This Month
Why lawyers are overworked and (relatively) underpaid
Lawyers are employed to work 38 hours a week, but that is a fantasy at most of Australia’s top-tier law firms.
April
How hackers are using AI to trick their way through cyber defences
The jury is still out on whether these new tools are more helpful to hackers or cybersecurity professionals. The tech has led to an era of deepfakes and suspicion.
March
Big billing MinterEllison partners in line for more lucrative paydays
The top-tier law firm has followed some of its major rivals in creating a larger gap between top earners and the rest of the partnership to prevent poaching.
Hacker claims Oracle breach, sending business and agencies scrambling
Australia’s biggest companies rushed to check their systems after a hacker claimed to have stolen important credentials via tech giant Oracle.
December 2024
MinterEllison sets target of 80pc using AI by March
The majority of lawyers and partners at the big six Australian law firm will be required to use the new technology in their daily work next year.
Explore: Law Partnership Survey results for second-half of 2024
The latest results show law firms continue to perform strongly, boosted by big-ticket deals, litigation assignments, and the steady flow of fees from insolvencies and disputes.
It was a boom year for law firms. But signs of a slowdown have emerged
Law firms held their gains in the second half of 2024, but some leaders are wary of rising pressures on price and profit margins.
MinterEllison raids PwC, KPMG to build up consulting arm
Consultants now make up almost 10 per cent of fee-earners at the firm, as clients prove increasingly willing to seek non-legal advice from law firms.
Strategy firm hires former Scyne, PwC partner
Oliver Wyman continues to build up its government consulting practice with the hire of Tim Jackson, expanding the team to 25.
November 2024
Government legal spending hits $600m
Commonwealth spending on legal fees increased rapidly before an overhaul of the government panel, but barristers’ bills were trimmed.
Seven PwC partners join MinterEllison
New partner Nicole Salimbeni said law firms make more natural homes for some advisers than big four consultancies.
October 2024
Why the $5m lawyer is no longer a rarity at top Aussie firms
Top law firms are forking out more than $5 million a year to poach or protect big-billing market leaders from rivals, amid intense industry competition.
MinterEllison nabs KWM’s former disputes head
Litigator Peter Pether says “the calibre and structure” of Minter’s partnership enticed him to leave KWM.
August 2024
Clayton Utz raids MinterEllison office
Clayton Utz has hired four partners from rival MinterEllison as part of a push to bolster its Canberra office and win more government legal advisory work.
Top law firms locked in negotiations for lucrative panel
Corrs, HSF, KWM and MinterEllison are yet to be appointed to the federal government’s legal panel, more than a month after an initial announcement.
July 2024
Rapid growth puts pressure on law partnership structures
Almost two-thirds of new legal partners are now on a part-salary arrangement as rapid growth puts pressure on equity allocations.
Fastest-growing firm pledges ‘aggressive’ targeting of legal rivals
Global law firm HFW has booked record local revenue, and says it plans to target competitors for further growth.
More law firms hit gender targets as partnership gap narrows
A record number of law firms now have more than 40 per cent female partnerships, but part-owner gender ratios contrast sharply with the engine room.
June 2024
Energy transition lights a rocket under law firms
Law firms are streaking ahead of the broader economy, adding partners as deals return and the energy transition offers decades of lucrative work.
Minters to sit atop Mirvac’s 55-storey office tower
The top-tier law firm will take up the top floors of 55 Pitt Street, as Sydney’s legal eagles vie for the best perches across the CBD.