Why senior hires in Western Australia deserve a different approach
The best senior lawyer for your team is rarely the one with the most impressive CV. It is the one who can run your matters, lead your people and hold your clients’ trust from the first month.
Western Australia makes that harder to judge. The Perth legal market is relatively small and closely connected, heavily shaped by resources, energy and infrastructure work, and highly sensitive to commodity cycles. A senior hire who doesn’t suit the role is expensive to unwind, and in a market this size, people notice.
This article sets out what we look for at Counsel Connect when we assess senior lawyers for Western Australian firms, in-house legal teams and government. It goes beyond the usual checklist to the signals that actually predict success.
1. Look past the title to the work they have actually run
Titles mean different things at different organisations. A “Special Counsel” at a national firm may have run less independently than a “Senior Associate” at a strong Perth mid-tier practice. Judge the work, not the label.
In interview, ask candidates to walk you through two or three matters in detail. Listen for:
- Their actual role. Did they lead the matter, or work on it? Who did they report to, and who reported to them?
- The hard decisions. What went wrong, what did they decide, and why? Strong senior lawyers talk easily about judgement calls and their own mistakes.
- Scale and complexity. Deal value, number of parties, length of the matter and the regulators or courts involved.
- Consistency over time. One headline matter is less telling than a steady record of comparable work.
A candidate who can only describe matters in general terms, or who mostly says “we”, may have been close to good work without running it.
2. Genuine knowledge of the Western Australian market
Western Australia legal work has its own texture. A senior lawyer relocating from the east coast or overseas can be an excellent hire, but they need to show they understand what makes local work different, or a credible plan to get there quickly.
Depending on the role, that might include:
- Resources and energy. Mining tenements, state agreements, joint ventures, offtake arrangements, and the regulatory framework around mining, petroleum and renewables.
- Native title and heritage. Experience with native title agreements, Aboriginal cultural heritage obligations and working respectfully with Traditional Owner groups.
- Construction and infrastructure. Major projects, contractor disputes and the security-of-payment regime.
- Local forums and regulators. Familiarity with the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the State Administrative Tribunal, the Warden’s Court and the key State departments.
Ask how a recent matter would have played out differently in Western Australia than in another jurisdiction. The quality of that answer tells you a great deal.
3. Relationships that are real, not just claimed
Almost every senior candidate will say they have strong client relationships. Far fewer can show that clients would follow them, or would at least take their call at a new firm.
Test the claim gently but directly:
- Who instructs them personally? A client who asks for them by name is different from a client of the firm they happen to work on.
- What share of their fees came from their own relationships over the last two or three years?
- Are those clients able to move? Panel arrangements, conflicts and existing firm relationships often decide this, regardless of loyalty.
- What restraints apply? Non-solicitation clauses can delay or limit any transition.
In a small market like Perth, reputation travels quickly. Discreet referee conversations, handled carefully, often reveal more about a candidate’s standing than any business plan. For in-house roles, the same question becomes: how well do they build trust with internal stakeholders and executives?
4. Leadership and the ability to grow junior lawyers
Retaining good junior and mid-level lawyers is a constant pressure in Perth, with competition from the east coast, London and in-house roles in the resources sector. A senior lawyer who develops people well is worth far more than one who simply bills well.
Look for evidence, not intentions. Ask who they have supervised, where those lawyers are now, and how they handle delegation, feedback and a junior’s mistake on a live matter. If you can, speak to someone who has worked under them.
Watch for the senior lawyer who keeps all the interesting work, or who sees supervision as a distraction. They can quietly drive turnover across a whole team.
5. Commercial judgement and business development
Technical skill is the baseline at senior level. What separates good from great is the ability to give advice a client can act on, and to understand how the client’s business makes money.
A useful test is a short scenario based on a real problem from your practice. Ask the candidate what they would tell the client, not what the law says. Strong candidates lead with a recommendation, flag the commercial risks and explain the trade-offs in plain language.
For private practice roles, also ask how they win work. Credible answers are specific: industry networks, referral relationships, speaking and writing, and a realistic view of the time it takes to build a practice. Be wary of a business plan full of large numbers and few names.
6. Motivation, fit and staying power
The most common reason senior hires fail is not capability. It is a mismatch in expectations about the role, the culture or the move itself.
Understand why the candidate is moving now. “Better opportunities” is not an answer. Good motivations are specific and positive: a practice they want to build, a type of work they want more of, or a leadership role they are ready for. Be cautious if the move is driven mainly by a falling-out or a single short-term factor such as salary.
For candidates relocating to Perth, discuss the practical side early: family, schooling, housing, distance from home and the time zone gap with east coast and international clients. A hire who goes back east after 18 months costs far more than a slower search.
Finally, be honest about your own culture. Describe how decisions are really made, what flexibility looks like in practice and what the first year will demand. The right candidate will appreciate the candour.
7. The practical checks that get skipped
These are simple, but they are often left until too late in the process:
- Admission and practising rights. Confirm the candidate holds, or can obtain, the right practising certificate through the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia, including any conditions. This matters most for interstate and overseas lawyers.
- Restraints and notice periods. Read the actual clauses. Partner-level notice periods and garden leave can stretch to several months.
- Conflicts. Check for conflicts between the candidate’s existing clients and yours before an offer, not after.
- References. Speak to people the candidate worked with, not only those they chose. Ask specific questions about judgement, supervision and how they behave under pressure.
- Remuneration expectations. Understand the whole package, including bonuses, equity and any lost entitlements, before final interviews.
None of this replaces judgement, but skipping it is how good offers fall over at the last step.
Getting it right
A strong senior hire in Western Australia combines real depth of work, local market understanding, genuine relationships, the ability to lead and a clear reason to stay. The CV will tell you only part of that story. The rest comes from structured conversations, careful referencing and an honest picture of the role.
At Counsel Connect, we specialise in senior legal appointments across Western Australia. We know the market, we know the people, and we take the time to understand what success looks like in your team before we put anyone in front of you.
If you are planning a senior hire, get in touch with our team for a confidential conversation.
