What Cooper Grace Ward does

Cooper Grace Ward is a full-service independent commercial law firm headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, founded in 1980 and operating from Level 21, 400 George Street directly opposite Brisbane's courts. The firm employs between 101 and 250 staff and maintains 41 distinct practice areas spanning corporate and commercial law, banking and finance, capital markets, M&A, litigation and dispute resolution, insurance (including 40+ years of CTP work), family law, estate planning, agribusiness, property, IP and technology, government services, workplace relations, and tax, among others. Its core technology stack consists of standard legal practice management systems; the firm holds ISO 9001 quality management certification and is consistently recognized in Chambers Global, Chambers Asia Pacific, Best Lawyers, Doyles Guide and Legal 500.

The firm generates revenue through professional legal service fees on a quote-based model, billing via hourly rates for ongoing matters and fixed fees for defined engagements. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, targeting five primary segments: listed and private companies (including middle-market enterprises), high-net-worth individuals and families, government agencies and authorities, agribusiness operators across primary production and processing, and family-owned businesses (which account for approximately 70% of Australian businesses). Distribution is anchored by its Brisbane CBD location, supplemented by Australia-wide delivery capability (notably for banking/finance transactions exceeding A$2 billion annually across all states and territories) and digital channels including podcasts ('It Depends,' 'Inside the Claim'), LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. Adjacent services are offered through the CGW Structures subsidiary for entity formation, SMSFs, and trusts. Notable clients include a major Australian retail chain, a major Australian manufacturer, and a mid-market software business sold with the firm's counsel.

Name

Cooper Grace Ward

Legal name

Cooper Grace Ward

Website

https://cgw.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cooper Grace Ward is a full-service independent Brisbane commercial law firm advising listed/private companies, government agencies, agribusinesses, family businesses, and high-net-worth clients across 41 practice areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Cooper Grace Ward generates revenue through professional legal service fees. As a commercial law firm, services are billed through various mechanisms including hourly fees for ongoing matters, fixed fees for specific services, and potentially contingency or fixed-fee arrangements for certain litigation matters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cooper Grace Ward is a full-service commercial law firm based in Brisbane, Australia, providing legal advice and representation across corporate and commercial, property, banking and financial services, litigation, insurance, family law, employment, agribusiness, and private wealth practice areas. The firm serves listed and private companies, government agencies, family-owned businesses, high-net-worth individuals and families, and agribusiness clients.

Product overview

Cooper Grace Ward is a full-service Brisbane-based law firm providing comprehensive legal services across numerous practice areas. The firm operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform with separate products/modules. Key practice areas include corporate and commercial law, banking and financial services, capital markets, litigation and dispute resolution, insurance law, estate planning and administration, family law, property law, intellectual property, and various specialized sectors including agribusiness, energy and resources, government services, and franchising. The firm also offers training services for commercial law compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CGW Structures: A related entity offering fast, accurate and flexible entity services including companies, self-managed superannuation funds and trusts. Website: cgwstructures.com.au

Products and services

• Corporate and Commercial Law

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Australian Airports AssociationminorOthersCooper Grace Ward is a proud member of the Australian Airports Association. The firm provides legal services to airport owners, operators, contractors and developers on an extensive range of legal issues including commercial and legal advice on the planning, development, leasing and operation of airports, particularly in Queensland.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• King & Wood Mallesons: King & Wood Mallesons is the largest Asia-Pacific-headquartered global law firm, with leading Australian banking, infrastructure, energy/resources and corporate practices. It competes with CGW for major Queensland-based mandates and serves as a structural ceiling on CGW's addressable top-of-market work.
• Clayton Utz: Clayton Utz is a national Australian full-service law firm with strong corporate, banking, government and litigation practices and a major Brisbane office. It competes head-to-head with CGW for Queensland government, ASX-listed and large private company mandates.
• Allens: Allens is one of Australia's largest full-service commercial law firms with deep corporate, M&A, banking and dispute resolution practices across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. It is a broad incumbent competitor for the same ASX-listed, government and major private company mandates that Cooper Grace Ward targets.
• Herbert Smith Freehills: Herbert Smith Freehills is a global elite law firm with substantial Australian operations across corporate, dispute resolution, energy and infrastructure. It competes with CGW for major Queensland corporate, resources and government matters, particularly those with cross-border dimensions.
• Ashurst: Ashurst is a major international law firm with a sizeable Australian corporate, banking and projects practice. It competes with CGW for in-sourced mandates from ASX-listed companies operating in Queensland, particularly in infrastructure and resources.
• Corrs Chambers Westgarth: Corrs Chambers Westgarth is a leading independent Australian full-service firm with strong corporate, dispute resolution, regulatory and property practices and a national footprint. It is a direct peer for CGW's listed-company, infrastructure and government work.
• Norton Rose Fulbright Australia: Norton Rose Fulbright is a global law firm with significant Australian banking, finance, energy and dispute resolution practices. It competes with CGW for major banking, infrastructure and resources mandates involving Queensland-headquartered clients.

Direct peers

• McCullough Robertson: McCullough Robertson is a large independent Brisbane-based full-service commercial law firm, founded 1860s, competing most directly with CGW across corporate, litigation, resources, agribusiness and government mandates in Queensland and nationally. It is the closest like-for-like peer in size, geography and practice mix.
• HopgoodGanim Lawyers: HopgoodGanim is a Brisbane-based independent commercial law firm with strong corporate, property, resources and agribusiness practices. Like CGW, it serves listed companies, family businesses and government clients in Queensland — a direct regional peer.
• Arnold Bloch Leibler: Arnold Bloch Leibler is a leading independent Australian commercial law firm renowned for high-end private wealth, family business, tax, dispute resolution and corporate work. It is closely comparable to CGW on private wealth, family business succession and premium mid-market corporate mandates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubecgw.com.au/podcasts
• Facebookfacebook.com/CooperGraceWardLawyers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooper-grace-ward
• Instagraminstagram.com/cgwfamilylawyersbrisbane
• Xx.com/CGWLaw

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooper Grace Ward