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In the trans-Tasman legal market, being a top employer isn’t easily definable and involves a range of moving parts. Amid generational shifts, digital transformation and a persistent war for talent, the best law firms to work for across Australia and New Zealand are reimagining what it means to be a workplace of choice.
The 5-Star Employers of Choice 2025 award breaks new ground by jointly recognising the most outstanding law firms in both countries for the first time. This unified report captures how the region’s leading legal employers are navigating intense competition for talent, growing workloads and shifting workforce expectations while delivering exceptional employee experiences.
“In 2025, the law firms standing out and attracting the top talent are those offering more than just competitive salaries,” says Robert Kruger, associate director at Robert Walters Sydney. “They’re known for their strong reputations and leadership teams that genuinely invest in their people’s development.”
That sentiment also resonates in New Zealand. Anand Ranchhod, managing director of Auckland-based specialist legal recruitment agency CoLegal, notes, “What really makes one firm or team stand out from the other is leadership, investment in staff, working hours and having a positive working culture. The quality of work and mentorship provided to lawyers is also a key differentiator.”
Industry data support this focus on these priorities.
Australia’s legal market continues to expand following a strong FY2024, with Thomson Reuters dubbing 2025 “a year of growth on top of growth.”
According to the 2024 National Profile of Solicitors by the Law Society of New South Wales, there are 97,500 practising solicitors in Australia, a 47% increase since 2014. The majority of these professionals are based in NSW (42%), Victoria (25%) and Queensland (16%).
Workforce expansion has also been geographically uneven, reflecting localised demand and market momentum.
The 2025 ALPMA Australian Legal Industry HR Issues and Salary Survey found that Victoria and Western Australia led the nation in headcount growth (both at 44%), followed closely by NSW at 43%, compared to a national average of 39%.
These figures suggest that stronger client demand, economic conditions or regional investments are fueling higher growth in these jurisdictions.
Across the Tasman, the profession is also growing.
As of June 2025, the New Zealand Law Society reports 17,506 NZ-based practising lawyers, marking a 25% increase since 2020.
Christchurch (61%) and other parts of the South Island (59%) exhibit the strongest workforce growth expectations, while Auckland (49%) and Wellington (45%) remain more cautious.
According to Thomson Reuters, the NZ legal market is entering a welcome return to stability after several years of volatility, while Australian firms continue to deliver strong fiscal results in FY2025, building on a high-performing FY2024.
While revenue is up and client demand remains strong, firms are grappling with the other side of growth: talent fatigue, retention issues and an urgent need to modernise workplace culture.
The 2025 ALPMA Legal Industry HR Issues & Salary Survey for Australia and New Zealand highlights the top HR issue facing law firms:
Yet, compensation remains a powerful lever in the trans-Tasman legal employment market.
ALPMA figures put the average salary increase across Australian firms at 4% in 2024, outpacing the national wage growth (3%) and inflation (2%) over the same period.
And while New Zealand’s wage growth is at a more modest 2%, salaries are still generally aligned closely with inflation, with 39% of firms linking pay adjustments directly to the Consumer Price Index.
However, employee sentiment paints a more complex picture. Gatehouse Legal Recruitment’s (GLR) 2025 Legal Employment Trends survey reveals that:
41% of legal professionals feel fairly compensated
38% are neutral
21% believe they are underpaid
This disconnect points to a broader issue: while salary packages are increasing, many professionals still feel overworked, undervalued and unclear about advancement opportunities.
The high cost of living, workload intensity and opaque progression structures are compounding these perceptions and realities, making compensation still feel insufficient relative to the demands of the job.
This imbalance is fueling widespread burnout. A 2025 report from The Australian Financial Review reveals that over two-thirds of Australian lawyers experienced burnout in the past year, as billing expectations mirror those of US firms.
Junior lawyers are reportedly discouraged from logging hours on over-budget matters to protect profit margins, exacerbating hidden workloads and dissatisfaction. Combined with inflexible work cultures and limited support, these pressures are driving many to reconsider their place within the legal profession.
Recruitment expert Ranchhod notes that leading firms, such as the 5-Star Employers of Choice 2025, are addressing with a proactive approach to workload management in line with client demands.
“Client expectations for constant availability can make this challenging,” he says. “Striking a good balance comes down to seniors or partners setting realistic expectations and communicating with clients to keep them in the loop while setting healthy boundaries.”
Hybrid work is now established as a standard expectation. While this shift is especially visible in the legal profession, it also mirrors broader employment trends across Australia and New Zealand.
