Hobart has one of the oldest legal communities in Australia, and several firms on this list have been advising Tasmanians for more than a century. That history matters less than fit, though. A firm that is excellent at large commercial deals may not be the right call for a will, a workers compensation claim or a dispute with a neighbour in Lindisfarne.
Every practising lawyer in Hobart must hold a practising certificate issued through the Law Society of Tasmania, and complaints are handled by the Legal Profession Board of Tasmania. Under Tasmanian law, firms must also disclose their costs to you in writing.
If you are setting up a company, our guide to starting a business in Australia explains what to sort before you see a commercial lawyer.
We ranked the law firms in Hobart below on breadth of services, local presence and how clearly they explain who they act for.
Lawyers In Hobart At A Glance
Company
Based In
Best For
Known For
Simmons Wolfhagen
Hobart CBD and Kingston
Individuals and businesses statewide
Six Tasmanian offices
Dobson Mitchell Allport
Hobart CBD
Commercial, property and estates
Serving Tasmania since 1834
Page Seager
Hobart CBD
Businesses, government and insurers
Tasmania’s largest legal team
Murdoch Clarke
Hobart CBD
Everyday personal legal matters
Trusted lawyers for 130+ years
Abetz Curtis
Hobart CBD
Commercial and planning matters
Serving Tasmanians since 1987
FitzGerald and Browne Lawyers
Hobart CBD
Individuals and community groups
No corporate clients by choice
Advocate Lawyers
Kingston and Battery Point
Southern suburbs families
Fixed fees on many services
Groom Kennedy
Hobart
Companies and investors
Boutique corporate and commercial
Paula Sutherland & Associates
Sandy Bay
Estates and dispute resolution
Estates and veterans’ compensation
Logan & Partners
Hobart CBD
Criminal and firearms matters
Doyle’s Guide 2026 criminal law
Best Lawyers In Hobart
1. Simmons Wolfhagen — Bathurst Street Firm With Six Tasmanian Offices
Simmons Wolfhagen describes itself as 100 percent Tasmanian. Its Hobart office is at Level 4, 99 Bathurst Street, and it has a second southern office in Channel Court, Kingston, plus offices in Launceston, Devonport, Smithton and Scottsdale. That statewide spread is unusual for a Tasmanian firm and useful if your matter involves property or family in more than one region.
The firm covers personal injury, conveyancing, family law, employment law for employees and employers, wills and estates, commercial and corporate law, litigation, building and construction, property, local government and planning, and agribusiness. Its family law team alone lists more than a dozen lawyers. The firm says it aims for practical, cost-efficient advice and has specialist teams in its major areas. It suits individuals, farming families and businesses that want one firm able to handle most legal needs, with a southern suburbs office for Kingston and Channel clients.
Dobson Mitchell Allport, known as DOMA, is at 59 Harrington Street, Hobart, with a second office in Devonport. The firm says it has served Tasmania since 1834, making it one of the oldest legal practices in the state, and it maintains the Allport Library and Bequest connection that is part of Hobart’s cultural history.
Its practice areas are commercial and property, dispute resolution and litigation, family and relationships, estate planning and administration, and migration. It acts for individuals, businesses, governments and not-for-profits, including clients interstate and overseas. The migration practice sets it apart from many Hobart firms and is useful for employers sponsoring skilled staff into Tasmania. DOMA runs a summer clerkship program and publishes regular legal articles. It suits businesses and families who want a long-established firm with commercial depth and a broad private client offering in the CBD.
3. Page Seager — Commercial Firm Acting For Business, Government And Insurers
Page Seager is a Hobart commercial law firm that says it is home to Tasmania’s largest group of legal professionals. It acts exclusively for businesses, government bodies and insurers, so it is not the firm for a personal will or family matter.
Its service areas are corporate and commercial, dispute resolution, employment and safety, insurance, property, planning and environment, and workers compensation. Recent work listed on its site includes advising Federal Group on the sale of 20 9/11 Bottle Shop stores to Coles’ Liquorland, acting in the Gorge Hotel appeals before TASCAT and the Supreme Court, and helping Centacare Evolve Housing acquire and develop more than 1,500 social and affordable homes. Named clients include Hydro Tasmania, TasWater, TasNetworks, Metro Tasmania and the University of Tasmania. Its Page Resource service supplies flexible legal staff to in-house teams. It suits Tasmanian organisations with significant commercial, planning or insurance work.
4. Murdoch Clarke — Victoria Street Firm For Wills, Homes And Compensation
Murdoch Clarke is at 10 Victoria Street in the Hobart CBD and says it has been trusted by clients for more than 130 years. Its website is built around everyday client needs rather than corporate practice groups, which makes it easy to see where to start.
Core services are wills, buying or selling a home, buying or selling a business, motor vehicle accident compensation, work accident compensation, family law and litigation. The firm says its focus is on helping everyday clients reach their goals. The mix suits households who want one firm for life events: a house purchase, a will after children arrive, a claim after a car accident on the Tasman Highway, or the sale of a small business on retirement. It suits Hobart individuals and small business owners who want a long-established local firm that is set up for personal rather than corporate work.
5. Abetz Curtis — Davey Street Firm Serving Tasmanians Since 1987
Abetz Curtis is based at 83 Davey Street, Hobart, and has served Tasmanians since 1987. Its lawyers include Roger Curtis, Joe Brown and Fiona Davis, and the firm offers a Chinese-language version of its website, which helps Hobart’s growing number of Mandarin-speaking clients and investors.
Practice areas cover commercial and corporate law, employment and workplace relations including workers compensation, local government and planning, family law, litigation, property and conveyancing, and wills and estates. The firm says it has acted in a number of the largest commercial transactions and mergers in Tasmanian history, while still advising small and mid-sized businesses. Its property team reports nearly 30 years of experience across all property matters. It suits developers dealing with council planning issues, business owners buying or selling, and families wanting a firm that brings a commercial approach to family law.
