Australia

News | Firm News

Baker McKenzie appoints new homegrown National Managing Partner of its Australian offices

Sydney based Partner Anne-Marie Allgrove is National Managing Partner effective 1 July 2023 (for a four-year term).

Overview

With more than 50 years of experience in the local market, we are the go-to firm for Australian companies, multinationals and financial institutions. The strength of our team of 300 lawyers is the ability to collaborate across practice groups, sectors and markets to provide clients the connected perspectives, integrated solutions and seamless guidance they need to succeed in an increasingly interconnected global market.

Our Australian offices combine local experience with international reach, and deep practice expertise with industry knowledge. As opportunities and risks spill across different markets, sectors and areas of law, this holistic perspective offers clients the insight and foresight they need to drive sustainable and inclusive growth.

We have particular cross-border capabilities in Mergers & Acquisitions — completing more international deals than any other law firm — helping clients to manage Real Estate portfolios, Construction projects and complex Employment and immigration issues throughout Asia Pacific. In Australia, our Restructuring & Insolvency team has played a key role in many of the country’s major insolvency cases over the past 20 years, and our Compliance, Investigations & Ethics and Antitrust & Competition practices are market leading.

World-Class Career Opportunities

We are committed to providing you with world-class opportunities to learn, develop and succeed in your career. We focus on improving the leadership, business development and project management skills of our lawyers by providing programs to expand their experience.

View career opportunities in Australia

From Summer Clerk to Partner: Ryan Grant's Journey at Baker McKenzie

What makes a successful legal career? Sydney partner Ryan Grant provides a hugely insightful overview of his career with the Firm in our case study.

Find out more about Ryan Grant's Journey at Baker McKenzie

Seasonal Clerkship Program

Our Seasonal Clerkship Program provides insight into life at Baker McKenzie. You’ll get the chance to do substantive work for market-leading local and global clients, build your network, learn about our practices, clients and structure, and hear about our global training and work opportunities. The majority of our Graduate positions are given to former Seasonal Clerks. We also provide Seasonal Clerks with the opportunity to undertake Research Clerk roles, and apply for our unique International Clerkship Program where you can work for four weeks in one of our overseas offices.

Find out more about life as a Summer Clerk and International Clerk - Sydney

Find out more about life as a Summer Clerk and International Clerk - Melbourne

Graduate Program

Our Graduate Program builds on the Seasonal Clerkship. You will complete three rotations across our practice groups, working with the world's largest local and global companies, and will be assigned a supervising Partner and Associate 'buddy' in each rotation to maximise your mentoring, development and on-the-job and formal learning.

We organise seminars on core legal topics and practical skills sessions (such as business communication and drafting) for Graduates, and cover the costs of your Practical Legal Training, admission and practising certificate.

Find out more about life as a Baker McKenzie Graduate

For more information on our Clerkship and Graduate Programs, please contact:

Sydney: Nicola Bell, Talent Management Consultant, +61 2 8922 5272 or Email: Nicola Bell

Melbourne: Natalie Mascarenhas, Senior Consultant - Graduate Resourcing, +61 9617 4349 or Email: Natalie Mascarenhas

Trainee Secretary Program

Our Trainee Secretary Program is your first step into a Legal Secretary career at Baker McKenzie. You’ll be mentored by experienced Senior Secretaries and rotate through various legal practices and Business Services departments to develop practical and administrative skills. Our tailored national learning program and exposure to market leading transactions will set you up with the skills you need to take advantage of genuine and permanent career opportunities in our global firm.

For more information on our Sydney Trainee Secretary Program, please contact:

Sydney: Holly McKnight, Talent Management Coordinator, +61 2 8922 5212 or Email: Holly McKnight

For more information on our Melbourne Trainee Secretary Program, please contact:

Melbourne: Savannah Miles, Talent Management Coordinator, +61 9617 4319 or Email: Savannah Miles

Get up-to-date information on the current legal and regulatory matters impacting your business. Search by country, industry and area of legal practice.

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Australian offices comprises two distinct areas: the pro bono legal services provided by our lawyers and the community service activities undertaken by all staff.

Pro Bono

We believe that providing pro bono legal services is a fundamental professional responsibility. As lawyers, we have specific skills and the best way to assist those in need is to utilise those skills.

Underscoring our commitment, all our lawyers are expected to work on pro bono matters and we have a dedicated pro bono practice group. We are also a signatory to the National Pro Bono Target of at least 35 hours of pro bono legal work per lawyer per year. We have our own Australian office target of at least 50 pro bono hours per lawyer per year.

In FY18, we contributed more than 10,800 pro bono hours to individual members of our community, charities and other not-for-profit organisations, equating to an average of almost 42 pro bono hours per lawyer.

The nature of our work is vast and varied. It covers many areas including youth, poverty, health, the environment; domestic violence; the elderly, asylum seekers and refugees, people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, human trafficking and modern slavery; LGBTI issues; assisting regional, rural and remote clients, and much more.

Our pro bono work extends globally, including the Asia Pacific region.

Community Service

Our staff participate in a variety of community service initiatives including the LEAPS literacy and mentoring program in Sydney; the OzHarvest Cooking for a Cause program in Melbourne; and our Pen Pals program in each Australian office.

Our partners and staff also have the opportunity to organise awareness and fundraising for the Australian offices’ nominated charities throughout the year.

We encourage everyone to donate to their favourite charities and causes through the Firm's Workplace Giving Program.

Offices

Brisbane

Baker McKenzie
Riparian Plaza
Level 32
71 Eagle Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
Australia

Tel: +61 7 3069 6200 Fax: +61 7 3069 6201

Melbourne

Level 19
181 William Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia

Tel: +61 3 9617 4200 Fax: +61 3 9614 2103

Sydney

Tower One - International Towers Sydney
Level 46, 100 Barangaroo Avenue
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Tel: +61 2 9225 0200 Fax: +61 2 9225 1595

Key Contacts

Managing Partner
Anthony Foley

Partner
- Sydney
+ 61 2 8922 5289 Email
Chair
Adrian J. Lawrence

Partner
- Sydney
+ 61 2 8922 5204 Email

Acknowledgement of Country

Baker McKenzie acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work and operate across Australia, and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. At Baker McKenzie we value and celebrate First Nations cultures and pay respect to Elders, past, present and emerging.

Our commitment to reconciliation is set out in our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to Baker McKenzie and its affiliates (Baker McKenzie) in relation to its operations in Australia and explains how Baker McKenzie handles personal information and complies with the requirements of the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Read full Privacy Policy

Modern Slavery Statement

This statement is made by Baker & McKenzie (ABN 32 266 778 912), an Australian partnership, pursuant to section 13 of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 for the financial year ending 30 June 2022.

Read full Modern Slavery Statement