Specialty leaderboard · Updated Nov 11, 2026
Legal recruitment agencies, Melbourne
Fee models, from the firms' own websites: 1 hybrid. Together they advertise 333 open roles.
Legal firms ranked
| Rank | Firm | Focus | Fee model | Terms | Open roles | Index score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Burgess Paluch Legal Recruitment | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 193 | 78.2 |
| 02 | Engage Personnel | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 62 | 62.1 |
| 03 | Gatehouse Legal RecruitmentMelbourne CBD | Legal recruitment from support roles through partners and general counsel. | Not stated | Not disclosed | 14 | 57.7 |
| 04 | ALRA | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 28 | 57.0 |
| 05 | Lawmee | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 9 | 55.1 |
| 06 | Moss & Co Consulting | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 7 | 49.7 |
| 07 | KW Legal Recruitment | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 6 | 46.8 |
| 08 | nrol | Private practice, in-house counsel and legal support recruitment | Not stated | Not disclosed | 9 | 42.5 |
| 09 | Montgomery Advisorysince 2014 | Law-firm partners, in-house counsel and legal professional recruitment | Hybrid | Not disclosed | 0 | 37.8 |
| 10 | Hobbs Harding Searchsince 2020 | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 30.8 |
| 11 | Zephyr Legal Searchsince 2022 | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 28.4 |
| 12 | Hourglass Recruitment | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 5 | 26.2 |
| =13 | Ablethorpe Recruitment | Law firm, in-house, government, partner and practice group recruitment. | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Addita | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Amicus Legal Recruitment | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Burrows Legal | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Elwyn Forster | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | empire group | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Fogarty Search | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Janina Louise Legal Recruitment | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | KPA Search Partnerssince 2026 | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Legal People | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Luxton Miller | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Mahlab | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Prima Facie Legal Talent Acquisition | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Richmond Search | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Sacks Legal Recruitment | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
| =13 | Sigma Executive | — | Not stated | Not disclosed | 0 | 23.8 |
- 01Burgess Paluch Legal Recruitment78.2Not statedNot disclosed193 open roles
- 02Engage Personnel62.1Not statedNot disclosed62 open roles
- 03Gatehouse Legal RecruitmentMelbourne CBD · Legal recruitment from support roles through partners and general counsel.57.7Not statedNot disclosed14 open roles
- 04ALRA57.0Not statedNot disclosed28 open roles
- 05Lawmee55.1Not statedNot disclosed9 open roles
- 06Moss & Co Consulting49.7Not statedNot disclosed7 open roles
- 07KW Legal Recruitment46.8Not statedNot disclosed6 open roles
- 08nrolPrivate practice, in-house counsel and legal support recruitment42.5Not statedNot disclosed9 open roles
- 09Montgomery AdvisoryLaw-firm partners, in-house counsel and legal professional recruitment37.8HybridNot disclosed0 open roles
- 10Hobbs Harding Search30.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- 11Zephyr Legal Search28.4Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- 12Hourglass Recruitment26.2Not statedNot disclosed5 open roles
- =13Ablethorpe RecruitmentLaw firm, in-house, government, partner and practice group recruitment.23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Addita23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Amicus Legal Recruitment23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Burrows Legal23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Elwyn Forster23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13empire group23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Fogarty Search23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Janina Louise Legal Recruitment23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13KPA Search Partners23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Legal People23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Luxton Miller23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Mahlab23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Prima Facie Legal Talent Acquisition23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Richmond Search23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Sacks Legal Recruitment23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
- =13Sigma Executive23.8Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
Score built from public signals · Fee model from firm websites · Terms reported by firms · Terms never affect the score
Legal recruiters in every city →The index is free to read and free to be listed in. Our sponsor makes that possible, and has no say in any ranking.
How these firms are scored
Rank here is within Legal. Every score is built from public signals and measures specialisation and activity, not a guarantee of service quality. Terms, claiming and sponsorship never change it.
- Specialist focus
- 40%
- Market activity
- 35%
- Track record
- 25%
What Legal firms charge
Market context · Fee survey
Collecting responses. No market range until enough firms answer.
Anonymous NYC Fee Survey. Ranges will never be tied to a single firm.Run a firm? Take the 6-min survey →
Hiring in Legal?
Describe the role once. We route it to the Melbourne firms that specialise in it, and they reply with their approach and terms.
Post a brief →Legal recruitment agencies in Melbourne: questions
How do legal recruitment agencies in Melbourne charge?
Of the firms ranked here, by their own websites: 1 hybrid. Most agencies charge a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary. Contingency recruiters are commonly quoted at around 15–25% and are paid only when you hire; retained and executive search firms often charge 25–35%, paid in stages as the search progresses.
How are legal recruitment agencies ranked here?
Rank is within this specialty only. The biggest factor is specialist focus: the share of a firm's open roles that are in this field. Hiring activity and track record make up the rest. No firm can pay for placement.
Should I use more than one recruiter?
For contingency roles many employers brief two or three firms at once. Retained searches are exclusive by design. Posting one brief here sends it to the specialists and lets you compare their approach and terms before you commit.