Now in its eighth iteration, the Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking is a key element of the Legal Firm of Choice Survey, which identifies the most sought-after private legal practices across the country.

This latest survey was conducted between 14 November and 13 December 2022 and received 462 responses in total, recording the attitudes, priorities and perceptions of legal professionals in Australia.

Every year, some firms rise up the rankings while others slide down the list, but — in a year in which the legal services marketplace started to emerge from the turbulence and uncertainty of the age of coronavirus — the 2022–23 results offer an intriguing insight into how lawyers perceive prospective employers.

Speaking about the results, Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy said: “Australia’s legal profession is host to one of the country’s most competitive talent markets with numerous law firms, large multinationals, government agencies, and rapidly growing boutiques looking to attract the brightest minds in law.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic may be (all but) behind us, the last 12 months have still seen great market fluctuation, with more to come in the next 12 months — especially in the recruitment space.”

With that in mind, Mr Doraisamy mused, “it is fascinating to see which law firms legal professionals are most interested in moving to, if they were to make such a vocational shift”.

Lawyers Weekly has extensively covered the latest updates in recruitment, careers and salaries, including via the following stories:

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• Poaching teams is all the rage right now. Why?;
• Is a ‘loyalty tax’ sustainable within the legal profession?;
• ‘Quiet hiring’ sparks fears of burnout among lawyers;
• ‘No better time than now’ for lawyers to move jobs;
• Salaries in mid-tier firms have ‘possibly peaked’;
• Recession will shift balance of power in legal recruitment;
• Aussie associate salaries ‘competitive’ with UK (at least for now); and
• A looming recession may not impact legal salaries.

The annual Lawyers Weekly Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking was based on the results from one question in the recent Legal Firm of Choice Survey, which asked: “Which firms would you consider a move to if you ever decided to leave your current organisation?”, with respondents able to select up to five firms. Respondents were then asked to select the firm they would move to first, if they had the choice, of their selected five. 

From this, each of the answers is given a point. The ranking is based on the point system, with the firm with the most points given first in the ranking. In the event of a tie-break, the secondary question was used to delineate between prospective employers. 

Respondents to the survey were unable to vote for their own firm — thereby eliminating the possibility of any firm skewing results in its favour. 

The Top 25 Attraction Firms for 2022–23 — with their most recent ranking in brackets — are:

25. Slater and Gordon (new in 2022–23);

=23. Johnson Winter Slattery (new in 2022–23);

=23. Sparke Helmore Lawyers (down from 21st);

22. Arnold Bloch Leibler (up from 25th);

=20. HopgoodGanim Lawyers (new in 2022–23);

=20. Maurice Blackburn (down from 12th);

19. Maddocks (down from 14th);

18. Clifford Chance (down from 17th);

17. Colin Biggers & Paisley (down from 16th);

16. PwC Legal (down from 13th);

15. HWL Ebsworth (up from 22nd);

14. Gadens (up from 24th);

13. Norton Rose Fulbright (up from 20th);

12. Mills Oakley (up from 15th);

11. Gilbert + Tobin (down from 9th);

10. Baker McKenzie (up from 11th);

9. MinterEllison (down from 3rd);

8. Lander & Rogers (down from 6th);

7. Clayton Utz (up from 8th);

6. Corrs Chambers Westgarth (up from 10th);

5. Allens (down from 2nd);

4. Ashurst (up from 5th);

3. Hall & Wilcox (up from 9th);

=1. King & Wood Mallesons (up from 4th);

=1. Herbert Smith Freehills (no change from 2021).

If you or your firm have any questions about the annual Legal Firm of Choice Survey, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..