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Barry Nilsson looking to buck the trend
National law firm Barry Nilsson is celebrating its diamond jubilee year and is centring its focus on the “high-demand areas” of family and insurance law.
Jerome Doraisamy
In unveiling a new look, BigLaw firm Barry Nilsson — which has offices in six states across the country — has confirmed that its strategy for the coming three years will be to “deepen its expertise in the high-demand areas of family and insurance law”.
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Firm chairman and national insurance and health lead principal Rhett Kennedy explained that growing the firm’s capacity and capabilities in family and insurance law over the next three years is a “deliberate strategic decision”, made in consultation with clients and colleagues.
“These insights confirmed BN’s immediate opportunities for growth lie in expanding our recognised expertise within the areas of law in which BN is already a trusted advisor,” he said.
Whilst the firm has expanded from having a presence in one state to six, it has simultaneously looked to home in on family and insurance law, which he said “enables us to partner closely with our clients and the important stakeholders within these legal sectors”.
The firm’s caseload in such areas has grown by 7.5 per cent during the age of coronavirus, Mr Kennedy proclaimed, allowing it to grow its staff by 14 per cent to 360 professionals, including over 200 lawyers.
As reported by Lawyers Weekly last year, the firm promoted 18 lawyers in December and elevated 20 lawyers in June.
“Despite the current economic challenges of high inflation and rising interest rates, we are confident this is the right time for BN to further develop our now well-established national network of state-based practices through a mix of client-driven organic growth and targeted expansion, including into greenfield areas of insurance law in which we don’t now operate. We are currently assessing these opportunities,’’ Mr Kennedy said.
The firm’s chief executive, Graeme Walsh, added: “As a firm, we remain committed to nurturing talent and providing our people with career development opportunities that enable them to grow within their roles in order to deliver excellent outcomes for our clients.”
Elsewhere, BN’s 2025 strategy will ensure, it said, a clearly articulated contribution toward the achievement of broader sustainability and social equity goals.
“For the first time, this strategy makes explicit, in our firm-wide values and objectives, BN’s commitment to reducing our impact on the environment and our professional responsibility to creating a more inclusive, caring and just society through our pro bono practice and Impact Project,” Mr Walsh said.
