Top Specialist Firms

New Zealand law firms — the road back to growth

After two consecutive years of falling profits (2022–2023), NZ firms staged a dramatic recovery in 2025 — profits almost triple the prior year. Annotated turning points show the key moments in the story. Switch between profit, revenue, and demand using the tabs below.

Source: Thomson Reuters Institute, State of the New Zealand Legal Market 2026, March 2026; State of the NZ Legal Market 2025, March 2025. Index values represent directional trends described in these reports.

In Australia, FY2024 ended with law firms increasing profits at the fastest rate since at least FY2015, according to the Thomson Reuters Institute. The first half of FY2025 continued to build on that base, with demand growth of 3.6% underpinning continued revenue expansion despite rising per-lawyer costs. 

Despite Australia’s generally positive outlook on AI, LEAP Legal Software’s Profitability in Law: Global Report 2026 found that only 16% of Australian respondents use legal-specific AI daily or as part of core workflows, compared with 49% globally. The same report found that 32% of Australian respondents reported low or no trust in AI integration, the highest level of scepticism of any region surveyed. Firms that successfully demonstrate productivity gains while maintaining ethics and confidentiality are, however, attracting talent faster as a result. 

The 2025 ALPMA/Dye & Durham Changing Legal Landscape Report, surveying 181 firms across Australia and New Zealand, found that more than two-thirds of legal professionals believe the legal industry does not offer a healthy work-life balance, despite up to 97% of firms reporting that their employees do enjoy balance. The report highlights a potential disconnect between firm-level culture and individual lawyer experience that could have significant retention implications. 

One of the most significant demand drivers for construction and infrastructure law in Australia is the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

These conditions are particularly favourable for specialist firms. When a single practice area grows at 9.4%, a firm with 100% of its resources in that area grows with the entire wave. A firm with 10% exposure to Banking & Finance captures a fraction of the same opportunity. This is the structural advantage of specialisation, and it is precisely what the firms recognised in this report have built. For a client with a complex matter in a specific practice area, a specialist firm brings 100% of its institutional knowledge to bear – compared with the fraction of attention that area receives at a full-service firm competing across dozens of practice groups for partner time, resources and billing targets.

To contextualise what separates a top specialist firm from the rest, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer spoke with leading legal recruitment experts from Robert Walters across Australia and New Zealand. 

Robert Kruger points to three characteristics that define a truly top specialist firm in the Australasian market: strong market authority as the recognised go-to firm in their niche, deeper institutional knowledge that enables more precise and commercially relevant advice, and a lean, high-performance operating model that often makes them more price competitive than full-service counterparts. 

“Top specialist firms distinguish themselves through strong market authority – they are widely recognised as the go-to firm within their particular niche. They also demonstrate deeper institutional knowledge, which enables them to provide more informed, precise and commercially relevant advice to clients”  Robert KrugerRobert Walters

Kruger’s observations are borne out by the data. The Thomson Reuters Institute’s 2025 State of the Australian Legal Market report recorded demand growth of 3.6% across the sector, with specialist and ‘large’ firm segments demonstrating some of the strongest performance metrics. Meanwhile, firms offering fixed fees and productised services are gaining ground in a cost-conscious environment, precisely as Kruger predicts.

Where demand is growing: Employment law is seeing strong growth due to numerous legislative changes. Queensland property and construction is booming, driven by infrastructure investment and Brisbane Olympics preparations – a pipeline now backed by over A$8.1 billion in combined federal and state funding. 

Technology beyond efficiency: Leading firms are adopting real-time risk monitoring tools, subscription-based service models, and client dashboards – shifting from reactive to proactive client management. 

Talent advantage: Specialist firms attract talent through less bureaucracy, greater partner access, more hands-on experience at junior levels, and faster and clearer progression pathways. 

Risks ahead: Firms with too narrow a focus risk vulnerability to sector downturns. Some may also encounter a brand ceiling, struggling to scale beyond a certain market presence. 
 

