The Brief:
MinterEllison climbs from 2nd to 1st as the most desirable firm for lawyers eyeing a move.
Allens drops off the top spot, while Macpherson Kelley surges 33 places as mid-market firms make their presence known.
MinterEllison has claimed the top spot in Lawyers Weekly's 2025–26 Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking, leapfrogging Allens to become the most sought-after destination for lawyers in private practice.
Now in its 11th year, the Lawyers Weekly survey records the attitudes, priorities and perceptions of lawyers across Australia. The rankings are based on one question: which firms would you consider moving to, and which is your top pick?
The result sees MinterEllison take the crown from Allens, which held the top spot last year. HSF Kramer is the other big climber in the top five, jumping from 5th to 3rd. Ashurst and Mallesons round out the top five.
2025-26 | 2024-25 | Law Firm | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | MinterEllison | +1 |
2 | 1 | Allens | -1 |
3 | 5 | HSF Kramer | +2 |
4 | 3 | Ashurst | -1 |
5 | 6 | Mallesons | +1 |
6 | 4 | Clayton Utz | -2 |
7 | 11 | Gilbert + Tobin | +4 |
8 | 7 | Hall & Wilcox | -1 |
9 | 8 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth | -1 |
10 | 14 | Baker McKenzie | +4 |
11 | 11 | Lander & Rogers | - |
12 | 13 | HWL Ebsworth | +1 |
13 | 9 | Mills Oakley | -4 |
14 | 30 | Wotton + Kearney | +16 |
15 | 20 | Hamilton Locke | +5 |
16 | 21 | Clifford Chance | +5 |
17 | 12 | Maddocks | -5 |
18 | 15 | A&O Shearman | -3 |
19 | 52 | Macpherson Kelley | +33 |
20 | 19 | Norton Rose Fulbright | -1 |
21 | 18 | Maurice Blackburn | -3 |
22 | 28 | DLA Piper | +6 |
23 | 45 | Arnold Bloch Leibler | +22 |
24 | 50 | Gilchrist Connell | +26 |
25 | New | DWF | - |
Further down, Clayton Utz drops two spots to 6th, while Gilbert + Tobin is the standout mover inside the top 10, jumping four places to 7th.
The real story is further down the list. Wotton + Kearney surged 16 places to 14th. Macpherson Kelley jumped 33 spots to 19th. Arnold Bloch Leibler climbed 22 places to 23rd, and Gilchrist Connell rose 26 spots to 24th. DWF enters the ranking for the first time at 25th.
The mid-market is clearly punching through.
612 lawyers in private practice responded between 1 April and 31 May. Respondents nominate up to five firms, then identify a single favourite. Each answer earns a point, and the firm with the most points wins. Participants cannot vote for their own firm.
Source: Lawyers Weekly