Flexibility is now a top workplace attribute for employees of all genders and ages, regardless of industry, according to the Hays Salary Guide FY25/26. This preference has direct implications, as any legal employers who fail to embrace flexibility risk falling behind.
GLR’s 2025 Legal Employment Trends supports this, identifying hybrid work setups, flexible hours and wellness initiatives as essential to attracting and retaining Aussie legal talent.
Among the professionals surveyed:
78% prioritised flexible work arrangements
76% identified work-life balance as critical
47% valued wellness days or additional leaves to recharge
“Flexible work is now a deciding factor, particularly for senior lawyers or those with family responsibilities,” Kruger explains. “Today, flexibility goes beyond location – people want control over when they work, too. Firms that practice what they preach around flexibility have a clear edge when it comes to attracting and keeping talent.”
At the same time, Kruger underscores the importance of balancing flexibility with service delivery. To this end, he notes, “Some firms are exploring creative solutions like job sharing, allowing two part-time employees to cover one role to ensure client needs are met without sacrificing work-life balance.”
He adds that flexibility needs to be in line with the realities of practice sectors. “In time-sensitive areas like litigation or corporate transactions, there are naturally peaks in workload. But the leading firms are learning to offset that with more flexibility during quieter periods to keep their teams engaged and supported.”
Employee engagement is another cornerstone of workforce stability and culture across the trans-Tasman legal market. GLR reports that while 43% of respondents feel highly engaged, an equal percentage are only somewhat engaged, highlighting the need across the industry for stronger internal leadership and clearer career pathways.
Their survey highlights key engagement drivers among Aussie legal talent:
recognition (49%) is the most cited factor
career growth opportunities (37%) underscore the importance of structured progression
Kruger acknowledges the importance of firms supporting meaningful career progression. “There’s been a rise in targeted development initiatives, such as structured mentoring, buddy systems and women in leadership programmes. These are helping employees grow and stay engaged.”
This pattern is mirrored in New Zealand, where 32% of private practice professionals cite career progression and promotion pathways as key retention drivers.
In Auckland’s in-house legal market, the growing demand for niche expertise is also putting pressure on firms to invest in targeted recruitment and ongoing professional development. Without these efforts, firms risk losing talent to external opportunities, including international roles.
Lawyer migration is emerging as a significant challenge for NZ firms, with more legal professionals looking overseas for better opportunities and conditions.
Increasingly, senior lawyers are relocating with their families to Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne, drawn by substantially higher salaries, marking a shift in migration patterns and raising long-term retention concerns for NZ’s legal sector.
Automation and AI are pushing the boundaries of legal work as they are actively redefining workflows, service delivery and talent expectations.
Robert Walters Legal Market Overview 2025 predicts AI to have a transformational impact on the legal industry within the next five years, with areas such as discovery, legal research and document reviews already seeing accelerated adoption. This transformation is prompting firms to rethink not only how legal services are delivered, but what skills their teams must possess.
Kruger highlights that embracing innovation is now a clear differentiator for top firms. “Those leading the charge on AI and legal tech are improving everything from internal efficiency to how they attract and retain talent,” he adds.
This is particularly critical given that 43% of legal employees cite unrealistic workloads as a major challenge within the profession, and 29% report a lack of resources.
Effective tech integration can help alleviate some of these pressures, freeing up legal professionals to focus on higher-value, strategic work. Firms are moving swiftly to incorporate AI tools across document review, legal research, compliance and even contract lifecycle management. This shift is placing new pressures on HR teams to recruit tech-savvy lawyers and upskill existing teams.
Recruitment expert Ranchhod underscores the benefit of AI-driven tools in enhancing efficiency. “Document review and discovery technology has massively cut down time when it comes to lawyers reviewing large sets of documents for complex litigation cases,” he explains. “They offer document storage, assist with legal research and offer AI-assisted features to support our lawyers’ work on complex legal tasks. Automation on the back end has also helped legal support staff work more efficiently when it comes to end-of-month billing and document management tasks.”
This year’s recognised firms have emerged on the leading edge in redefining best-in-class workplaces and employment strategies.
To determine the best law firms to work for in Australia and New Zealand, nominees were assessed across 11 core areas that define the modern employee experience:
remuneration
training and professional development
career progression
diversity and inclusion
access to technology and resources
communication
leadership
work-life balance
health and wellbeing
reward and recognition
recruitment
Firms were asked to list the initiatives they had in place as well as their achievements in these key areas.