From a New Zealand perspective, Kate Williams argues that the defining quality of a top specialist firm is depth rather than breadth – a high level of technical expertise in focused practice areas, with genuine strength in handling complex, high-stakes matters. These firms are not simply called upon when issues arise; they are embedded in their clients’ decision-making over time.

“What really distinguishes a top specialist firm today is depth rather than breadth. Specialist firms are defined by a high level of technical expertise in focused practice areas, with real strength in handling complex, high-stakes matters. Top specialist firms are also closely embedded with their clients’ businesses – trusted to help shape decisions, manage risk and guide strategy over time” Kate WilliamsRobert Walters

Williams’ view is supported by current market conditions. The Thomson Reuters Institute’s 2026 State of the New Zealand Legal Market found that demand at New Zealand law firms rose more than 5% in 2025, driving overall revenue growth above 10% and near-tripling of profits year-on-year. The strongest growth areas are driven by economic pressure, regulatory change, and emerging risk – with a particularly active employment law segment, sustained construction demand and fast-growing cyber security and data protection needs. 
 

Apryl Burgess brings a frank assessment of New Zealand’s talent landscape. The talent gap is widening across several areas of law, and firms are competing not just on salary but on culture, flexibility and training. While competitive remuneration, genuine flexible working, and clear career pathways attract lawyers to firms, it is tailored training programs, mentorship and a genuine focus on wellbeing that retains them. 

“The talent gap is widening, and there are areas of law that are increasingly difficult to recruit. Competitive remuneration packages, genuine flexible working arrangements, complex and high value work, and clear career progression pathways are attracting lawyers to firms, but those that have tailored training programs, mentorship opportunities, and a focus on fostering a positive culture by prioritising wellbeing are retaining them” Apryl BurgessRobert Walters 

The data reinforces her assessment. Across Australia and New Zealand, 39% of firms are struggling to recruit senior associates and 56% report being under-resourced. New Zealand faces the additional pressure of salary competition from Australia, where sign-on bonuses now feature in approximately 70% of associate-level offers and base salaries at international firms run around 10% above domestic equivalents. SEEK data for August–October 2025 shows construction law job advertisements in New Zealand rose 71.4% year-on-year, but applications per role fell 37%, a clear indicator of acute candidate scarcity in one of the market’s highest-growth practice areas. 

The following firms represent a cross-section of this year’s winners. Each has been interviewed by the editorial team and profiled in depth. 

Ligeti Partners is one of Australia’s most established insurance litigation firms operating across Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth. The firm acts for many of the largest insurers in Australia, as well as large self-insured companies, across a focused range of core practice areas: motor vehicle recovery and defence, commercial and residential property, counter-fraud and indemnity, heavy vehicle, plant and equipment, marine claims and liability defence.  

The past 12 months have been a coming of age for the firm. Ligeti Partners set new records for revenue and client growth, relocated to a newly designed modern workspace, achieved record recruitment, and reached all-time highs in staff retention, engagement, and diversity and inclusion assessments. The year demonstrated that growth and quality are not mutually exclusive, and that a firm with deep specialism can scale without diluting the product that earned its reputation. 

The firm does not seek to act across all areas of insurance litigation. Instead, it has deliberately chosen to lead within its defined areas of expertise – a philosophy that has enabled it to develop genuinely differentiated strategies for clients rather than offering a broad but shallow service. A standout example has been its work tackling credit hire claims brought against insurers where rental companies have misled consumers, an issue identified by the Insurance Council of Australia as placing increasing upward pressure on claims costs. Ligeti Partners has developed and led strategies that have successfully defeated such claims at scale, changing the way this category of dispute is litigated across the industry. 

Central to the firm’s approach is understanding the commercial relationship between individual matters and the broader industry impact they carry. The outcome of a single claim can shape how hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of follow-on claims are litigated, and Ligeti Partners consistently delivers strategies that serve both the immediate commercial reality of a matter and a client’s broader portfolio objectives. 

