The firm has won the QLS 2005 Employer of Choice Award, which QLS President Glenn Ferguson described as “hotly contested”.

Ferguson praised the firm’s workplace practices for creating a culture “which could be usefully and honestly employed as a benchmark for all firms, irrespective of their size”.

The nomination for the firms stated that “in treating each and every employee with respect, integrity, fairness, honesty and support, Clayton Utz principally seeks to recognise and acknowledge the value and achievements of every one of its members of staff”.

The nomination’s supporting submission noted that the firm’s workplace programs reflect a genuine commitment to the firm’s core values of “high ethical standards, teamwork, communication, diversity and accommodation of lifestyle choices”. It said the firm fostered “a workplace conductive to professionalism and employee satisfaction”.

But the QLS committee did not rely solely on the opinion of the nomination, Ferguson told Clayton Utz in a letter, but “canvassed widely, if informally, to ensure as far as possible that this opinion reflected at least a very considerable majority of your staff”.

Acknowledging the award, Clayton Utz Brisbane partner in charge, Geoff Harley, said the firm strives hard to offer its employees a workplace environment in which they can “develop their professional skills to the optimum while still maintaining a life outside work — critical to being a well-rounded individual”.

Clayton Utz offers a range of programs, including executive coaching, manager development training, a women’s leadership workshop, a future leaders program and a counselling and assistance program.