Graduate Hires at MinterEllison, Herbert Smith Freehills, Norton Rose Fulbright, Allens and Mallesons Fall as Law Firms Embrace AI
The Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 10 May 2026
- Priority Score
- 2
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 10 May 2026, 12:00 pm
Description
MinterEllison has become the first major Australian law firm to openly voice the impact of artificial intelligence automating entry-level work.
Summary
Major Australian law firms are significantly reducing graduate intake as a direct consequence of AI tools automating entry-level cognitive tasks. Using MinterEllison's 30% reduction as a primary case study, the report highlights a structural shift in professional services where routine cognitive labor is displaced by generative models. This trend underscores broad economic safety concerns regarding the rapid displacement of skilled labor by frontier AI capabilities. It suggests that institutional adoption of AI is outpacing traditional professional development frameworks, necessitating urgent policy responses to manage labor market stability and professional standards.
Body
CompaniesProfessional ServicesLegal professionPrint articleEdmund TadrosProfessional services editorMay 10, 2026 – 8.00pmMinterEllison has become the first major Australian law firm to admit out loud a growing fear across the world: artificial intelligence-led automation may hurt lawyer numbers, and graduates will be hit first.Minters has cut its graduate cohort for 2025-26 by almost a third from the previous year, to 72, partly because artificial intelligence automates routine lower-level work.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreLegal professionAllensAICorrs Chambers WestgarthMinterEllisonKing & Wood MallesonsHerbert Smith FreehillsFetching latest articles