Following nominations from law firms across both countries, the Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer research teams conducted a thorough review process of both quantitative and qualitative data.
This year’s cohort of top firms is raising the bar on how legal employers can meet the evolving needs of their workforce. AL-NZL’s top employers of choice are offering a fresh playbook for firms aiming to build more resilient and attractive work cultures in 2025 and beyond.
Each winning firm offers a unique set of initiatives that reflects the level of care that they extend to their employees.
It has emerged as a defining differentiator in law firm performance and talent retention. AL and NZL’s 2025 data show that firms fared differently according to size.
These high levels of engagement among the 5-Star Employers of Choice are not incidental.
Across all firm sizes, they are driven by:
consistent focus on transparent remuneration
career progression
inclusive workplace practices
holistic wellbeing
authentic recognition
This is particularly relevant amid ongoing turnover trends. In Australia, average turnover across all legal roles dropped slightly to 23% in 2024, down from 25% (2023) and 27% (2022).
By contrast, the 5-Star Employers 2025 recorded turnover significantly below the national average, with small firms leading the group at 16%, followed by mid-sized and large firms at 18% and 19%, respectively.
Notably, as shown by AL and NZL’s data, medium-sized firms led here, with an average tenure of 5.4 years, followed by large firms at 4.8 years and small firms at 4.6 years.
This highlights a critical insight: firms that successfully engage employees are those that integrate multiple supportive practices. No single initiative guarantees engagement or retention.
Instead, it is the interplay of structure, culture, flexibility, communication and leadership that sustains high-performing, loyal teams.
Among this year’s 5-Star Employers of Choice, key engagement drivers included:
transparent, competitive remuneration
clear and supportive career progression
flexible and inclusive work models
comprehensive wellbeing offerings
regular, authentic recognition and communication
The firm has built a standout employee experience and wellbeing rooted in fairness, recognition and flexibility.
Since 2023, employee engagement has risen by 17% thanks to a clear vision and strategy anchored on the firm’s Plan on a Page, a document outlining their vision, mission, key strategies, goals and corporate values.
One core initiative is their bespoke four-factor remuneration model, which evaluates salaries based on firm and individual performance, market data, and internal relativity to ensure fairness and competitiveness. Their employees rate their remuneration 16% higher than the norm of the APAC legal demographic and 23% higher than the norm for the NZ Professional Services demographic for the question: “I believe my total compensation is fair, relative to similar positions at other firms/organisations.”
“Our staff have strong satisfaction with their remuneration,” says Yvette Hooper, people and capability manager.
Additionally, the firm’s inclusive bonus schemes further elevate this. Its long-standing Short-Term Incentive (STI) rewards individual and team financial performance, while the newly introduced Values Bonus recognises employees for cultural leadership and behaviour aligned with the firm’s core values. In its inaugural year, 20 staff across the company were awarded $2,000 each, reinforcing the view that cultural leadership is as critical as revenue targets.
When it comes to wellbeing, Lane Neave’s Balanced Practice programme has struck a chord by integrating initiatives into the workday in accessible, low-pressure ways.
Flu shots, skin checks and massages are made available onsite and during business hours, removing logistical barriers to employee self-care.
“The last thing we want is for wellbeing activities to feel like just another task on our employee’s to-do list. Our aim is to make it easy for them to engage, without adding pressure,” Hooper adds.
In 2025, the firm also enhanced their Wellness Benefits to a net of $500 for full-time employees and $250 for part-time staff, paid in two automated installments. Staff can spend it on any wellness-related expense, allowing them to invest in their health in ways that suit them.
Mental health remains a top priority within the firm, as emphasised by regular education sessions on burnout prevention and workplace wellbeing. The firm has also seen a positive increase in the annual use of their EAP, with 9% of the workforce seeking counseling services, mostly on family-related matters rather than work-related issues.
Hooper attributes this uptake to the success of their efforts to remove stigma and normalise mental health-related conversations within the workplace. “We believe that this uplift, although slight, reflects the success of our efforts to normalise conversations around mental health and encourage counseling as an early intervention solution, rather than as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.”
Rather than offering a blanket policy, the firm encourages bespoke flexibility tailored to individual needs, whether that’s a four-day workweek, reduced working hours or flexible start and finish times.
All employees benefit from ad hoc flexibility, while those who prefer a more personalised approach can apply for their desired arrangement. Currently, a third of the staff have a form of ongoing flexible working.
