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, uncovered which firms young lawyers want to work at, and discovered that one in five lawyers are unhappy with their salaries.

The methodology

The survey asked participants to evaluate their firm based on a wide range of attributes, including the company culture, flexible work options, support for employee wellbeing, communication effectiveness, and opportunities for career advancement.

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The findings revealed notable discrepancies between how male and female lawyers perceive their firms’ accomplishments and support regarding these attributes.

The most significant disparity was in the perceptions of leadership quality within their firms. Eighty-nine per cent of male lawyers evaluated their leaders as either excellent or good, while only 80 per cent of female lawyers felt this way.

Holistic wellbeing was another area where male and female lawyers held differing perspectives. Seventy-eight per cent of male lawyers believed their firms actively supported this crucial aspect of their professional lives. In contrast, only 70 per cent of female lawyers shared the view that their firms provided positive support for their wellbeing.

In terms of levels of communication within law firms, 81 per cent of male lawyers reported experiencing effective communication at their firms, whereas only 72 per cent of female lawyers felt the same way.

The only areas where female lawyers expressed more positive feelings towards a firm’s specific attributes were career advancement and support for work/life balance.

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How can the profession address these gaps?

Given the noticeable differences in how female lawyers feel treated and supported within their firms, the legal profession must tackle these issues promptly to prevent a backward slip in progress towards equality within the legal field.

As reported by Lawyers Weekly at the start of March, data from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) revealed that less than half of the 62 major law firms, which provided comparable data to the previous year, experienced a worsening gender pay gap.

A report from WGEA showed – among other things – that even though one in two (56 per cent) employers improved their gender pay gaps from last year, four in five (79 per cent) of businesses nationwide still have a gender pay gap outside of the 5 per cent plus/minus range.

Only half (51 per cent) of the women surveyed by WGEA said their employers are actively working to address the gender pay gap, with 37 per cent saying their employer will never prioritise closing the gap – up from 31 per cent last year.

To address the gender pay gap, Alana Giles, partner at Holding Redlich, said an initial step firms should take involves focusing on the “indirect factors” that contribute to his widespread concern.

“It is important that firms address the indirect factors influencing the gender pay gap, such as the number of female lawyers in leadership positions (which correlate to higher salaries) and in support roles (which correlate to lower salaries),” Giles said.

“To increase representation in leadership positions, firms should look at designing or expanding current training and development opportunities to retain and advance female lawyers into partnership and senior leadership roles. This will help ensure women are not only represented but also have the tools and opportunities to progress in their careers”.

Catherine Dunlop, a partner at Maddocks, emphasised that ensuring equitable pay and rewards for female lawyers goes beyond individual advantages, stating that it “creates more inclusive workplace cultures, ensures equity within peer groups and benefits firms by retaining top talent regardless of gender”.

Historically, mentoring has been recognised as a vital tool for nurturing the growth of female lawyers.

Andrya Younan, a finalist for the Women in Law 2023 Law Student of the Year, emphasised in a previous article from Lawyers Weekly that having a mentor can “play a pivotal role in providing direction and guidance, ultimately steering one in the right professional direction”.

This was also echoed by Katrin O’Sullivan, general counsel at non-profit organisation The Fred Hollows Foundation, who previously highlighted how these connections have played a key role in shaping her approach “as a lawyer and leader”.

However, Amy Lennox, chief people officer at Clayton Utz, argued that sponsorship can be even more essential for law firms looking to support the career advancement of their female attorneys.

“Sponsorship involves pairing emerging talent with senior sponsors in the firm. It can remove barriers for women [who] choose to go down the partnership path and support them in ways that are tailored to their own unique career path,” she said.

“Compared to mentorship, which focuses on development, sponsorship is a more active relationship that focuses on the advancement of your career to partnership. It’s having someone senior in the firm to champion your career path and advocate for you.”

Giles reinforced the importance of implementing this system within law firms, explaining that pairing women with senior leaders can “offer [them] guidance on how to overcome certain gender-specific challenges and advise on leadership development”.

“These relationships can open doors for women to take on more senior roles and gain exposure to high-profile matters that support their career progression,” she said.

With leadership quality being an area with the most significant disparity between female and male lawyers, Dunlop emphasised that firms must ensure that their leaders are “role modelling respectful behaviour and communicating a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination”.

For law firms looking to evaluate and see whether they are supporting their female lawyers, Dunlop recommends conducting regular surveys to gather feedback on areas where improvements can be made.

She also suggested “participating in external assessments like WGEA’s Employee of Choice for Gender Equality to see where you sit against the six gender equality indicators and using the data you may already have (e.g. gender pay gap information) to take a continuous improvement approach to reviewing your existing policies and processes”.

Lastly, Monique Milic, solicitor director at Milic Lawyers, highlighted that while “there is still work to do when it comes to equity in our industry”, she takes pride in being “part of the solution and building a team that reflects the kind of merit-based profession we all deserve”.

“Starting my own firm was not just a career move. It was a leap of conviction. As a female lawyer, I knew the legal profession needed more spaces where leadership looks and sounds different, and where values lead the way,” she said.

“Opening my own practice taught me that success is not linear. It’s built through grit, grounded decisions, and a strong support network. Especially for women in law, we need to celebrate those quieter moments of resilience and growth.”