Momentum Media’s law brand Lawyers Weekly – in partnership with Momentum Intelligence – is proud to reveal the results of the 2022-23 Legal Firm of Choice Survey.
Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy said that the annual attraction firms ranking is an intriguing insight into the vocational desires of legal professionals.
The Legal Firm of Choice Survey identifies the most sought-after private legal practices across Australia.
Now in its eighth year, the latest survey was conducted between 14 November and 13 December 2022. It received 462 responses in total, including 358 private practice professionals and 104 corporate counsel professionals.
The survey recorded the attitudes, priorities, and perceptions of these legal professionals in Australia.
The 2022-23 Legal Firm of Choice Survey results offer a fascinating view of how lawyers perceive prospective employers after the legal profession endured and emerged from the turbulence and uncertainty of the coronavirus.
It revealed the Top 25 Attraction Firms deemed most attractive for legal professionals if they were to leave their current employers (including by age and gender).
This is a key element of the survey as it pinpoints the most sought-after private legal practices across the country.
The survey results also reveal whether legal professionals plan to leave their current employer.
In addition, for the first time, the Legal Firm of Choice Survey polled in-house counsel respondents, asking them, among other things:
Commenting on the overall findings, Lawyers Weekly editor Jerome Doraisamy said that the annual attraction firms ranking is an intriguing insight into the vocational desires of legal professionals.
“The ranking, year-to-year, is influenced by various market factors, including salary, culture and growth opportunities. Seeing how and why lawyers select the firms that they do provides insight into which Australian law firms are of greatest appeal to prospective employers,” he said.
“Firms wishing to better compete with the largest practices in Australia would do well to observe why lawyers may desire to work with certain employers, particularly in economically-challenging times.”
Lawyers Weekly has been covering the most notable findings from the survey, including the Top 25 Attraction Firms, sentiment among in-house counsel, and how satisfied law departments are with their legal services panels.
Top ranked law firms in 2022-23
Top 25 Attraction Firms unveiled for 2022–23
The annual Lawyers Weekly Top 25 Attraction Firms ranking was based on the results from one question in the recent Legal Firm of Choice Survey, which asked:
“Which firms would you consider a move to if you ever decided to leave your current organisation?”, with respondents able to select up to five firms.
Herbert Smith Freehills retained its top spot in the rankings from 2021, while King & Wood Mallesons rose from fourth to equal first.
Top 25 Attraction Firms 2022–23 (by gender)
By gender, King & Wood Mallesons ranked first among female lawyers’ firm of choice, while Clayton Utz was male lawyers’ top firm of choice.
Mr Doraisamy noted that the results showed that it is not just which BigLaw firms appeal to men and women alike, but also how disparate some of those preferences are.
Top 25 Attraction Firms: Where those aged 18-29 want to work
According to the findings, legal professionals aged between 18 and 29 (comprising students, graduates, junior lawyers and other professional staff) most want to work at Allens, followed by Clayton Utz.
Top 25 Attraction Firms: Where lawyers in their 30s want to work
The survey results also found that lawyers aged between 30 and 39 said they would prefer to work at Herbert Smith Freehills the most, followed by King & Wood Mallesons.
1 in 4 lawyers plan to leave their firms (and soon)
When asked if they plan to leave their current employers in the next 12 months, three in four (73 per cent) of private practice respondents said that they have no plans to leave their firms.
Meanwhile, 16 per cent of respondents surveyed said that they would move to another law firm.
Lawyers Weekly also reported that when broken down by gender, three in 10 women lawyers (30 per cent) say they are planning to leave their firms within the next year, with one in five (18 per cent) planning to move to another law firm.
The balance of the women surveyed (12 per cent) will either stop practising law, move in-house, move to a government role, or start their own firms.
What firms did law departments use in 2022?
In response to the following question — “Which of these external law firms has your organisation worked with in the last 12 months?” — one in four (25 per cent) respondents noted that their law departments have engaged MinterEllison in the past year.
The second-most utilised firm was Herbert Smith Freehills, with one in five (20 per cent) respondents noting that they have used this external provider.
How happy are law departments with their legal services panels?
For the first time, in-house counsel were surveyed about how they would rank the performance of the external law firms they engaged. The survey found that nearly four in five in-house lawyers are pleased with their firms’ levels of expertise on required subjects, with 78 per cent of respondents feeling either “extremely satisfied'' or “satisfied” on this metric.
Similarly, three in four (73 per cent) of corporate counsel are happy with the quality of work being produced by their external providers, with 25 per cent saying they are “extremely satisfied” and 48 per cent saying they are “satisfied”.
Law firms not likely to be recommended by in-house teams
According to the findings, less than three in 10 (28 per cent) of in-house lawyers are promoters of the external providers on their legal services panels — meaning that more than seven in 10 corporate counsel are not likely to recommend the firms they utilise to their colleagues across the market.
If there are particular elements of the private practice-in-house relationship that you would want to learn about, please email