“Balancing the commercial realities of a matter at hand with our client’s overall strategic objectives, and delivering value in both respects, is vital and what we think sets us apart” James MulcahyLigeti Partners 

Deliberate specialism, not narrow limitation: Ligeti Partners operates across areas of insurance litigation rather than across the full market. This focus enables the firm to lead within each area rather than offer surface-level coverage across many. 

Portfolio-level commercial thinking: The firm understands the relationship between individual matters and the broader financial impact they carry for insurers. Every strategy is designed to serve both the immediate matter and the client’s wider portfolio objectives. 

Long-standing client relationships: The firm’s dedication to client outcomes has resulted in lasting relationships that in some cases span decades, a reflection of the trust built through consistent delivery across all practice areas. 

Growth mindset culture: Success at Ligeti Partners is measured not in revenue announcements but in individual improvement. In a recent team meeting, Mulcahy and his lawyers took turns sharing their personal development goals for the next 12 months, his own included. Senior partners and managers who began their careers at the firm exemplify what this culture produces over time. 

Measured adoption of AI: AI is used selectively in administrative areas to create efficiencies, while the firm views human capability – particularly client communication and strategic judgment – as the enduring differentiator. 

“The last 12 months have been a coming of age for Ligeti Partners. We set new records for revenue and client growth, and achieved numerous strategic goals around personnel and performance. We relocated and designed a new modern workspace, had record recruitment, and hit new all-time highs in staff retention, engagement, and our assessment of diversity and inclusion policies.” 

“The biggest challenge has been ensuring the growth we have achieved in terms of clients and matter volumes has not led to a diminished product. Pleasingly, our clients tell us this has not occurred – and, in fact, we have been able to improve the quality of our services through continuously re-evaluating the way we approach our work. We are constantly looking at how we can provide better value to our clients and improve our overall performance.” 

“The crucial aspect of our area is understanding the relationship between the sometimes small claims we handle, and what is an enormous industry for insurers. The outcome in a $10,000 claim can impact hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of claims that come after it. Balancing the commercial realities of a matter at hand with our client’s overall strategic objectives, and delivering value in both respects, is vital and what we think sets us apart.” 

“Success for us is about growth. While in one sense, that can mean the size of the firm or our client base, our bigger focus is on how all of us individually can improve in our roles. We have a strong emphasis on adopting a growth mindset at all levels of the business. A few weeks ago, I met with one of our teams of lawyers and they shared their own goals for where they each wanted to improve their skills over the next 12 months, and I likewise shared my personal goals with them. Success is celebrated every day when we see each other improve.”
 

Immigration Solutions Lawyers operates in one of the most challenging areas of Australian law – a practice environment shaped as much by political will as by legal precedent. It has developed the kind of institutional knowledge that enables it to anticipate regulatory change before it arrives, not merely react after the fact. The past 12 months tested the firm’s adaptability to its limits, most significantly through the September 2025 changes to ministerial intervention rules, which came in response to the High Court’s Davis decision and transformed a broad discretionary power into a rigid, objective categorical framework. Approximately 60% of the firm’s existing client matters were directly affected, with previously compelling cases suddenly falling outside the new criteria mid-process. 

Under the new Ministerial Instructions signed on 4 September 2025 by Minister Tony Burke, Departmental officers can no longer initiate ministerial intervention requests on their own initiative – only properly made requests that meet clearly defined criteria will be referred to the Minister. For immigration specialists, this has fundamentally changed the strategic calculus of complex cases. The firm describes it as changing the rules halfway through the game. 

The firm’s response demonstrated the qualities of a top specialist: rapid analysis of alternative pathways, honest and empathetic client communication, and the agility to lodge fresh applications wherever new criteria were met. Meanwhile, the firm continued to handle a wide range of matters – from corporate immigration to family violence cases, from assisting Afghan women judges to pro bono work for trafficking victims. 

