Barry.Nilsson. Graduate Programs & Internships

 

What it does: Barry.Nilsson. is a national law firm with a reputation for leadership in the areas of Insurance & Health Law, Family Law, and Wills & Estates.

Mission: We focus on the quality of our legal work and achieving the best possible outcome for our clients.

Size and presence: We have offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, and Hobart.

Best known for: Widely recognized for our no-nonsense and commercially astute approach, wherever we are we aim to provide each client with the best possible outcome.

The good bits: The work environment is supportive and inclusive.

The not-so-good bits: Highly competitive legal services market.

The Barry.Nilsson. story

Barry.Nilsson. was founded in 1963 by John Barry and operated as a general commercial and property law firm. In the early 1970s, John's brother David Barry was joined by Jack Nilsson to form Barry & Nilsson. The firm later grew to include the areas of Family Law and Insurance & Health Law and changed to Barry. Nilsson. in 2010.

In 2014, Barry.Nilsson. expanded its East Coast footprint and established an Insurance & Health practice in Sydney, before establishing operations in Melbourne in 2015. In 2016, the firm celebrated its national expansion, with the addition of a Family Law practice in Melbourne, an expanded Sydney office, and the launch of offices in Hobart and Adelaide. In September 2017 the firm completed its national expansion with the launch of its sixth and final office in Perth.

Culture & vibe

Barry. Nilsson. has a suite of core values that inform every aspect of its operations and underpin its success.

Trustworthiness

Clients trust us because we conduct ourselves with the highest levels of honesty and integrity. Trust is hard-won and easily lost. The firm has enjoyed half a century of success because it never compromises its clients’ trust.

Dedication

Keeping ahead of the pack requires hard work and commitment. By continually updating our skills and knowledge Barry.Nilsson.Lawyers consistently negotiate the best outcomes for their clients.

Excellence

We are passionate about the quality of our work and the outcomes we achieve. We have the best people working for the best clients in an environment where innovation is encouraged.

Loyalty

We are loyal to our staff and clients, and strive to earn their loyalty in return by showing respect for our colleagues and staff and commitment to clients. As a consequence our staff turnover is low and we enjoy many enduring relationships with clients.

Recruitment process

• Submit the job application.
• Resumes are reviewed and shortlisted
• Face to Face Interview:
• Reference Check
• Employment Check and Contract
• Managers to contact candidates.

Career prospects

If you are interested in practicing law in one of our two areas of specialization - Insurance & Health or Family Law - then Barry.Nilsson. is the place to be.

Named an Employer of Choice by Australasian Lawyer in 2019, 2020, and 2021, BN offers a working environment that promotes teamwork, focuses on solutions, and celebrates success. For graduates, our hands-on training assists in gaining a true appreciation of how the law works. For lawyers, we focus on the individual and defined career progression paths. For administrative staff, you'll find our work is friendly and relaxed.

Benefits

Our team enjoys:

• realistic workloads/achievable budgets.
• progressive career paths.
• appropriate structured mentoring.
• competitive remuneration with annual reviews.
• continuing training, education, and development.
• an enjoyable workplace.
• work/life balance.

Some detailed examples of benefits offered to team members are:

• Staff enjoy a 9 ½ day fortnight. Each full-time team member works a half-day every second Friday whilst still receiving full pay.
• We have an accessible career progression policy for lawyers that seeks to provide a satisfying career path for progression within the firm.
• We offer flexible working arrangements. Family commitments, study, and other interests can make it difficult for some people to commit to “normal” working hours. We always accommodate the lifestyle needs of employees to the best of our ability and negotiate alternative arrangements on an individual basis.
• A mentor is provided for all new staff to assist them to settle in - plus we have an ongoing formal mentoring structure in place for lawyers to guarantee their professional development.
• Lawyers are given the day-to-day conduct of files under the supervision of a partner or senior associate. This enables them to get hands-on experience.
• We give and receive feedback through formal and informal review processes including staff surveys and 360-degree performance reviews.
• We provide regular in-house CLE sessions and encourage our professional team members to attend and present at external seminars with other legal and industry professionals.
• Client contact is not limited to partners and senior associates. It’s important that our clients can put a face to the name, irrespective of the level of team member they are dealing with.
• We recognize the importance of socializing with colleagues and having fun at the same time. The firm runs a social club, and sporting teams plus there are regular opportunities to socialize whilst in the office such as monthly birthday morning teas and fortnightly team morning teas.
• We have an employee assistance program that entitles all staff to four free counseling sessions per year.
• We have an “open-door” policy and staff are encouraged to ask for guidance and assistance from other employees.
• We have a "Dress for your Day" Policy whereby all staff is encouraged to dress according to what their workday involves. 
• We are committed to providing an environment with the best resources available including investing in IT systems.
• Our specialist legal services are offered to all staff on a discounted basis.

Social Contributions  

Barry. Nilsson. has a strict corruption prevention policy that applies to all staff nationally. We are committed to preventing corrupt activity and have arrangements in place to deter, detect and respond to any unacceptable behavior. We have a zero-tolerance policy on bribery by our people or of our people.

Under our policy BN staff will not engage in fraudulent or corrupt activity and will not tolerate breaches whether it involves staff members, individuals, suppliers, client companies, or public officials.

Each staff member is responsible for professionally conducting themselves and performing their duties with honesty, integrity, and transparency. All of our activities are managed in full compliance with this policy and with all applicable legal and regulatory anti-bribery and corruption obligations.

In addition to our corruption prevention policy, BN is registered with the Australian Government AUSTRAC service as a reporting entity. AUSTRAC is Australia's financial intelligence agency with regulatory responsibility for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing.