Sydney-based firm Swaab Attorneys claimed the prize as the highest ranked law firm at 13^th place, while Queensland firm Trilby Misso Lawyers came in as the second highest firm in the 32^nd spot. Close behind was Melbourne's Cornwall Stodart Lawyers in 34^th place and Gold Coast firm Attwood Marshall Lawyers in 38^th place.

The top 50 list was based on research conducted by the Great Place to Work Institute Australia with almost 17,000 employees from 160 companies surveyed.

After jumping from 32^nd place in 2009 to 13^th place this year, Swaab Attorneys' managing partner Fred Swaab said he was overwhelmed by the news.

"We have spent many years building the culture of this firm and receiving this award completely validates our philosophy. The essence of that philosophy is generosity of spirit," Swaab said.

"While we've been consistently recognised for our positive work environment in the past, being ranked higher this year than ever before confirms we are continuing to move in the right direction.

"Everybody talks about work/life balance and the importance of having happy staff. This award confirms that at Swaab we don't just talk about it - we make sure it's a reality. Having happy staff is a fundamental prerequisite for having happy clients." he said.

Trilby Misso's chief executive officer Graeme McFadyen said the family friendly working hours and the introduction of a values and development policy had significantly improved staff morale.

"As a firm we want to deliver outstanding service and you cannot do that without a highly engaged and motivated workforce," he said.

"Some years ago we recognised that to deliver on our promise of exceptional client service we needed to develop a deep culture of trust and mutual support and everything has come together extraordinarily well."

Taking first place as the best place to work in Australia was NetApp Australia after Google Australia dropped from first place in 2009 to 4^th place.