Hooper adds, “We find that a one-size-fits-all all approach, while well intentioned and easy to administer, doesn’t provide true value on an individual level. With ongoing flexible arrangements, we encourage our staff to request the exact form of flexibility that they want.”
Recognised as a WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality for 17 years and running, the firm has long been ahead of the curve when it comes to inclusion, flexibility and culture.
Between 2024 and 2025 alone, four women were elevated to partner status including Elizabeth Carroll as managing partner for ACT.
“By elevating talented women into leadership positions, we not only strengthen the firm’s diversity and decision-making, but we also set a powerful example for the industry as a whole,” says national managing partner Troy Lewis.
Additionally, 77% of both special counsel and senior associates are female. This trend is also reflected in the firm’s Special Counsel Leadership Program where 4 out of 5 participants are women.
This gender equity focus also helps shift broader cultural attitudes specifically around career progression and parenting, which is stereotyped as women’s responsibility. Over the past year, seven male employees have taken primary carer leaves and nearly 60% of male employees are working flexibly, up by 48% from the previous year.
The firm’s commitment to supporting working parents further extends to their generous offerings, including:
26 weeks paid parental leave for primary carers
full superannuation payments for the first 12 months of parental leave for primary carers
enhanced flexibility options upon return to work
one-on-one parental leave coaching sessions for all partners and employees through The Centre for Corporate Health (Resilia)
Lewis adds, “This sends a strong message that caring responsibilities and flexibility are not detrimental to career progression within the firm.”
Under the firm’s Flexibility@HR policy, all employees, regardless of role or seniority, can take advantage of different options for flexibility that best suit their needs, including flexible location, hours and dress.
And when it comes to flexibility, the firm’s top brass leads by example. Lewis shares, “In the last 12 months, we have had 77.53% of our partners and managers working flexibly. This sends a clear message to our employees that working from home is both encouraged and supported and does not present a barrier to professional growth or career progression.”
Investing in people is not the firm’s slogan; it’s an overarching strategy to build complete lawyers who are technically savvy, commercially astute and leadership ready.
“All lawyers are very driven by career progress and learning,” says chief people officer Shannon Lyndon-Lugg.“We put a lot of effort into legal education. At every promotion point, we have a training and development program, which helps them lift their aspiration and performance for that next level.”
This philosophy is embedded in the firm’s structured career development framework, supportive of every stage of professional growth.
Key initiatives include:
Accelerate Career & Leadership program for senior lawyers, team leaders and managers
Partner Ready program for high potential lawyers within two years of partnership consideration
Partner Leadership Project focusing on long-term succession planning
Board Scholarship program
Strategic secondments to provide varied, cross-functional experience
To strengthen leadership capabilities, Maddocks is partnering with consulting firm Bendelta to shape the design and delivery of its leadership initiatives.
This year has been a watershed year for Maddocks in terms of elevating their overall approach to talent development as they commenced their nine-month Partner as Strategic Leader program for experienced partners. Participants can benefit from:
Leadership Circle 360 tools
FTF workshops
group learning circles
one-on-one coaching sessions
Maddocks is also in the design phase of their ambitious Legal Technical Excellence Project, a firm-wide, future-focused learning framework.
It aims to provide level-based programs for all legal professionals, from early-career to senior levels. “This exciting, market-leading initiative reflects our people-first culture, our commitment to lifelong learning, and our focus on preparing lawyers for the future of law,” Lyndon-Lugg adds.
The firm offers customised eLearning modules that enable staff to learn at their own pace and on their own schedule. These include training on:
Avvoka for new document automation
Managing information security
MyBilling App, designed to simplify billing processes for practice teams
In addition to learning, the firm has delivered several tech initiatives across key operational areas, including:
Smarter drafting through tools like Draftwise, enabling lawyers to find and apply precedents more efficiently
Data and analytics via Microsoft Azure with custom Power BI dashboards providing real-time insights to partners
AI adoption through a successful trial of Cicero, an AI-powered tool for automating complex legal tasks like document analysis, chronology creation and investigation management
To support adoption, Maddocks’ change manager and capability & development specialist guide teams through all rollouts with clear communication, hands-on training and on-demand support.
“There’s a lot of talk in law that AI will take away jobs, and we fundamentally don’t believe that. There’s more than enough work for everyone,” shares Lyndon-Lugg.
