This month, we shine the WINA Spotlight on Nicola Bailey, a barrister at 3 St James’ Hall, who specialises in insolvency, insurance, and commercial law. Nicola shares how she found her way into insolvency litigation, the importance of balance and reflection, and her proudest courtroom moment (spoiler: it involves a killer cross-examination).
Nicola joined the NSW Bar in 2021 and practises in commercial, insurance and insolvency law. Prior to the Bar, she was a senior associate at Johnson Winter & Slattery. She holds a JD from UTS, a Bachelor of Arts/Master of Nursing from the University of Sydney, and an Advanced Certificate in Insolvency from ARITA.
Q. How did you choose a career in insolvency/restructuring? I enjoyed commercial litigation as a paralegal and clerk, and the litigation firm I then joined as a lawyer specialised in insolvency. I loved it. I hadn’t really thought about working in insolvency and it wasn’t a planned specialty, but I’m glad I found it early in my career!
Q. How did you get to where you are today? Hard work. Forward planning and self-reflection; at the start of every year I think about what I want to achieve in the coming year. Maintaining a strict work/life balance.
Q. What advice would you provide to your younger self? Keep going – it’s as awesome as you thought it would be. Be open-minded – including about people, opportunities, and legal arguments.
Q. What has been your most memorable moment during your career? Having just finished a cross-examination of the opposition’s main witness, my instructing solicitor approached me and said quietly: “After that, the other side wants to settle — they’ve just asked me to name our price.”
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career? This is difficult — one of the joys of being in the law, particularly at the Bar, is that a career is an ongoing learning experience and that’s how you continue to improve. I’ve seen situations where people can be short-sighted in their choice of words or dealings, and I think it’s important to realise that the insolvency industry is small — you never know when or where you’ll come into contact with someone again.
Q. What’s an interesting fact about you? I sang in the same school choir as Delta Goodrem — she was (just a bit… okay maybe a lot) better than me! Also, I’ve been involved in a voluntary capacity with St John Ambulance for 20 years.
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This month, we shine the WINA Spotlight on Nicola Bailey, a barrister at 3 St James’ Hall, who specialises in insolvency, insurance, and commercial law. Nicola shares how she found her way into insolvency litigation, the importance of balance and reflection, and her proudest courtroom moment (spoiler: it involves a killer cross-examination).
Nicola joined the NSW Bar in 2021 and practises in commercial, insurance and insolvency law. Prior to the Bar, she was a senior associate at Johnson Winter & Slattery. She holds a JD from UTS, a Bachelor of Arts/Master of Nursing from the University of Sydney, and an Advanced Certificate in Insolvency from ARITA.
Q. How did you choose a career in insolvency/restructuring?
I enjoyed commercial litigation as a paralegal and clerk, and the litigation firm I then joined as a lawyer specialised in insolvency. I loved it. I hadn’t really thought about working in insolvency and it wasn’t a planned specialty, but I’m glad I found it early in my career!
Q. How did you get to where you are today?
Hard work. Forward planning and self-reflection; at the start of every year I think about what I want to achieve in the coming year. Maintaining a strict work/life balance.
Q. What advice would you provide to your younger self?
Keep going – it’s as awesome as you thought it would be.
Be open-minded – including about people, opportunities, and legal arguments.
Q. What has been your most memorable moment during your career?
Having just finished a cross-examination of the opposition’s main witness, my instructing solicitor approached me and said quietly: “After that, the other side wants to settle — they’ve just asked me to name our price.”
Q. What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
This is difficult — one of the joys of being in the law, particularly at the Bar, is that a career is an ongoing learning experience and that’s how you continue to improve.
I’ve seen situations where people can be short-sighted in their choice of words or dealings, and I think it’s important to realise that the insolvency industry is small — you never know when or where you’ll come into contact with someone again.
Q. What’s an interesting fact about you?
I sang in the same school choir as Delta Goodrem — she was (just a bit… okay maybe a lot) better than me! Also, I’ve been involved in a voluntary capacity with St John Ambulance for 20 years.