Areas of expertise
Colin Biggers & Paisley's key areas of practice are:
- banking and finance
- construction and engineering
- corporate and commercial
- dispute resolution and litigation
- employment and work health and safety
- insurance
- intellectual property and information and communications technology
- government
- planning and environment
- property and development
- restructuring and insolvency
- transport and logistics
Firm background
Established in 1900, we have evolved from a boutique firm in Sydney to a national legal practice with international reach. In 2012, Colin Biggers & Paisley merged with Melbourne-based insurance firm Monahan + Rowell, and in 2013, merged with Brisbane-based firm Hemming + Hart. Through these mergers and a vision for growth, Colin Biggers & Paisley has expanded to a national legal practice with over 470 employees and offices on the east coast of Australia.
We are proud of our long-standing relationships with many of Australia's most respected and successful companies. We are the lawyers of choice in the construction, property and insurance industries and maintain a strong presence in the areas of agribusiness, banking and finance, education, energy, mining and resources, and government.
Colin Biggers & Paisley is a member of ADVOC, an international connection of leading law firms. Through ADVOC we have access to over 5,500 lawyers in 70 countries, meaning we can assist our clients wherever they go.
It's exceptional people and an unrelenting commitment to our clients that's led Colin Biggers & Paisley from strength to strength over the last century. We undertake some of the most pro bono hours of any major Australian law firm and are striving to be leaders in diversity and inclusion. We are proud of the impact our practice has on our clients, the law and the community.
Our desire to be leaders in all that we do drives us to continue to improve what is already a successful and established legal practice. It is this ambition that saw us become the first legal practice to create an online property contract exchange platform, revolutionising the way real estate is bought and sold throughout Australia and the rest of the world. It is also this drive that has seen us become one of the fastest growing legal practices in Australia. Over the past five years, we have more than doubled our partner and employee numbers—and we continue to grow.
The future of Colin Biggers & Paisley is about developing new ways to deliver legal services that will arm our clients for the challenges of tomorrow. It's about creating opportunities for our people, our clients and our community—and being there to support them every step of the way.
The Colin Biggers & Paisley difference
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, we’ve always been different. We have built a dynamic culture of innovation, opportunity and balance. It applies to the solutions we create for our clients and the careers we build for our people.
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, we truly believe that being a mid-size legal practice is an advantage. Our structure allows us to offer a more holistic service to our clients and a better place to work for our people. Our size allows us to remain personable and well connected with our colleagues and to our clients.
We put our people first. After all, it is our people who have made our business into the success it is today. Many businesses say that work/life balance is important, but for us it is a priority. We were the first law firm to be FlexAble certified through DCC Jobs, recognising our commitment to flexible working. Currently, 26% of our people have some kind of flexible working arrangement.
We're committed to fostering inclusion and diversity throughout our business. We have a genuine focus on gender diversity and are continuously working toward increasing the number of women in senior positions.
We foster a diverse culture that’s inclusive of gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation. Our staff reflect the variety of races, religions, cultures and social backgrounds that characterise the Australian population. We believe new ideas stem from diverse perspectives and recognise its these differences that helps us acquire and retain top talent, build the best teams for our clients and deliver the highest calibre service. Our aim is to be recognised as a leading promoter of inclusion and diversity in the legal profession. We do this by actively promoting equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Employee numbers
Colin Biggers & Paisley has over 70 partners and a total of over 470 employees.
Over the past five years, we have more than doubled our partner and employee numbers—and we continue to grow.
Our growth has been due to a desire to service our clients nationally—providing our clients with a similar level of service and access to our specialist areas of law across our three offices.
Career progression
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, our people are given every opportunity—for both career progression and personal growth. We have many partners and managers who commenced their careers here as junior lawyers. We give everyone the opportunities and support to grow and establish quality careers with us.
We have ongoing training and development, mentoring and regular reviews to ensure that each employee progresses to their full potential.
Promotion opportunities are considered in in June and December each year for promotions to Senior Associate, Special Counsel and Partner.
