Promotions are up. But so is poaching.
Australia’s leading firms are growing their partnerships in 2025 — rewarding homegrown talent while raiding rivals in record numbers.
Here’s how this year’s partner season unfolded.
Corrs Leads, Mid-Tiers Catch Up
Corrs Chambers Westgarth topped the charts with 13 new partners — a huge jump from 4 last year.
MinterEllison and Clayton Utz weren’t far behind, promoting 12 and 11, respectively.
But mid-tier firms made their mark.
Hall & Wilcox and Lander & Rogers promoted 11 and 10 partners, matching or exceeding top-tier names. These firms aren’t just climbing. They’re competing for both talent and market share.
Across the top-tier cohort, disputes led the charge. Litigators claimed the largest share of new partner spots, followed closely by corporate and energy and resources — a surprise, given the softer post-COVID deal market.
But firms are preparing for what’s next.
KWM said its 2025 promotions reflect “continued growth in private markets dealmaking” and the “significance of digital and energy transition-related projects.” HSF Kramer echoed the same sentiment — its promotions “support growth in key areas including private capital and energy.”
Check out who else upped their partner promotions this year:
But the numbers don’t tell the full story.
While some firms promoted internally, others built their partnerships through aggressive lateral hires.
The Laterals Arms Race
KWM only made four internal promotions this year, but added 16 new partners overall.
Twelve came via lateral hire.
Among them:
Lizzie Knight, a FIRB and foreign investment expert who joined after the seven-partner exodus from Corrs last year.
Niro Ananda, a long-time Clayton Utz partner, brings two decades of private equity and M&A experience.
Jennifer Barron, former General Counsel for Merger Reform at the ACCC, adds serious firepower to KWM’s competition team.
Ashurst also shifted strategy. The global firm only made up 3 partners this year, a sharp drop from a record 17 last year. But it also made a headline hire, recruiting M&A heavyweight Tony Damian from HSF. The deal reportedly came with a $7.5 million price tag and a new title: co-head of M&A.
International firms are following suit.
Clifford Chance has expanded its local presence, with three senior M&A and disputes hires, while DLA Piper has bulked up its Sydney office with three partners across finance, M&A and tech.
It’s a clear trend. Firms are doubling down on high-margin work, and building their partnerships accordingly.
Different Tiers, Different Playbooks
As major firms pivot to premium mandates, they’re stepping away from lower-margin panel work.
Exhibit A: Ashurst.
The firm exited the Commonwealth Government legal services panel and handed its entire Canberra office to Thomson Geer — marking a clean break from public sector work.
Why?
Profitability.
Government work offers scale and consistency — but not the same margins as billion-dollar deals. And with premium fees and no appetite to slash already discounted rates, top-tier firms are simply priced out.
But where top-tiers pull back, mid-tiers are stepping forward.
Thomson Geer says it wants to be the “go-to” for complex Commonwealth work. Lander & Rogers also launched its own Canberra office, led by employment partner Jennifer Wyborn, to strengthen ties with federal clients. And Hall & Wilcox is betting big on government, too.
“For some [top-tier] firms, it might be an issue around their perception of the work not being profitable or aligned with the type of work they want to do. But for us, it’s a priority. We’ve grown by bringing in partners and teams with strong government credentials, and that’s paid off.”
It’s not just about who got promoted. It’s about what firms are building — and what they’re leaving behind.
Top-tier firms are doubling down on high-margin work and selective hires. Mid-tiers are trying their luck with the openings left behind.
The 2025 partner season isn’t just a numbers game.
It’s a strategic reshuffle.