plan to move in-house, 2 per cent aspire to establish their own legal practice, and 2 per cent want to leave the legal profession altogether.
Who wants to leave
Among those who have expressed the highest interest in departing from their current private practice employers, a greater number of female lawyers indicated they have such plans compared to their male counterparts.
Specifically, 22 per cent of female respondents expressed their intent to leave their current law firms, while 17 per cent of male lawyers reported having similar intentions. For female lawyers, this represents a 5 per cent increase since last year.
Practitioners aged 30–39 demonstrated the highest levels of interest in leaving their current employer, with 27 per cent of respondents within this age group looking to move on.
Following closely behind are those aged 18–29 (25 per cent), individuals aged 60 and over (19 per cent), those aged 40–49 (13 per cent), and those aged 50–59 (12 per cent).
In terms of post-qualified experience (PQE), lawyers with one to three years of experience are the most likely to leave their firms at 25 per cent, while 20 per cent of lawyers with four to six years PQE and 19 per cent of lawyers with less than one year experience intend to leave. Interestingly, 3 per cent of lawyers with one to three years PQE intend to leave the legal profession altogether, the highest percentage when compared to experience.
The results also showed that nearly 47 per cent of respondents residing in South Australia and the Northern Territory expressed their desire to leave their current firm this year.
These figures are much lower across the rest of the country, with 81 per cent of respondents in NSW, the ACT, Victoria and Queensland planning to stay at their current firm.
Reflections
Speaking about the results, Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy said there are myriad reasons why certain firm-based lawyers may be keen to jump ship in 2025.
“While the overwhelming majority of lawyers intend to stay put this year, it should be of concern to firm leaders that one in five of their practitioners may have one foot out the door,” he said.
“Women (who are more likely than men to perceive the existence of the gender pay gap) and lawyers in their 30s (who are starting families and taking on mortgages) have new fiscal concerns that younger lawyers may not yet be experiencing. Moreover, recent geopolitical and economic turmoil may encourage lawyers to look for an alternative employer.”
“Firm leaders across the board should pay close attention to these findings, and place greater emphasis on the wellbeing and holistic satisfaction of their practitioners, regardless of age, gender, or practice area,” Doraisamy concluded.
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