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.

In the last month, Lawyers Weekly published the Top 25 Attraction Firms Ranking for 2024-25, published how more than 20 per cent of lawyers plan to leave their firms, revealed which BigLaw firms gained and lost popularity among lawyers this past year, and uncovered which firms young lawyers want to work at.

The methodology

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The annual Lawyers Weekly Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking is based on responses derived from one question within the recent Legal Firm of Choice Survey, which asked participants: “Which legal firms would you consider a move to if you ever decided to leave your current organisation?”

Respondents were able to choose up to five law firms they’d be interested in joining and then were asked, if they had the option, to identify their top choice among those five they selected.

From this, each answer is assigned a point. The ranking is determined by the total points, with the firm that receives the most points ranked the highest. In instances of a tie, a secondary question is used to differentiate between prospective employers.

Participants were not allowed to vote for their own firms to nullify the possibility of any firm influencing the results in its favour.

Firm choices of lawyers aged 40 and above

According to the findings, the top firms that legal professionals aged 40 and above (comprising of partners, principals, senior associates, and other legal professionals) find the most attractive to work for are as follows:

10. Baker McKenzie (up from 27th in 2023–24)

10. Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers (up from 16th in 2023–24)

9. Corrs Chambers Westgarth (up from 39th in 2023–24)

8. Mills Oakley (down from 6th in 2023–24)

7. Clayton Utz (up from 13th in 2023–24)

6. King & Wood Mallesons (down from 1st in 2023–24)

5. Ashurst (up from 9th in 2023–24)

4. Herbert Smith Freehills (up from 11th in 2023–24)

3. Hall & Wilcox (down from 2nd in 2023–24)

2. MinterEllison (up from 5th in 2023–24)

1. Allens (up from 3rd 2023–24)

Comparisons to those aged under 40

When comparing this top 10 rankings to that of lawyers who are aged 40 and above, a few things become apparent from a recruitment perspective:

• Allens came up on top as the most attractive firm to work with among both age groups.

• The general gap at Baker McKenzie is evident, as lawyers over 40 place the firm among their top 10 favourite choices. Younger lawyers instead ranked the global law firm 21st.

• The top five rankings for both age groups feature four firms in common: Allens, MinterEllison, Ashurst, and Herbert Smith Freehills. However, older lawyers included Hall & Wilcox in their top five, while younger lawyers have opted for Clayton Utz.

• Keypoint Law also experienced a large gap – it’s the 14th most attractive firm for those aged above 40. However, it was ranked 59th for lawyers aged 18 to 39.

What do lawyers aged 40 and older care about most?

More senior lawyers have been clear about what matters most to them in the workplace, highlighting both the areas where their firms are performing well and where there is room for improvement.

Among lawyers aged 40 to 49, 14 per cent reported that communication within their firms was either poor or terrible. Additionally, 10 per cent expressed dissatisfaction with their firm’s pay and reward structures, as well as the availability of flexible and remote working options – revealing a demand for better compensation and greater transparency.

Despite these concerns, 87 per cent of lawyers in this age group rated their firm’s efforts to foster a positive workplace culture highly, while 86 per cent described support for work/life balance as good or excellent.

For those aged 50 to 59, the most highly rated aspects of their firms included flexible and remote working opportunities, recognition for individual performance, and support for work/life balance – each receiving approval ratings in the low 90s.

However, this cohort also voiced significant concerns regarding career progression and the quality of leadership, marking these as the only areas in which their firms were doing terribly.

Among lawyers over the age of 60, communication and leadership quality emerged as the most critical issues, with 11 per cent expressing dissatisfaction in both areas.

Interestingly, despite these concerns, leadership quality was still rated as the second-best attribute within their firms, with 89 per cent describing it as either good or excellent. The highest-rated category for this age group was workplace culture, where 90 per cent rated it highly.

Commentary

Reflecting on the findings, Lawyers Weekly managing editor Jerome Doraisamy said: “These results offer fascinating insights into the vocational motivations of lawyers across the spectrum.

“Leaders in law firms, and their human resources teams, would do well to be mindful of such diversity of perception, and how best they can retain top talent, in all age demographics.”

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