The firm is also seeing a significant rise in Australian citizenship applications – driven, O’Donoghue believes, by clients seeking certainty in a globally volatile environment. Where clients would previously renew their resident return visas and hold their existing passports, many are now choosing to formalise their Australian identity with a passport. For a firm that holds decades of immigration history for many of its clients, citizenship matters are a natural extension of long-standing relationships. Government legal aid funding cuts have simultaneously increased demand for ethical private practitioners, while AI search engines are now directing new clients to the firm – clients who have often been poorly served elsewhere and arrive in the firm’s office having discovered it through an AI-powered search.
 

“It’s no good giving them hope if it’s not there. And honesty, transparency and trust – I think trust is just so important” Anne O’DonoghueImmigration Solutions Lawyers 

Across the past 12 months, the firm has handled some of the most technically and emotionally demanding matters in Australian immigration law, many of them at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) stage, where clients had already exhausted earlier avenues and were facing their last realistic pathway to remaining in Australia. The following cases illustrate the breadth of the firm’s work and the depth of skill required to navigate it. 

Character-related ART matters: The firm managed a number of complex character-related visa refusal matters at the ART, where the strength of written submissions and carefully prepared supporting evidence resulted in matters being remitted back to the Department for reconsideration. These cases require the firm to construct a detailed picture of an applicant’s circumstances, character, and rehabilitation – often against significant adverse findings at first instance. 

Partner Visa (Subclass 820) refusals at the ART: The firm acted in multiple complex Subclass 820 partner visa refusals at the ART stage, including cases involving adverse credibility findings, allegations of relationship breakdown, and significant evidentiary deficiencies. Successful outcomes were achieved through thorough preparation of submissions and evidence, with matters remitted to the Department for reconsideration. These are among the most contested visa categories in Australian immigration law. 

Domestic violence and family violence claims: The firm assisted in a number of domestic violence-related migration matters, including preparing detailed statutory declarations, supporting evidence, and legal submissions for family violence claims connected to partner visa applications. Claims of this nature demand particular sensitivity in client management alongside technical rigour in the preparation of evidence. In the matters handled this year, the family violence claims were ultimately accepted. 

Protection Visa advocacy: The firm provided ongoing advocacy and case management in Protection Visa matters, assisting vulnerable clients with detailed personal statements, country information research, and evidentiary preparation throughout extended application processes. These matters often involve clients fleeing persecution or serious harm, and require sustained engagement with Departmental requests and concerns over months or years. 

Vulnerable client matters: The firm managed a number of highly sensitive matters involving clients facing compounding personal, financial, and mental health challenges. Effective representation in these cases requires more than legal skill – it demands careful client management, strategic submission preparation, and the ability to present a complete and compelling picture of a client’s circumstances to decision-makers who hold significant discretionary power over their future. 
 

Ethical practice in a compromised market: In a space where unethical practitioners routinely take fees for hopeless applications, the firm’s commitment to telling clients the truth – even when it means turning work away – is a defining differentiator. 

Political and legal landscape monitoring: The firm combines deep immigration law expertise with active monitoring of the political environment to identify opportunities for clients within a highly restrictive system. 

Human rights commitment: Pro bono work for vulnerable populations, including women fleeing family violence and trafficking victims, reflects a mission that extends well beyond commercial practice. 

Adaptability under legislative change: The September 2025 ministerial intervention reforms required immediate strategic pivots across the majority of the firm’s client base, navigated through deep expertise, experience, and honest client counsel. 
 

AO and DM: “The migration landscape has seen significant changes over the past 12 months, requiring us to constantly update strategies for current and future clients while monitoring the political landscape for pockets of opportunity. The September 2025 changes to ministerial intervention were among the biggest we have seen in decades, affecting approximately 60% of our client base and fundamentally changing how we approach those matters.” 
 

AO: “Processing times remain far too long, and the government isn’t addressing this issue – justice delayed is justice denied. There are also approximately 110,000 people in Australia with unresolved status who have exhausted all migration and federal court review options but remain in the country. Meanwhile, the recent budget has cut legal aid funding for immigration issues, particularly character and family violence cases, creating serious access to justice problems for the most vulnerable clients.”
 

