“Don’t believe anything any of [the other firms] tell you,” jokes Danny Gilbert, the managing partner of Australia’s Gilbert + Tobin from his 37th floor Sydney office. “It’s all window dressing.”

Among the most likeable and charismatic managing partners in the Australian legal market, Gilbert is no stranger to media interviews. Straight-talking and highly ambitious, the former Deacons lawyer is now known for having built one of the most profitable Australian outfits.