"We get a lot of publicity around the partner hires, but we have been going through this rebalancing of the organic aspect of the growth of the firm in recent years.

"But this is a big number; it's much bigger than anything we've done before."

The firm took on 66 graduates in 2018. In 2019, it will outstrip most of the other large firms, which will take on around 80 graduates.

He said Ebsworth does "business in a vastly different way to our big brothers in the industry", and that includes recruitment.

Life experience

"We are not going to hire people who are likely to be embraced or be successful at Mallesons, for example. We and Mallesons are very different.

"I say that because Mallesons – and I won't pick on Mallesons, I will say any of the four or five self-proclaimed top-tier firms – those people are really the ones that have things like 'if you haven't got a 70-plus [grade point average] honours degree then you don't get a look in'.

"They have things like that. We don't have that. So what we do is we look at the person in many different ways – their life experience, when have they had to exercise nous, or confronted adversity.


"Don't tell me someone who got 69 and an honours degree is stupid and someone who got better than 70 is a hero."

He insists there is "no class warfare".

"It's not about private school v public school; that bullshit. Even being privileged, quite often you confront adversity and that demonstrates your strength of character and your ability to make good judgments; to cut through complex situations, that's what lawyers are called upon to do – often."

Mr Martinez maintained the firm has not increased its prices for a decade and said it has "probably grown more than our competitors during adverse times than boom times".

"One of the biggest growth periods for us was during the GFC, while everyone else was committing harakiri."

'Envious scuttlebutt'

He said some of the talk around his firm was "envious scuttlebutt". It says Ebsworth has way more partners than other big firms, but nowhere near the profit. That if you don't meet the revenue you promise then you are shown the door.

"They have half our profit. You've got it the wrong way around," he said.


"That's why people from Freehills are coming here.

"If these comments were right we'd have blood in the streets and be rotating people out the door.

"We lose very few partners. We have got the biggest partnership so we should have the biggest number of movements, but we don't. We are below industry levels for attrition by a significant margin."

He said there was no reason why someone from the next crop of trainees cannot be a partner in five years. He cites as an example Melbourne-based Rebecca Jaffe, who made partner at 28.

"Anyone can leapfrog anyone else. There is no hierarchy. The understanding of that around here is very acute. There is no sooky-la-la going on. You might be disappointed but you don't sook about it. You say 'what do I have to do to achieve that?'."