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Legal Industry Financial Performance Benchmarking
Find out how New Zealand & Australian firms can start stepping up the numbers.
To assess your financial performance and help with stepping up the numbers, you need to understand how your firm is performing compared to similar firms, identify areas for improvement—and then implement strategies to address them. As part of our commitment to helping you run a successful legal practice, ALPMA conducts free annual financial performance benchmarking research for law firms in conjunction with Findex in Australia and New Zealand.
Participating in the study will help you
- Benchmark your firm’s financial performance against key indicators including profitability, work in progress days, debtor’s days, interest expense, labour cost, rent, and working capital.
- Gain insight into the industry’s financial performance expectations for the coming year.
- Find information on law firm growth strategies, remuneration, pricing and charge-out rates.
- Rate your performance against like firms and identify areas for improvement.

2021 ALPMA/Findex Australian Financial Performance Benchmarking Research
ALPMA’s annual financial performance benchmarking research for law firms is back to benchmark firms for FY2021. As always, this is a great opportunity to understand how your firm is performing compared to similar firms, identify areas for improvement—and then implement strategies to address them.
This year, it’s more important than ever.
Benchmark your firm’s performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare your response to the financial impacts and challenges that all firms faced.
2019 ALPMA/Findex Australian Financial Performance Benchmarking Research
What a difference a year can make. When we conducted this survey in 2019, no-one could have envisaged the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial impacts and challenges that were about to take place.
Although this year is different, how firms bounce back and thrive will largely be a function of their financial strength and position pre-COVID-19.
2017 ALPMA/Crowe Horwath Financial Performance Benchmarking Survey
2017 Australian Study
This year’s study collected information on firm investment in innovation, strategies to finance growth and charge-out rates, as well as the firm’s performance across a number of key indicators—like profitability, work in progress days, debtor’s days, interest expense, labour cost, rent, and working capital. The survey was conducted in November 2017.
2017 New Zealand Study
NZ Survey participants have received an email with the results summary, plus a login to access Open Measures, which enables them to interactively compare their firm’s performance against the results from similar law firms using a number of filters including location, practice type and size of firm. The results summary is available for download below.
2016 ALPMA/Crowe Horwath Financial Performance Benchmarking Survey
2016 Australian Study
The FY16 ALPMA/Crowe Horwath Australian Legal Financial Performance Benchmarking Study survey was conducted between December 2016 and January 2017. The results summary is available for download below.
2016 New Zealand Study
The 2016 ALPMA/Crowe Horwath New Zealand Legal Industry Financial Performance Benchmarking Study survey was conducted in September–November, 2016. More than forty firms from across New Zealand participated in the study.
2015 ALPMA/Crowe Horwath Financial Performance Benchmarking Survey
2015 Australian Study
This year, more than 100 firms participated in the study. Participants will be provided with a log-in to Open Measures, Crowe Horwath’s powerful benchmarking tool, to interrogate their results and visualise their performance to similar firms across eight key performance indicators.
2015 New Zealand Study
The inaugural ALPMA/Crowe Horwath New Zealand Legal Industry Financial Performance Benchmarking study was conducted in July–August, 2015. Thirty firms from across New Zealand participated in the study.
Firms and Individuals who participate in these surveys receive a complimentary copy of the research report.
Need more information?
If you have any questions about the research or need assistance, please contact our research team.
NEW HR & SALARY REPORTS
2023 HR Issues & Salary Reports are Now Available
Find out how your firm compares across Australia or New Zealand in staffing, salaries, remuneration benefits and bonuses.
This year's reports now come with access to interactive online salary data tables.