The Brief:
Prosple’s 2026 rankings reveal that G+T, HSF Kramer and MinterEllison are winning the grad talent race.
But culture-driven mid-market firms are surging, proving grads are weighing more than just salary.
The fight for graduate talent is well underway, and Prosple’s 2026 rankings spell out exactly who’s winning the next-gen talent race.
Rankings
According to Prosple’s 2026 Best Overall Law Graduate Employer rankings, Gilbert + Tobin, HSF Kramer and MinterEllison take out the top spots:
Gilbert + Tobin
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
MinterEllison
Hall & Wilcox
Clayton Utz
Sparke Helmore Lawyers
Macpherson Kelley
Clifford Chance
Allens
Lander & Rogers
Methodology
Prosple’s methodology is built around what students say matters — and those factors are weighted to produce a single overall grade.
Salary (22%)
Work Hours (11%)
Career Progression (10%)
Reputation (9%)
Office Environment (9%)
Culture (9%)
That means an employer could rank #1 on reputation but be knocked down in the overall rankings due to long hours or below-market pay.
What the Rankings Reveal
The pattern is hard to miss.
The firms topping Prosple’s list — G+T and HSF Kramer — also offer some of the biggest grad packages, both sitting at $117k in Sydney. Clearly, prestige and pay still carry serious weight.
But the rankings also show money isn’t everything.
Hall & Wilcox, Sparke Helmore and Macpherson Kelley all land inside the top 10 despite paying below top-tier levels. Culture, training and balance are punching through, reshaping how grads judge long-term fit.
What’s emerging is a split market.
The elite firms remain the traditional favourites. But ambitious mid-market challengers are now competing head-to-head for top graduates.
Source: Prosple