FREEHILLS has maintained its dominance as the largest law firm in WA, according to the WA Business News 2002 Book of Company Lists.
Law firms listed in the book were ranked by the total number of legal professionals employed in WA. Freehills was the clear leader in this field, employing 231 legal professionals, an increase of 33 from last year’s list, and the firm has more than twice the number of legal professionals as Mallesons Stephen Jacques, which moved into second position with 112 legal professionals on the payroll.
The biggest move down the list came from Clayton Utz, which was second in 2001 with 115 legal professionals, but slipped to sixth on the 2002 list as the number of legal professionals employed fell to 89.
Other companies to move down the list were Marks and Sands Lawyers, which dropped from 13th to 15th as the number of legal professionals employed decreased from 28 to 22, and Paterson and Dowding, which moved from 17th to 19th position after its legal professional numbers dropped by seven to 16.
There also were several significant movements up the list this year, with McAuliffe Williams and Partners moving from 16th in 2001 to 12th as it increased the number of legal professionals it employs from 24 to 29.
There also were three new entries into the list, with Friedman Lurie Singh, Slater and Gordon and Talbert and Oliver all breaking into the 2002 WA Business News Book of Lists as their legal staff numbers rose and other law firms on the list decreased their legal staff numbers.
p See three-page special report, pages 10-12.