She notes that embracing innovation has been transformative for the entire staff and not just for the tech-savvy employees. “This is a great time to refresh their skills, to invest in their excitement and to make sure that they’re not nervous about the future waves that are here and will continue to come at us.”
AL and NZL highlight several strategic priorities that are pivotal to being a 5-Star Employer of Choice 2025 in the current landscape, with there being nuances in the approaches based on their employee size – small (1–99), medium (100–499) and large (500–999).
The best law firms to work for in Australia and New Zealand recognise that employee experience and wellbeing are strategic essentials for driving engagement and loyalty.
Small firms stand out for their ability to foster high-trust environments where employee contributions are both visible and valued. Their personalised approach to recognition, flexible benefits and proactive health initiatives translates into high engagement and a strong sense of belonging.
Standout small firm: Bird & Bird (Australia)
● discretionary and performance bonuses for all employees
● associate performance bonus for exceeding KPIs
● regular promotions (27.6% of staff in 2024–2025)
● on-site skin checks and annual flu vaccines
● EAP, accredited mental health first aid officers, training and education programs
● structured recognition and rewards system
Mid-sized firms often combine the agility of smaller firms with the resourcing of larger organisations. They often emphasise structured and transparent remuneration, comprehensive wellbeing programs and a culture of recognition supportive of both individual and team success.
Standout winner mid-sized firm: Anderson Lloyd (New Zealand)
● regular pay equity and gender gap reviews overseen by a dedicated committee
● Certified Living Wage Employer
● flexible working arrangements
● 24/7 EAP, annual health checks, flu/COVID-19 vaccinations
● Healthy Living Allowance
● leave entitlements up to 25 days annually and 26 weeks paid parental leave
● real-time peer-to-peer recognition via the Lattice program, vouchers and experiences for outstanding contributions
Large firms take a data-led, enterprise-wide approach to employee wellbeing, embedding wellness, fairness and recognition into their people strategies. With resources to scale programs across diverse offices, they implement systems that consistently reinforce engagement and wellbeing at all levels.
Standout winner, large firm: Sparke Helmore Lawyers (Australia)
● regular, transparent pay reviews, industry benchmarking and gender pay equity audits
● clear pay determination communication
● “Sparke Wellness” program covering balance, connection, health and financial wellbeing
● office-based wellbeing activities (massages, healthy breakfasts and art workshops)
● vicarious trauma training
● mental health first aid accreditation program
● Shine@Sparke recognition program (monthly/annual awards) and performance and referral incentives
As talent expectations shift, top-tier firms are responding by embedding DEI into the fabric of their culture.
Industry expert Kruger explains, “The strongest cultures in today’s legal market are those that strike a balance between high performance and genuine support. Lawyers want to work somewhere that values their individuality and life outside of work. Firms that acknowledge and celebrate their people’s differences, successes and stories are the ones creating truly inclusive cultures.”
Fellow industry insider Ranchhod agrees and adds, “When it comes to culture, working within a team where you feel valued, seniors are approachable, and there’s transparency and communication around expectations as well as opportunities for feedback and improvement.”
This year’s top employers are facing these expectations head-on, with inclusive policies followed through by consistent execution and accountability.
Small firms distinguish themselves through their deeply personal and flexible cultures, where diversity and inclusion are actively celebrated. These firms are agile in supporting individual needs and celebrating difference, resulting in a strong sense of belonging and engagement.
Standout winner: Pearce IP (Australia)
● certified women-owned with 88% female employees; 83% of leadership roles held by women
● 32% work part-time; welcoming to diverse workforce with 8% employees with disability; 24% CALD; 4% LGBTQI++
● generous leave policies (including paid maternity, miscarriage, surrogacy, fertility, menstrual and menopause leaves)
● “Sorry Business Leave” for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff
● open communication via PEEP staff intranet and weekly “Naomi’s Notes”
● BRITE Beams peer recognition and employee of the month
annual staff retreat for team building and learning
● “Work from anywhere” model with flexi office attendance
●encouragement to take leave to avoid burnout
Combining structured processes with a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is a core strength for mid-sized firms. They emphasise open communication, cross-team engagement and a supportive environment that values both individual and collective wellbeing.