FitzGerald and Browne opened in 2001 and is on Level 2 of the historic T&G building at 115 Collins Street. The firm made a deliberate choice not to represent corporates, and instead acts for individuals, families, small businesses, associations and charities. From 1 July 2026 it also incorporates the firm of Bleyer Lawyers.
Partners Roland Browne, Oona Fisher and Richard Griggs cover civil and criminal matters, personal injury, environment and planning, family law, property and conveyancing, and estate planning. The firm also takes on social justice, environmental and discrimination matters, and for some community-focused cases may work at a reduced fee or on a no win, no fee basis. Senior solicitor Rowan Silva has served as an acting magistrate. It suits individuals and community groups who want lawyers on their side of the table and a firm comfortable taking on government or large organisations.
7. Advocate Lawyers — Kingston And Hobart Firm With Fixed-Fee Options
Advocate Lawyers is a Tasmanian firm with offices in Kingston and Hobart, led by principal Kelly Dewey. It serves private and corporate clients across the state and is open weekdays from 8:45am.
The firm handles family law, conveyancing, estate administration, wills and estate planning, litigation and dispute resolution, commercial law and criminal law. It says it is committed to cost transparency, with fixed fees for many services, hourly rates for more complex work and clear cost estimates before work begins. In family law it offers fixed fees for consent orders and binding financial agreements, and it notes that legal aid may be available to eligible clients. The team includes a senior conveyancing paralegal and lawyers across family, criminal and commercial work. It suits Kingborough families and small businesses who want a local firm south of the city and a clear price before they commit.
8. Groom Kennedy — Boutique Corporate And Commercial Firm With A Hobart Head Office
Groom Kennedy is a boutique corporate and commercial law firm that operates from its head office in Hobart. It describes its team as lawyers who have worked at large law firms, financial institutions and corporates, with national and international experience, and it serves clients in Tasmania, across Australia and overseas.
Its four practice areas are corporate, advising companies from incorporation to exit; commercial, for ongoing and one-off business law needs; property, covering Tasmanian commercial and residential property law; and private client work for complex personal matters. The firm does not list family law or criminal law. That narrow focus is the point: it suits founders raising capital, investors buying into Tasmanian businesses, and companies that need a commercial lawyer who understands transactions at scale without the overheads of a national firm. If you are buying commercial property, our guide to Tasmanian stamp duty is a useful primer.
Paula Sutherland & Associates is based at 8 Gregory Street, Sandy Bay, and also sees northern Tasmanian clients by appointment. The firm is led by Paula Sutherland and describes itself as a Tasmanian firm offering specialist legal advice.
Its practice areas are dispute resolution, litigation and investigative services, wills and estate planning, estate administration, employment law, residential conveyancing, workers compensation, criminal law and veterans’ compensation. The veterans’ compensation work is unusual for a suburban practice and relevant to Hobart’s sizeable defence and ex-service community. The site displays an estates litigation recommendation and other industry badges, and client reviews praise its conveyancing and estate planning work. It suits Sandy Bay and southern Hobart residents who want a smaller practice for wills and estates, and veterans or injured workers looking for a lawyer who handles compensation claims.
10. Logan & Partners — Macquarie Street Boutique Recognised For Criminal Law
Logan & Partners is a boutique firm with a Hobart office at Level 1, 174 Macquarie Street and a second office in Kew, Melbourne. It says it was founded as an alternative to conventional legal practice.
Its practice areas are criminal and traffic law, property law, construction and development, firearms law, wills and estates, superannuation and finance law, business and commercial law, and litigation. The firm is recognised for criminal law in the 2026 Doyle’s Guide. Firearms law is a niche few Hobart firms advertise and matters in a state with many licensed shooters, farmers and primary producers. It suits people facing criminal or traffic charges, firearms licence issues, and builders or developers who want a small firm that handles both construction disputes and the commercial work around them.
How To Choose A Lawyer In Hobart
Does The Firm Regularly Handle Your Type Of Matter?
Ask how many matters like yours the lawyer has handled in the past year, and who will do the day-to-day work. A firm that does commercial deals for government bodies may not be the best value for a simple will, while a suburban practice may not have the depth for a major dispute in the Supreme Court of Tasmania.
How Will You Be Charged?
Tasmanian lawyers must give you written disclosure of their costs. Expect hourly rates for litigation and advice, and fixed fees for many conveyancing, wills and consent order jobs. Ask for an estimate in writing and how often you will be updated if the work grows.
Is The Lawyer Properly Admitted And Insured?
Every practising lawyer in Hobart needs a current practising certificate and professional indemnity insurance. You can check a lawyer’s status with the Law Society of Tasmania. If something goes wrong, the Legal Profession Board of Tasmania handles complaints.
Do They Have Offices Where You Need Them?
Some Hobart firms have offices in Kingston, Moonah or Glenorchy, and a few cover the whole state. If your matter involves property or family in Launceston or the North West, a firm with statewide offices can save travel and coordination.
What Happens If You Cannot Afford A Private Lawyer?
Legal Aid Tasmania and Hobart Community Legal Service give free or low-cost help to eligible people, especially in family, criminal and tenancy matters. Some private firms also take no win, no fee personal injury work. Ask about these options at the first call.
Conclusion
Hobart lawyers range from firms with nearly two centuries of history to boutique practices built around a single area of law. Statewide firms like Simmons Wolfhagen and DOMA suit people who want one firm for most needs, while Page Seager and Groom Kennedy focus on business clients.
Shortlist two or three law firms in Hobart that regularly handle your type of matter, ask each for a written cost estimate, and choose the lawyer who explains your options most clearly.