DM: “Our passion for helping people grows stronger as legislation tightens. Our experienced training enables us to assist people skilfully at precisely the time when demand for good and honest legal representation is more important than ever. We maintain a firm policy of honesty and transparency, telling clients the truth when we cannot help, rather than directing them down routes that will waste their money without any real prospect of success.” 
 

Lexbridge Lawyers occupies a genuinely rare position in the Australasian legal market. Founded in 2015 by a group of former government legal advisors, the firm was created to address an anticipated gap in specialised international law services across the Asia Pacific – and a decade on, that positioning has proven prescient. The firm operates at the intersection of law, diplomacy, and policy, advising governments and state-adjacent clients on matters that blend legal precision with diplomatic tradecraft. 

The past year has been one of the firm’s most active. Partner Richard Braddock led the firm’s international trade and investment law practice, delivering capacity building across numerous countries in the region. Special Counsel Netta Goussac – who splits her time between Europe and Australia – has become an internationally recognised voice on AI in the military domain, participating in negotiations on lethal autonomous weapons and the application of international humanitarian and human rights law. In April 2026, the firm launched model legislation for anti-money laundering and asset confiscation reform across Pacific jurisdictions – a project led by partner Dr Sarah McCocker –, funded by the New Zealand government, with the Cook Islands serving as the champion uptake jurisdiction. 

What distinguishes Lexbridge is not merely subject matter expertise – it is the breadth of backgrounds its team brings. Members include former government legal advisors, lawyers with commercial, prosecutorial and legislative drafting background diplomats, law enforcement professionals and academics. The firm’s name is intentional: "lex" for law, "bridge" for the connective role the firm plays between the world of academic scholarship and the world of practice. Dr McCosker describes the moments she feels proudest of Lexbridge’s work as those where the firm builds connections between communities, bringing scholarly rigour and analytical depth into real-world solutions that governments need to deliver under short timeframes. It is the legal and diplomatic tradecraft that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. 

Looking ahead, the firm is expanding its training offer in international negotiation – the art and craft of operating at the intersection of law and diplomacy. Dr McCosker sees this as a natural growth area: teaching practitioners the professional know-how that defines the international lawyer’s role, beyond pure doctrinal expertise. 

The firm’s growth reflects a broader trend identified by Robert Walters’ Robert Kruger: strong and growing demand for specialist legal expertise in international law, trade policy and cross-border matters – driven in part by Australia’s role as a neutral jurisdiction for Asia-Pacific commercial and regulatory matters, and by the increasingly contested international legal environment globally. 
 

Violations don’t invalidate international law any more than domestic crimes invalidate domestic law. For example, an unlawful invasion of one country by another represents a violation, not a breakdown, of the legal system itself” Dr Sarah McCoskerLexbridge Lawyers 

Unique positioning at law, diplomacy and policy: Partners bring multidisciplinary backgrounds as former government legal advisors and diplomatic practitioners, providing value that pure legal expertise alone cannot replicate. The firm’s name says it all: "lex" for law, "bridge" for the connective role between policy, scholarship, diplomacy, scholarship and practice. 

Academic-practice bridge: Most partners maintain strong academic credentials and contribute to think tanks, journals and university teaching. This brings analytical rigour into the practical world, delivering solutions that are both intellectually grounded and immediately actionable for government clients under tight timeframes. 

Capacity building as a founding mission: All founding partners were motivated by creating lasting impact through knowledge transfer. Capacity building and training remain central to the firm’s identity, and the firm is now growing an international negotiation training practice to teach the tradecraft – the know-how rather than textbook learning – that defines the skilled international lawyer. 

Strong fundamentals enabling rapid specialism: The team’s command of core fields principles of public international law – treaty interpretation, jurisdiction, statehood, sovereignty – enables rapid, confident application in fast-evolving areas such as AI in military contexts and lethal autonomous weapons. 

Commitment to the rules-based order: In an era of increasing non-compliance with international law, Lexbridge is driven by a purpose beyond client service – upholding the multilateral system and advancing the rule of law globally. 

