Wrapping Up 2025 – Barry Nilsson

• What’s been a highlight or achievement for your team this year?

It’s been an exciting year for Barry Nilsson. We were proud to be named Insurance Team of the Year at the 2025 Australian Law Awards – a fantastic recognition of our Insurance & Health Law team’s expertise and commitment to achieving great results for our clients. We were also thrilled to be recognised by ANZIIF as finalist for Professional Services Firm of the Year for the 5^th year running. Adding to these achievements, we earned the title of ‘Employer of Choice’ for the 7^th year running – a testament to our ongoing commitment to creating a flexible, inclusive, and supportive workplace for our people.

We’re equally proud of the difference we’ve made in our communities through BN’s Impact Project. This year, we provided over 8,700 hours of pro bono legal services worth $2.6 million and donated nearly $90,000 within our communities, helping to support vital causes and make a meaningful difference.

• Any new projects, milestones, or community initiatives?

This year marked the first full year of our Community Program and Volunteer Leave Policy in operation. This initiative offers diverse ways for our people to get involved – from volunteering with local charities and donating goods to participating in charitable events. Our staff were able to nominate causes that matter to them and take one day of volunteer leave annually.

Across 50 volunteer days in 2025, our people ran, walked, swam and drove 4,719 km for charity, prepared 2,551 meals, assembled 144 care packages, packed 360 kg of pet food, and cleaned 210 cat cages!

• How has your organisation supported young professionals or the industry this year?

We’re proud to have developed the annual YIPs Barry Nilsson Next Gen Insurance Leader Award in collaboration with YIPs. The award recognises business and leadership potential while supporting the development of young insurance professionals across Australia and New Zealand. Participants submit a 2,000-word essay exploring real-world industry challenges, offering a chance to showcase creative thinking and industry knowledge. The winner receives a $5,000 prize, a trophy, and a seat on the judging panel for the following year. Submissions for 2025 have closed, but you can view the topics, submission guidelines and past winning essays here.

We provide further support to the industry by sponsoring major conferences, including the APIG National Conference and AILA National Conference, and various local events. We’re also proud to be business services members of the Underwriting Agencies Council and an AILA member partner.

To keep young professionals informed and engaged, we regularly publish legal insights and host educational webinars on key decisions, emerging trends, and topical issues in insurance and health law. These resources are available by subscribing to our updates here and following us on LinkedIn.

• What’s one thing you’re looking forward to in 2026?

We’re excited to step into 2026 with the addition of six new principals and their teams to our Insurance & Health practice across Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. These highly respected practitioners and their established practices will further strengthen our capacity to service existing clients nationally, while also broadening BN’s practice specialties. This development is a key part of our continued focus on growth as we shape the firm’s 2026–2028 strategic plan, ensuring we’re well positioned to meet evolving client needs and industry challenges.