Learning and development
We understand that delivering great results for our clients depends on having great people. In addition to tuition reimbursement for approved work-related courses, we offer up to five days study/exam leave per academic year and amazing opportunities for both career progression and personal growth.
We provide financial assistance with Practical Legal Training (PLT), College of Law and postgraduate study, as well as providing internal CLE/CPD seminars and training. We also provide financial assistance with external training seminars and memberships.
We also provide secondment opportunities at our client's offices so that our lawyers can gain a greater understanding of working in-house, our clients and their industry.
Graduate Program
"It's a place where your success is only limited by your ambition." - Michael Russell, Paralegal 2003 | Partner 2015.
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, our law graduates get to tackle meaningful work from day one.
Our commitment to our graduates is to provide the best possible legal and business framework—and the opportunity to work with legal experts who will mentor, support and encourage them throughout their legal career so that they will thrive as a lawyer in today’s competitive market.
We offer a 12 month graduate program with rotations so our graduates can explore different practice areas and uncover their passion for a preferred area of law.
We have 12 groups that our graduates can be a part of. During this time they work closely with all levels of our practice—from paralegals to partners—and are given the chance to make an impact from day one.
Our program is full of complex and interesting work, opportunities for growth, and the chance to launch your legal career with one of Australia’s leading legal practices.
https://www.cbp.com.au/careers/graduates
Corporate Social Responsibility
Nothing motivates lawyers more than the ability to make an impact – on the law, legal systems and people’s lives. Making an impact is at the very core of why we do what we do. We have the ability to help disenfranchised and disadvantaged people in our community.
The Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation brings together our entire community offering and is comprised of three streams—pro bono legal services, volunteering and charitable contributions.
To ensure maximum impact, the core strategy of our Foundation is to promote and protect the rights of women and children in Australia and abroad.
We undertake some of the most pro bono hours of any major Australian law firm. We use our skills and our expertise to help address unmet legal need and to provide resources and opportunities for the benefit of communities. We work with individuals and not for profit organisations that work on behalf of low income or disadvantaged members of the community.
Areas of expertise
Colin Biggers & Paisley's key areas of practice are:
- banking and finance
- construction and engineering
- corporate and commercial
- dispute resolution and litigation
- employment and work health and safety
- insurance
- intellectual property and information and communications technology
- government
- planning and environment
- property and development
- restructuring and insolvency
- transport and logistics
Firm background
Established in 1900, we have evolved from a boutique firm in Sydney to a national legal practice with international reach. In 2012, Colin Biggers & Paisley merged with Melbourne-based insurance firm Monahan + Rowell, and in 2013, merged with Brisbane-based firm Hemming + Hart. Through these mergers and a vision for growth, Colin Biggers & Paisley has expanded to a national legal practice with over 470 employees and offices on the east coast of Australia.
We are proud of our long-standing relationships with many of Australia's most respected and successful companies. We are the lawyers of choice in the construction, property and insurance industries and maintain a strong presence in the areas of agribusiness, banking and finance, education, energy, mining and resources, and government.
Colin Biggers & Paisley is a member of ADVOC, an international connection of leading law firms. Through ADVOC we have access to over 5,500 lawyers in 70 countries, meaning we can assist our clients wherever they go.
It's exceptional people and an unrelenting commitment to our clients that's led Colin Biggers & Paisley from strength to strength over the last century. We undertake some of the most pro bono hours of any major Australian law firm and are striving to be leaders in diversity and inclusion. We are proud of the impact our practice has on our clients, the law and the community.
Our desire to be leaders in all that we do drives us to continue to improve what is already a successful and established legal practice. It is this ambition that saw us become the first legal practice to create an online property contract exchange platform, revolutionising the way real estate is bought and sold throughout Australia and the rest of the world. It is also this drive that has seen us become one of the fastest growing legal practices in Australia. Over the past five years, we have more than doubled our partner and employee numbers—and we continue to grow.
The future of Colin Biggers & Paisley is about developing new ways to deliver legal services that will arm our clients for the challenges of tomorrow. It's about creating opportunities for our people, our clients and our community—and being there to support them every step of the way.
