Sydney

Facts
The state capital of New South Wales, and Australia’s largest city with a population of over 4 million, Sydney is the country’s economic capital and is home to many headquarters of major national and some international corporations, including the Australian Stock Exchange. Real estate and finance are the leading business sectors, along with retail, tourism and manufacturing.

The Legal Market
Sydney’s financial and commercial standing is reflected in its market for legal services. All of Australia’s top tier firms have large offices in the city, alongside a large concentration of mid-tier and strong boutique practices.

Although many of the top tier firms are still in their relative infancy in terms of being full service, they have emerged as leaders locally and, in a number of cases, internationally. With Sydney’s universities recognised as offering some of the best legal education in Australia, the standards within the top firms are as good as anywhere in the world,

With a strong economy in New South Wales, there are plenty of opportunities for good lawyers in most areas of practice. Traditionally lawyers at the three to five year level have been most in demand, although there is still reasonable demand for more junior lawyers and senior associates. Predictably, the highest demand is for non-contentious, transactional lawyers.

The strong demand has produced some flexibility in the criteria considered by both law firms and companies, but academic achievement and a good pedigree remain as important as ever. From a candidate’s perspective the most important side effect in this market is choice. It is often the case that a strong lawyer will be presented with several offers from a diverse range of organisations presenting a great opportunity to take your career in the right direction.

To discuss opportunities, or for more general advice about the Sydney legal market, please contact one of Sydney consultants, or email sydney@hughescastell.com