Announcing the 2022 Best Lawyers™ in Australia

Every year for 40 years we highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession; completely unbiased legal referrals from the best attorneys in the world.

Without a doubt, Australia's legal communities are growing more impressive every year and this year, the numbers prove it. More than 4,000 lawyers, in 94 practice areas, working in 534 firms, have been honored by their constituents in the 14^th Edition of The Best Lawyers™ in Australia. The list grew by 29 firms and 245 new lawyers, representing 267 new listings. This incredible growth is representative of the growing talent and dedication of attorneys and firms throughout the country, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating wildfires that impacted so many.

Attorneys Making an Impact

Attorneys shape our communities and touch almost every aspect of our lives. They help us seek justice, protect our rights, our families, our health and well-being, our businesses and so much more. When we recognize attorneys and firms in The Best Lawyers™ in Australia, the intention is to shine a light on the dedicated professionals who work tirelessly for the needs of their clients and communities. These are the people truly making an impact and inspiring all of us in the process.

Lawyers who are nominated for consideration in The Best Lawyers™ in Australia are voted on by currently recognized Best Lawyers ™ working in the same practice area and located in the same geographic region. They are asked "If you could not handle a case yourself, how likely are you to recommend this lawyer?" They then grade the nominees from one to five, with a five reserved for those to whom a voter would “definitely refer” a case. It falls then to "probably refer," "would hesitate to refer," down to "would not refer." Lawyers can also provide additional feedback if they choose.

Best Lawyers awards and recognitions are based purely on the feedback we receive from these top lawyers. Those who receive high peer reviews undergo a thorough verification process to make sure they are currently still in private practice. Only then can these top lawyers be recognized by Best Lawyers.

Publication Statistics

The Australian Financial Review, our long-time media partner, will feature an excerpt of the 14^th Edition of The Best Lawyers™ in Australia. Here are highlights from this year’s edition:

• 4,331 Lawyers Recognized
• 547 Firms with listed lawyers
• 94 Practice Areas
• 22 "Law Firm of the Year" Awards

Top 5 metro areas (by number of listed lawyers):

• Sydney (1,589)
• Melbourne (1,183)
• Brisbane (750)
• Perth (395)
• Adelaide (284)

Top 10 practice areas (by number of listed lawyers):

• Litigation (742)
• Insurance Law (440)
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (437)
• Corporate Law (376)
• Construction / Infrastructure Law (365)
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law (358)
• Real Property Law (332)
• Commercial Law (322)
• Labour and Employment Law (259)
• Insolvency and Reorganization Law (256)

Top 10 most searched practice areas in Australia in 2020 on bestlawyers.com:

• Immigration Law
• Litigation
• Labour and Employment Law
• Insurance Law
• Commercial Law
• Tax Law
• Corporate Law
• Real Property Law
• Banking and Finance Law
• Planning and Environmental Law

Law Firm of the Year

“Law Firm of the Year” awards recognize a single top firm for its work in a specific legal practice area nationwide. Awards are determined based on a handful of factors including lawyer feedback, the number of lawyers included in Best Lawyers for that firm and practice area, the number of office locations a firm has, historical analysis of the firm’s “Lawyer of the Year” awards, materials submitted by firms, and the firm’s overall scope and areas of expertise.

The 2022 “Law Firm of the Year” recipients are:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Herbert Smith Freehills
    
• Banking and Finance Law
  • Allens
    
• Competition Law
  • Gilbert + Tobin
    
• Construction / Infrastructure Law
  • Clayton Utz
    
• Corporate Law
  • Corrs Chambers Westgarth
    
• Energy Law
  • Allen & Overy
    
• Information Technology Law
  • Baker McKenzie
    
• Insolvency and Reorganization Law
  • Ashurst
    
• Insurance Law
  • Moray & Agnew
    
• Intellectual Property Law
  • Davies Collison Cave
    
• Labour and Employment Law
  • Ashurst
    
• Litigation
  • King & Wood Mallesons
    
• Mergers and Acquisitions Law
  • King & Wood Mallesons
    
• Occupational Health and Safety Law
  • Seyfarth Shaw
    
• Oil and Gas Law
  • Johnson Winter & Slattery
    
• Planning and Environmental Law
  • Norton Rose Fulbright Australia
    
• Private Equity Law
  • Allens
    
• Project Finance and Development Practice
  • White & Case
    
• Real Property Law
  • Thomson Geer
    
• Regulatory Practice
  • Maddocks
    
• Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law
  • MinterEllison
    
• Tax Law
  • Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills

Interested in seeing Best Lawyers honorees in Australia? Use our Find a Lawyer tool to search by location and specialty.

Access the full report of Best Lawyers international releases, updated continuously.