The Colin Biggers & Paisley difference
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, we’ve always been different. We have built a dynamic culture of innovation, opportunity and balance. It applies to the solutions we create for our clients and the careers we build for our people.
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, we truly believe that being a mid-size legal practice is an advantage. Our structure allows us to offer a more holistic service to our clients and a better place to work for our people. Our size allows us to remain personable and well connected with our colleagues and to our clients.
We put our people first. After all, it is our people who have made our business into the success it is today. Many businesses say that work/life balance is important, but for us it is a priority. We were the first law firm to be FlexAble certified through DCC Jobs, recognising our commitment to flexible working. Currently, 26% of our people have some kind of flexible working arrangement.
We're committed to fostering inclusion and diversity throughout our business. We have a genuine focus on gender diversity and are continuously working toward increasing the number of women in senior positions.
We foster a diverse culture that’s inclusive of gender, religion, disability and sexual orientation. Our staff reflect the variety of races, religions, cultures and social backgrounds that characterise the Australian population. We believe new ideas stem from diverse perspectives and recognise its these differences that helps us acquire and retain top talent, build the best teams for our clients and deliver the highest calibre service. Our aim is to be recognised as a leading promoter of inclusion and diversity in the legal profession. We do this by actively promoting equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Employee numbers
Colin Biggers & Paisley has over 70 partners and a total of over 470 employees.
Over the past five years, we have more than doubled our partner and employee numbers—and we continue to grow.
Our growth has been due to a desire to service our clients nationally—providing our clients with a similar level of service and access to our specialist areas of law across our three offices.
Career progression
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, our people are given every opportunity—for both career progression and personal growth. We have many partners and managers who commenced their careers here as junior lawyers. We give everyone the opportunities and support to grow and establish quality careers with us.
We have ongoing training and development, mentoring and regular reviews to ensure that each employee progresses to their full potential.
Promotion opportunities are considered in in June and December each year for promotions to Senior Associate, Special Counsel and Partner.
Learning and development
We understand that delivering great results for our clients depends on having great people. In addition to tuition reimbursement for approved work-related courses, we offer up to five days study/exam leave per academic year and amazing opportunities for both career progression and personal growth.
We provide financial assistance with Practical Legal Training (PLT), College of Law and postgraduate study, as well as providing internal CLE/CPD seminars and training. We also provide financial assistance with external training seminars and memberships.
We also provide secondment opportunities at our client's offices so that our lawyers can gain a greater understanding of working in-house, our clients and their industry.
Graduate Program
"It's a place where your success is only limited by your ambition." - Michael Russell, Paralegal 2003 | Partner 2015.
At Colin Biggers & Paisley, our law graduates get to tackle meaningful work from day one.
Our commitment to our graduates is to provide the best possible legal and business framework—and the opportunity to work with legal experts who will mentor, support and encourage them throughout their legal career so that they will thrive as a lawyer in today’s competitive market.
We offer a 12 month graduate program with rotations so our graduates can explore different practice areas and uncover their passion for a preferred area of law.
We have 12 groups that our graduates can be a part of. During this time they work closely with all levels of our practice—from paralegals to partners—and are given the chance to make an impact from day one.
Our program is full of complex and interesting work, opportunities for growth, and the chance to launch your legal career with one of Australia’s leading legal practices.
https://www.cbp.com.au/careers/graduates
Corporate Social Responsibility
Nothing motivates lawyers more than the ability to make an impact – on the law, legal systems and people’s lives. Making an impact is at the very core of why we do what we do. We have the ability to help disenfranchised and disadvantaged people in our community.
The Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation brings together our entire community offering and is comprised of three streams—pro bono legal services, volunteering and charitable contributions.
To ensure maximum impact, the core strategy of our Foundation is to promote and protect the rights of women and children in Australia and abroad.
We undertake some of the most pro bono hours of any major Australian law firm. We use our skills and our expertise to help address unmet legal need and to provide resources and opportunities for the benefit of communities. We work with individuals and not for profit organisations that work on behalf of low income or disadvantaged members of the community.