Ranked: Brisbane’s top 920 lawyers named

Brisbane is outpacing Sydney and Melbourne in the race to attract top legal talent as the city’s top lawyer is revealed. See the full list

Qld's best lawyers include Michael Boughey, Stephanie Daveson, Jeremy Chenoweth and Ben Coogan

Brisbane is outpacing Sydney and Melbourne in the race to attract top legal talent as one of the city’s most experienced law practitioners Tony Conaghan has been recognised as the city’s top lawyer.

With 45 years plus under his belt and a senior partner with Thomson Geer, Mr Conaghan was the only Brisbane lawyer to make the national Top 10 list in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia.

Mr Conaghan made the list for his expertise in complex commercial agreements and disputes, particularly across intellectual property, information technology, life sciences, licence type arrangements and franchising.

The list is produced by Best Lawyers and they spotlight the top 5 per cent of legal talent in Australia and it revealed that Brisbane is outpacing Sydney and Melbourne for best in law talent growth.

Best Lawyers vice president of Research and Development Elizabeth Petit said the concentration of the top legal minds was traditionally centred in Sydney and Melbourne.

“Brisbane has emerged as a growing hub, attracting a rising number of high-performing legal professionals – likely driven by the city’s population growth, economic development and expanding legal market,” she said.

Thomson Geer partner Tony Conaghan.

“Sydney and Melbourne maintain their longstanding reputations as powerhouses for top legal talent, however their growth has not been as dramatic.”

According to the latest published results, which are determined by peer review, 4586 lawyers have been recognised on the overall honorees list with 329 achieving a spot on the “Lawyer of the Year” list.

More than a third, or 1953 lawyers, on the full honorees list are based in Sydney, up from 1612 last year. In second place is Melbourne, where 1514 lawyers included on the list are located, up from 1266 last year.

Brisbane had 920 lawyers – up from 744 last year, a 24 per cent increase.

A record 69 Brisbane lawyers were recognised as Lawyer of the Year, and the top three firms represented on this list were King & Wood Mallesons (six winners); Herbert Smith Freehills (five winners) and MinterEllison (five winners).

Clayton Utz has a whopping 122 honours on Best Lawyers 2026, the most of any Brisbane firm.

Meanwhile, 799 lawyers across Australia were identified as rising stars on the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Australia list.

McInnes Wilson Lawyers represent the largest number of Brisbane Ones to Watch lawyers – a list featuring up and coming legal stars

Women comprise 77 per cent of recognised legal talent in Ones to Watch in Brisbane, far above the 57 per cent of women represented in Ones to Watch Australia, hinting at a bright future for Queensland women in law.

Originally published as Ranked: Brisbane’s top 920 lawyers named