Career Prospects at King & Wood Mallesons

Managers and employees have open communication about career progression. However, it is generally up to the employee to drive their own progression.

Seems to be a linear progression.

Very linear, have to put lots of time and effort in. Building a good brand is key.

Seems reasonable from observation. At the very least, opportunities to further develop and become more experienced in particular areas is prominent and widely accessible throughout the firm.

Quality of work and demeanour is important.

There are set criteria and performance indicators that need to be met to be promoted once we come off the graduate program.

Hard to gauge at my very junior level. Promotion to Senior Associate appears to based mostly on longevity. Promotion to Partner appears to be more competence-based.

Dependent primarily on time.

I think with law firms generally progression is quite slow. After you get admitted as a solicitor the next step is a promotion to Senior Associate which usually doesn't occur until the 4th or 5th year post admission. Therefore, there is a period of about 4-5 years where you don't have any promotion opportunities. Further, the step from Senior Associate to Partner is also a very long process. I think that if you were working for a corporate there would be more promotion opportunities.

Putting in the years.

Plenty of promotion opportunities with the exception of partner level.

It depends on how much room there is in your particular area - if there is a business need and you are capable, you may progress quickly, if there are already a lot of senior people in that group then there may not be room for you to move up.

Seems like there is clear career progression if you meet targets and work hard.