Best Law Firms™ - Australia
About the 2025 edition
Our awards spotlight 477 firms for professional excellence by practice area and jurisdiction. Search Australia’s best law firms today to find an organization to assist you with specific legal needs.
The Best Law Firms – Australia publication was distributed in partnership with The Australian on May 31, 2024. It ranks only the very best – 2% of firms in the market are awarded for professional excellence. This makes our awards the most exclusive and prestigious in the country.
We have been recognizing top individual lawyers in Australia for almost 20 years. Additionally, we have been awarding firms in the US for 15 years. Through the combination of experience in market with an established research process for firm awards, we are excited to present our first Best Law Firms awards in Australia. Clients use these rankings in their search for firms to meet their specific needs.
Highlights
Our research process begins by analyzing firms by practice area in their geographic locations against local competitors. For Australia, we researched 83 practice areas and 8 geographic jurisdictions: Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Tasmania. Through our localized research, we awarded 4,114 regional rankings.
After determining our regional awards, we evaluated firms with a national presence in 26 national practice areas. Of the eligible firms, 85 in Australia are also highlighted for their national coverage, servicing clients in multiple locations. Additionally, we have chosen the winners for our “Law Firm of the Year” designations. These awards recognize one exceptional firm for their professional excellence amongst all others in a specific practice area. Twenty firms have received this pinnacle of honors.
Practice Areas
Cities
Research Methodology
Relying on the industry-vetted Best Law Firms research methodology, established in 2009 and refined over 15 years, we analyzed the feedback of clients, lawyers and firm leaders, along with firmographic details supplied by the firms themselves. Firms are eligible for Best Law Firms consideration after receiving individual professional recognition in The Best Lawyers in Australia. The full details on our research process are available in our Methodology section.
For the inaugural year, we received staggering participation from firms, clients and lawyers in our research process.
A Note from the Director of Research and Development
In 2023, our team embarked on a comprehensive endeavor to identify and recognize the top-performing law firms across Australia. This initiative stems from our commitment to providing valuable insights to legal professionals, clients and stakeholders, thereby fostering excellence and transparency within the legal industry. We had years of experience preparing us for this project, and I had full confidence in our team’s ability to bring our established methodology of awarding firms to a new region.
Our research process is anchored in rigorous evaluation criteria, encompassing various facets and experiences with a firm such as client satisfaction, legal expertise, innovation and peer review. Using quantitative and qualitative data analysis, we offer a holistic assessment that truly reflects the caliber and achievements of each firm. The response during our research phase from the legal community was overwhelming given this was the first year we set forth to collect data on a firm level. The enthusiastic participation by clients, lawyers, leadership and marketing teams underscores the significance of this initiative and the value it holds for both the legal profession and consumers of legal services.
I especially want to thank our research, content and software development teams for their long nights and dedication in preparing us for this day.
Upcoming Research
We will begin researching for our second edition Best Law Firms – Australia awards later this year. Our global research timelines are available online. To receive a research submission packet, contact us at bestlawfirms@bestlawyers.com.