“It has been an exceptionally busy year. Richard Braddock has continued supporting numerous countries across the Asia Pacific with capacity building in international trade and investment law. Damien van der Toorn and I have been busy supporting negotiations of diverse treaties and other instruments, while Netta Goussac has been participating in international negotiations on lethal autonomous weapons and the application of international humanitarian law, which is increasingly important given the global context. And we reached a major milestone with the launch of model legislation for anti-money laundering and asset confiscation reform across Pacific jurisdictions, funded by the New Zealand government, with the Cook Islands as our champion uptake jurisdiction.” 
 

“We’re a small to medium-sized firm whose leanness belies the significance of the work we do. Many of our team members partners are former government legal advisors and legal advisers from international organisations rather than commercial lawyers. We focus on advisory, drafting and negotiation work that is traditionally associated with governments and international organisations. We operate at the intersection of law, diplomacy and policy, which provides unique value to clients who need more than pure legal expertise.” 

“Success is primarily about delivering professional, high-quality outcomes that genuinely meet client needs while ensuring compliance with international law and advancing the rule of law globally. We’re also driven by a broader mission – upholding the multilateral order and the international rules-based system at a time when non-compliance is an increasing challenge. We want to bridge different communities of expertise, bringing legal, policy and scholarly thinking into practical application.” 
 

Resolve Litigation Lawyers has been built into one of Sydney’s most focused commercial disputes practices. Located in what Michael Daniel describes as Litigation Alley on Phillip Street – flanked by the Supreme Court, the Federal Court and barristers’ chambers – the firm’s positioning is as deliberate as its practice model. It handles exclusively commercial and regulatory disputes: no transactional work, no property, no family law, no criminal matters. 

The firm’s approach to every client engagement follows a simple three-part framework: where are you now, where do you want to get to, and how can we help you get there? This clarity of method – stripping away the billable-hour incentive and focusing entirely on the objective – is what Daniel believes separates the firm from larger practices that cannot align their commercial model with the client’s outcome. 

The firm’s referral relationships tell their own story. Allen’s, Baker McKenzie, Minter Ellison and Ashurst regularly send matters to Resolve Litigation Lawyers when conflicts of interest arise – a vote of confidence from the very top of the Australian legal market. Major clients include Telstra, NBN, and international brands such as Lime Bikes, with work spanning complex commercial matters, competition law cartel investigations, and regulatory compliance before ASIC and the ACCC. 

Underpinning everything is an operational philosophy that is almost unheard of in Australian law: no-billable-hour targets. Lawyers have no budgets, no time-recording quotas and no financial targets. The firm’s metric is singular: did the client achieve a better outcome for having engaged the firm? This client-centric model is paired with a lean structure: no administrative staff, no receptionists, and a continuous focus on delivering the best possible outcomes rather than maximising billings. 

On AI, Daniel’s perspective is both pragmatic and candid. The firm uses AI for legal research and document review in discovery, consistent with the broader trend where the Thomson Reuters Institute found AI adoption in legal organisations nearly doubled in 2025, with over 80% of legal professionals expecting transformative impact within five years. Yet Daniel notes the real-world challenges: clients arriving with incorrect AI-generated guidance who then require careful correction. His firm’s most telling recent milestone was receiving its first client ever acquired directly through a ChatGPT recommendation. 
 

“Every decision that you make should be about what’s going to give you satisfaction in the long term. Short-term benefit is missing the mark”  Michael DanielResolve Litigation Lawyers

Absolute practice focus: By handling only commercial and regulatory disputes, the firm has built institutional knowledge and referral credibility that generalist practices cannot replicate. 

No billable hours, outcome-only culture: The firm’s unique no-targets model removes the tension between billing and client outcomes, aligning the firm’s success entirely with the client’s. As Daniel puts it: lawyers come to the office not to fill hours, but to achieve excellent outcomes. 

Top-tier referral ecosystem: Strong relationships with Allen’s, Baker McKenzie, Minter Ellison, and Ashurst generate a consistent flow of conflict-of-interest referrals from Australia’s largest firms – a signal of trust that no marketing spend can replicate. 