Standout winner: Tavendale + Partners (New Zealand)
● board-level DEI leadership, including independent contractors
● 56% female partners; 70% of senior roles held by women
● sponsoring, mentoring and board exposure for women
● flexible work: part-time, phased retirement, remote options
● intergeneration inclusion (with team members up to their late 70s)
● inclusive recruitment and outreach to underrepresented groups like Maori and Pasifika students
● critical consciousness training for all staff
● TP days: four extra paid leave days for wellbeing
Large firms harness their resources to deliver comprehensive, data-driven inclusion and culture strategies. They invest in robust diversity initiatives, transparent communication and flexible work arrangements to support a thriving, inclusive workplace.
Standout winner: Lander & Rogers (Australia)
● 51% female partners, female-led board and practice groups
● recognised Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (WGEA)
● partnership with Pride in Diversity, First Nations cultural capability
● 100% hybrid working, flexible arrangements, no mandated office days
● formal job-share and job-pairing arrangements
● annual remote working allowance and coaching for parental leave transitions
● industry-leading inclusion and anti-sexual harassment policies
● cultural capability, race/ethnicity awareness and disability inclusion programs
● industry-leading inclusion and anti-sexual harassment policies
Across the board, the most forward-thinking legal employers are investing in clear, accessible and values-driven career pathways, enabling growth from entry-level roles to senior leadership.
Small firms excel by offering personalised development and leadership opportunities. With flatter hierarchies, they ensure every team member has visibility, access to leadership and meaningful growth opportunities.
Standout winner: McCaw Lewis (New Zealand)
● values-based recruitment process, transparency in role expectations and firm culture
● associates and senior team members involved in initial interviews for new hires
● quarterly career planning discussions (kōrero) with directors
● internal education focus: weekly/monthly team sessions, online AML/cybersecurity training and joint online sessions with other firms
● leadership workshops (Emerging Leaders and Leadership Fundamentals) for associates and senior associates
● bespoke coaching and mentoring for staff progressing to senior roles
● clear, accessible promotion criteria for all legal roles (technical and cultural competencies)
● ongoing investment in LEAP systems and streamlined billing processes
Mid-sized firms combine scale with agility, offering structured pathways for talent development and leadership. The top firms in this list invest in robust recruitment, holistic training, transparent progression and innovative technology to support growth and retention.
Standout winner: Gilchrist Connell (Australia)
● strategic recruiter partnerships and national clerkship programs
● multi-step, bias-mitigating recruitment processes; motivational profiling for cultural fit
● tailored onboarding, mentoring and leader briefings for new joiners
● CPD program covering law, business, ethics, IT and compliance
● GC Learning Academy for law clerks, graduates and junior lawyers
● study assistance policy for external study and degrees
● leadership training for 90+ leaders; learning lunches and public speaking training
● early adoption of advanced legal tech (cloud, AI, HRIS and business intelligence)
Large firms leverage their resources to deliver structured, analytics-led development and leadership programs. They lean on global best practices in recruitment, holistic learning, transparent career progression and cutting-edge technology.
Standout winner: Dentons (Australia)
● structured graduate and clerkship programs
● tailored programs for specific groups like high-potential lawyers and non-equity partners, Pathway to Partnership and Elevate for next-gen leaders
● inclusive development: L&D programs for all staff, including corporate services and paralegals
●flexible, self-paced online learning for employees through bespoke MyLearning portal
● monthly training sessions on Legal and Business (LAB) series open to all staff
● global career support options available through the Dentons YOU offerings
● newly implemented key security control enhancements to protect client data, systems and interactions
● platform modernisation program (cloud adoption for key systems)
This prestigious list of 5-Star Employers of Choice proves how high the bar is to be a standard-setting legal workplace in Australia and New Zealand.
These firms are laser-focused on building healthy and inclusive cultures through long-term, people-first strategies that go beyond the surface. What truly sets them apart is not just what they promise, but how they consistently deliver on what matters most to their employees.
In doing so, they’re not only responding to the evolving needs of their workforce, but they’re also actively directing the story of thriving present and future trans-Tasman workplaces of choice.
In April, Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer opened the nominations to the 10th 5-Star Employers of Choice list, which continues its tradition of spotlighting the law firms that most effectively looked out for their staff through employee-centred programs over the past 12 months.
The research team highlighted the following as key factors in positive employee experiences: remuneration, training and professional development, career progression, diversity and inclusion, access to technology and resources, communication, leadership, work-life balance, health and wellbeing, reward and recognition, and recruitment. Firms were asked to list the initiatives they had in place as well as their achievements in these key areas.
The AL and NZL research team reviewed the entries, which consisted of both quantitative and qualitative information, to determine their performance as leading workplaces. A total of 44 firms were identified as 5-Star Employers of Choice.
