The Brief:
Female partners hit record highs across top-tier firms.
Firms behind the pack are now playing catch-up, promoting more women faster.
Female partner representation at Australia’s top law firms has hit a new high, with fresh data showing the partnership gender gap continuing to narrow.
According to the latest AFR Law Partnership Survey, Ashurst again tops the table, with women now making up 46.3% of its partners, up +1.4 year-on-year and +5.7 over three years.
Allens (41.4%) and Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (41.1%) round out the leading trio, comfortably clearing the 40% mark that is commonly the benchmark for top-tier firms.
Firm | 2025 | 1Y Change | 3Y Change |
|---|---|---|---|
Ashurst | 46.3% | +1.4 | +5.7 |
Allens | 41.4% | +1.1 | +5.0 |
HSF Kramer | 41.1% | +2.7 | +6.6 |
Gilbert + Tobin | 39.3% | -1.6 | +1.7 |
KWM | 37.5% | +1.9 | +3.6 |
MinterEllison | 35.7% | +0.2 | +3.0 |
Corrs Chambers Westgarth | 33.6% | +1.7 | +6.2 |
Clayton Utz | 33.2% | +2.9 | +3.1 |
Source: AFR Law Partnership Survey H2 2025
Further down the table, momentum is building, particularly among firms that have historically lagged.
Corrs Chambers Westgarth has pushed up to 33.6%, delivering one of the strongest three-year improvements in the group.
The most aggressive shift came from Clayton Utz. The firm recorded the largest annual jump in female representation, rising +2.9 to 33.2%.
That lift is no accident. Six of its seven new partners are women, including construction disputes specialist Jessica Wacker. After years behind its top-tier rivals, women now make up 61 of Clayton Utz’s 184 partners.
And CU is not alone. The survey shows firms with lower female representation were more likely to promote or appoint women into the partnership this year — a sign that pressure is mounting on firms to close the gap faster.
The long-term trend is clear. What was once an outlier is fast becoming the norm.