Developing the next generation: Daniel takes visible pride in the lawyers he has trained who have gone on to positions bigger than his own. Developing younger lawyers is a stated priority – a long-term mindset that reflects the same philosophy as the no-billable-hours model. 

Lean, technology-enabled structure: Operating with no administrative staff and using AI for research and document review, the firm maintains a cost structure that supports its client-focused philosophy. 
 

“We handle exclusively commercial and regulatory disputes, not transactional work, not M&A, not property, not family law or criminal matters. We focus primarily on ASIC and ACCC regulatory matters, and competition law. Our clients include Telstra, NBN, and international brands, and we receive regular referrals from Allen’s, Baker McKenzie, Minter Ellison, and Ashurst when they have conflicts. That tells you something about where we stand in the market.” 
 

“Success is measured by a simple standard: achieving successful outcomes for every client, ensuring each client is better off for having used the firm’s services, whether that means exiting an unfavourable contract, obtaining compensation, or successfully navigating a regulatory matter. Our approach follows a straightforward framework: understanding where the client is now, where they want to get to, and how we can help them reach that objective.” 
 

“We have no budgets or targets for lawyers – no billable hour requirements. It’s almost unheard of in the legal industry. The focus is on achieving excellent client outcomes as the primary objective. Every decision we make is evaluated based on what will provide lasting value rather than immediate gain. Developing younger lawyers is also a key priority – several lawyers I’ve trained have gone on to positions bigger than my own, which after 40-plus years in practice is something I find particularly satisfying.” 
 

“AI is increasingly useful for legal research and document review in discovery. But it presents real challenges when clients come in having received incorrect guidance from ChatGPT – it takes time to explain why that advice doesn’t apply to their specific situation. For sensitive regulatory matters, where clients face allegations of illegal activity and potential criminal exposure, human expertise remains absolutely essential. Interestingly, on the day of this interview, we received our first client who came to us because ChatGPT recommended us. That’s a significant shift in how clients find legal representation.”  
 

All the top specialist law firms operate in completely different areas of law with differing client bases and challenges. And yet, considered together, a clear set of shared qualities emerges. 

The first is deliberate focus. Every firm profiled here made an active decision to go deep rather than broad and held to that decision under pressure. In each case, the decision to narrow was the decision to become excellent. 

The second is an outcome-aligned culture. None of these firms measure success by hours billed, matters opened, or revenue targets per lawyer. These are firms where the financial results are a product of doing the work well, not the target the work is aimed at. 

The third is trust as infrastructure. Long-standing client relationships appear in every profile. Trust is not a soft value – it is the source of the firm’s competitive advantage. 

The fourth is adaptability within specialism. Every firm in this report navigated significant external disruption in the past 12 months. What distinguished these firms was not that they avoided disruption, but that they met it without abandoning the thing that made them trusted in the first place.
 

The specialist legal market across Australia and New Zealand enters 2026 in a position of genuine strength. Demand is growing, the talent market is tightening around firms that offer more than salary, and clients are increasingly turning to specialist advisors for the depth that full-service firms cannot replicate at scale. 

For Ligeti Partners, the immediate challenge is managing continued growth without compromising the quality that has driven it. The firm’s record year in recruitment, retention and client expansion creates a platform for further scale, but Mulcahy is clear that growth without quality is not success. The growth mindset culture, embedded at every level of the firm, is what he believes will prevent scale from becoming a liability. 

For Immigration Solutions Lawyers, the post-ministerial intervention landscape is both a constraint and an opportunity. Approximately 110,000 people remain in Australia with unresolved immigration status, and government legal aid funding has been cut precisely at the moment demand for private practitioners is highest. The firm’s ethical reputation and its growing citizenship practice – alongside an unexpected AI-driven client acquisition channel – position it well for the years ahead. 

For Lexbridge Lawyers, the momentum is international. The launch of Pacific model legislation in April 2026 is a milestone, not an endpoint, other regions are watching. The firm’s expanding international negotiation training practice offers a new avenue for capacity building, and their work on lethal autonomous weapons and AI in the military domain places the firm at the very frontier of where international law is heading. 

