SWAPPING THE TOOL BELT FOR A SUIT AND TIE

FROM the work site to the court room, Paul Hick (pictured) is proving that real industry experience really pays off in construction law.

At just 14, Hick started his career as an apprentice carpenter then progressed into various industry roles including subcontractor, estimator, project manager and drafter, and after 22 years in the industry, turned to law.

In 2004 he became a qualified lawyer and a year later was appointed Adjudicator for Security Payments legislation in Queensland, an appointment he then assumed in NSW in 2012. 

Most recently, he was asked to spearhead the expansion of Nexus Law Group as it sets down roots in Brisbane.

"I worked in the construction industry all of my life and have been driven by a desire to help clients solve problems from the start," says Hick.

"It was a natural progression into law the construction industry needs lawyers with real industry experience in order to gain better results.

"Nexus provides me with the perfect platform to apply my historical industry expertise with my legal practice and allows me to bring my passion to truly make a difference for contractors in their daily pursuit of success."

Established four years ago, Nexus was the first to bring the dispersed law firm model to Australia - a model Founder Marcus McCarthy describes as a "radical reshape of the law firm"

"It is not a virtual firm or a placement agency, it is actually a re-structure of the law firm itself, essentially being a connected platform based around a central hub office for independent consultant practitioners," he says.

"The dispersed law firm model is designed to remotely connect people geographically dispersed all over the country and put them into this collaborative platform to present one law firm face to clients."

With this in mind, McCarthy describes Nexus as a national firm and says the expansion in Brisbane was a natural progression however it was all about finding the right people to kick-off in different areas.

Nexus is currently seeking someone to spearhead the Melbourne expansion and is expecting to have a presence in VIC soon.

"I found Brisbane is a bit more aligned to what the Sydney and NSW market is compared to the VIC market so we decided we would hit QLD first and concentrate our efforts there and then look at the other states as we move forward," says McCarthy.

"We ultimately want to license an office hub in Brisbane with a couple of people who want to build and run their own networks."

Nexus Law currently has around 20 lawyers on its books.