The Brief:
Gilbert + Tobin leads on average pay across most pay brackets, with KWM just beating G+T at the top end of employees.
Every major firm beat the legal industry average, with KWM posting the biggest year-on-year jump at +8.0%.
New WGEA data shows Gilbert + Tobin is paying its lawyers more than any other top-tier firm, across most of the pay spectrum.
G+T posted an average total remuneration of $182k, up 4.0% year-on-year, with a lower quartile (the bottom 25% of earners) of $96k and an upper quartile (the top 25%) of $308k.
KWM is the one firm that nudges ahead at the top end, with its upper quartile hitting $313k, the highest of any firm in the data. Its average sits at $175k, up 8.0%, the biggest year-on-year jump across the group.
Law Firm | Upper Quartile | Lower Quartile | Avg | Y/Y Chg in Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gilbert + Tobin | $308k | $96k | $182k | +4.0% |
KWM | $313k | $90k | $175k | +8.0% |
Ashurst | $284k | $86k | $164k | +1.2% |
Allens | $272k | $93k | $159k | +3.9% |
Clayton Utz | $283k | $84k | $159k | +5.3% |
Corrs | $286k | $84k | $157k | +4.0% |
HSF Kramer | $282k | $79k | $156k | -1.9% |
MinterEllison | $269k | $83k | $156k | +4.7% |
Legal Industry Avg | $268k | $79k | $149k | +4.2% |
G+T’s managing partner doesn’t shy away from what’s driving the numbers.
We believe that we've got the best people. We like to make a point of rewarding the best people at the top of the market, that's kind of the positioning we’ve got.
The rest of the top-tiers clusters tightly. Corrs averaged $157k, Clayton Utz and Allens both landed at $159k, while Ashurst came in at $164k.
Bear in mind these are firm-wide averages — not a like-for-like comparison. So a heavier mix of support staff or junior hires will drag the number down regardless of what fee-earners are actually taking home.
HSF Kramer was the only firm to post a year-on-year decline, slipping 1.9% — likely due to a shift in its workforce mix (more juniors or fewer seniors on the books). After all, the firm does top the top-tier grad pay table, with Sydney law grads taking home $117k, just ahead of G+T at $116.8k and Allens at $115k.
The legal industry average sat at $149k, meaning every major firm cleared the benchmark with room to spare.
Source: WGEA Employer Data Explorer