For Resolve Litigation Lawyers, the future is already arriving. The first ChatGPT-referred client is a sign of what they anticipate as becoming a growing channel. At the same time, the firm is actively managing the downside of AI – clients arriving with incorrect AI-generated legal positions that require careful, time-consuming correction. On both fronts, human expertise and deep relational trust remain the firm’s answer.
 

The following questions address what this report is, who the firms are, what makes them top specialist firms and how to find specialist legal advice in Australia and New Zealand. 

According to the 73 firms recognised in this report, three qualities define a top specialist firm: deliberate focus held under pressure — choosing not to pursue adjacent work even when available; a culture aligned with client outcomes rather than billable hours or revenue targets; and trust built over years through honest counsel, including the willingness to tell clients when the firm cannot help them. These qualities are consistent across all four profiled firms in this report regardless of their very different practice areas. 

The Top Specialist Firms 2026 is an annual special report produced by Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer. It identifies and celebrates the most outstanding specialist law firms operating across both countries: firms that concentrate their practice in a single area of law rather than offer broad generalist services. In 2026, 73 firms earned recognition following a competitive nominations and evaluation process. 

Seventy-three firms across Australia and New Zealand were recognised as Top Specialist Firms 2026. Featured firms include Ligeti Partners (insurance litigation), Immigration Solutions Lawyers (immigration law), Lexbridge Lawyers (public international law), and Resolve Litigation Lawyers (commercial disputes). The full list is published at thelawyermag.com/au and thelawyermag.com/nz.  

A specialist law firm is a legal practice that concentrates the majority of its work in a defined area of law, rather than offering services across multiple practice areas. To qualify for recognition in the Top Specialist Firms 2026 list, firms were required to derive at least 50% of their revenue from a single practice area. Specialist firms typically offer deeper expertise, more targeted advice, and greater experience in high-stakes or complex matters within their niche than generalist practices.   

According to the Thomson Reuters Institute’s State of the Australian Legal Market 2025, Banking & Finance law grew 9.4% and Workplace Relations grew 7.4% year-on-year in FY2025 – the fastest of any practice area. Construction and infrastructure law is also seeing strong growth, driven by the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games pipeline, which has attracted over A$8 billion in combined federal and state funding. ESG advisory, commercial litigation, and immigration law are also experiencing above-average demand. 

To be recognised as a Top Specialist Firm by Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer, firms must derive at least 50% of their revenue from a single practice area. Firms are invited to nominate via an online entry form during the annual nominations window (9 February to 6 March 2026 for the 2026 edition). Nominations are assessed by the editorial team on four criteria: the strength of matters handled, longevity in the profession, client service delivery, and noteworthy achievements. There is no fee to win the award.  

Yes. The Top Specialist Firms 2026 report is a trusted guide for in-house legal teams, corporate clients and individuals seeking specialist legal advice in Australia or New Zealand. Firms featured in the report have been independently nominated, evaluated and recognised for depth of expertise, quality of client service and track record in their practice area. The report covers insurance litigation, immigration law, public international law, commercial disputes and many other specialist practice areas across both countries.    

The full list of all 73 Top Specialist Firms 2026 is published at thelawyermag.com/au (Australasian Lawyer) and thelawyermag.com/nz (NZ Lawyer).    

Top Specialist Firms

• 
  Immigration Solutions Lawyers
  Immigration Law
   
  
• 
  Lexbridge Lawyers
  Public International Law
   
  
• 
  TNS Lawyers
  Commercial Law
   
  
• 
  Law Quarter
  Energy Law
   
  
• 
  Ligeti Partners
  Insurance Law
   
  
• 
  Advantage Legal
  Personal Injury Law
   
  
• 
  Construction Legal Pty Ltd
  Construction Law
   
  
• 
  Resolve Litigation Lawyers
  Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
   
  
• 
  Russell van Hout
  Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution
   
  

Winners by specialisation