The Brief:
Mid-tiers delivered the biggest % partner growth over the last 12 months.
Sparke Helmore and Moray & Agnew were the standout movers, while several top-tier firms trimmed headcount.
The AFR’s second-half Law Partnership Survey shows partner numbers across the country up 3.4% to nearly 4600.
Ranked by Partnership Size
HWLE and MinterEllison hold the top spots for the biggest partnerships in Australia, keeping their #1 and #2 positions from last year’s results.
KWM has knocked Ashurst down a peg, taking over 3rd place.
Rank | Firm | Partners |
|---|---|---|
#1 | HWL Ebsworth Lawyers | 284 |
#2 | MinterEllison | 241 |
#3 | King & Wood Mallesons | 192 |
#4 | Ashurst | 190 |
#5 | Clayton Utz | 184 |
#6 | Mills Oakley | 179 |
#7 | HSF Kramer | 175 |
#8 | Thomson Geer | 158 |
#9 | Allens | 157 |
#10 | Hall & Wilcox | 151 |
#11 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth | 143 |
#12 | Moray & Agnew | 125 |
#13 | Sparke Helmore Lawyers | 121 |
#14 | Gilbert + Tobin | 117 |
#15 | Gadens | 113 |
#16 | Norton Rose Fulbright | 112 |
#17 | Lander & Rogers | 110 |
#18 | Maddocks | 97 |
#19 | Piper Alderman | 89 |
#20 | Johnson Winter Slattery | 84 |
Ranked by Partnership Growth
Out of the firms listed above, the mid-tiers were the biggest climbers when it comes to percentage growth:
Sparke Helmore surged 18.6%, the fastest rise of any.
Moray & Agnew wasn’t far behind at 11.6%.
Lander & Rogers placed third at 10%.
Rank | Firm | Growth (12 months) |
|---|---|---|
#1 | Sparke Helmore Lawyers | +18.6% |
#2 | Moray & Agnew | +11.6% |
#3 | Lander & Rogers | +10.0% |
#4 | Gadens | +6.6% |
#5 | Gilbert + Tobin | +6.4% |
#6 | Thomson Geer | +5.3% |
#6 | Mills Oakley | +5.3% |
#7 | Maddocks | +4.3% |
#8 | Hall & Wilcox | +3.4% |
#9 | Johnson Winter Slattery | +2.4% |
#10 | HSF Kramer | +1.7% |
#11 | HWL Ebsworth Lawyers | +1.4% |
#12 | King & Wood Mallesons | +0.5% |
#13 | MinterEllison | -0.4% |
#14 | Clayton Utz | -0.5% |
#15 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth | -0.7% |
#16 | Piper Alderman | -1.1% |
#17 | Allens | -1.3% |
#18 | Norton Rose Fulbright | -3.4% |
#19 | Ashurst | -7.3% |
Meanwhile, most top-tiers are holding steady or sliding back.
Minters, Clayton Utz, Allens and Corrs all posted negative partner growth, while Ashurst pulled back hardest with a 7.3% drop.
It mirrors a longer-term trend. Over the last three years, Gadens is up 37.5%, Mills Oakley up 32%, and Lander & Rogers up 31%.
While regulators, class actions and workplace disputes have kept the disputes engine humming, a sluggish deals market is weighing on top-tier expansion. The mid-tiers, meanwhile, are leaning into that counter-cyclical demand.
Source: AFR Law Partnership Survey