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Colin Biggers & Paisley

cbp.com.au ↗

125-year-old Australian mid-tier law firm known for insurance defence and construction disputes.

Protection under test
Assessed 30 July 2026 · Evidence as of 30 July 2026
Something worth protecting exists and is being tested right now.
On the recordSince 30 July 2026 · Checkable from Q4 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: One year mark for new Managing Partner Andrew Murray to close the AI adoption gap
The call

CBP holds its insurance and construction work through panel ties and regulation, while its new leader decides whether to close an AI gap that peers have already opened.

Colin Biggers & Paisley is a mid-sized law firm in Australia that handles insurance defense, construction disputes, and government work. It is hard to replace because it has long-standing relationships with insurance companies and government agencies that keep sending it work, but bigger Australian firms like Allens and Ashurst are catching up fast, and new AI software like Harvey can do routine legal work in hours instead of weeks. The firm will probably survive the next few years, but whether its lawyers actually make good money depends almost entirely on whether the new leader closes the gap in AI tools within the next year, since competitors are already using AI to cut the time (and fees) needed for common cases.

Why
01
AI pressure: Harvey and Legora-style legal AI platforms. Rival firms already run client-facing AI drafting tools while CBP's public AI use is limited to internal timekeeping software. Could AI do the core job? Only partly.
02
Bigger players: Allens, Ashurst, MinterEllison, Herbert Smith Freehills, Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Bigger Australian firms are moving faster on AI tools and could use that speed to underprice CBP on high-volume insurance and construction work. Could a giant copy it? No, they are blocked.
03
What protects it. Long-standing insurer panel spots, government relationships, and legally required advice-of-record work that clients cannot easily move.
What would change this call
CBP adopts a frontier legal-AI platform (Harvey or Legora class) by end of 2026. Would show CBP closing the AI gap that lets rivals underprice its high-volume disputes work.
CBP's Chambers Asia-Pacific Insurance Defence ranking changes in next cycle. Would show whether insurer panel confidence is holding, rising, or eroding.
Partner departures from CBP's insurance or construction practices to peers like HopgoodGanim or Piper Alderman. Would show lateral talent loss weakening CBP's core practice moat.
Key numbers
  • Firm marks 125 years of operation (2025)
  • About 500 staff, 71 partners, 158 lawyers (2026)
  • Andrew Murray became Managing Partner Oct 1, 2025 (2025-10-01)
Named risks
  • Visible AI adoption gap versus Big 8 peers who already run Harvey or Legora as of 2026. Severity: high
  • Mid-tier margin erosion as Thomson Reuters 2025 data shows Big 8 firms pulling ahead on profitability despite 3.6% demand growth. Severity: medium
  • No audited public financials, making performance and solvency difficult to verify externally. Severity: low
  • New Managing Partner (since Oct 2025) strategy execution risk during technology and pricing transition. Severity: medium
Rivals, as read in July 2026
RivalDirectionEvidence
Allens, Ashurst, MinterEllison, Herbert Smith Freehillsgaining onAdopted Harvey and/or Legora AI platforms by 2026 while CBP has only back-office Intapp Time (Apr 2025)
HopgoodGanimlosing toCBP poached its six-person construction team, including two partners, in July 2026
Maddocks, Piper Alderman, DLA PipercontestingCo-ranked with CBP in Legal 500 Restructuring & Insolvency guide, 2026 edition
Questions people ask
Is Colin Biggers & Paisley profitable in 2026?
CBP is a private Australian partnership that does not publish audited financials, so no verified profit figure exists. It reported Chambers Asia-Pacific Band 2 Insurance Defence ranking in 2026 and continued lateral hiring (a six-person construction team from HopgoodGanim, July 2026), signaling operational stability rather than distress.
Could AI replace Colin Biggers & Paisley's lawyers?
Not entirely: CBP's admitted-lawyer advice-of-record and insurer panel relationships carry regulatory liability that AI cannot assume. But high-volume drafting, document review, and research in its insurance defence and construction work are the workflows most exposed, per industry data showing 93% of Australian mid-sized firms used AI by end of 2025.
Who is Colin Biggers & Paisley's biggest competitor threat?
The Australian 'Big 8' firms, including Allens, Ashurst, MinterEllison and Herbert Smith Freehills, pose the sharpest threat: as of 2026 they have adopted frontier AI platforms Harvey and Legora, while CBP's only confirmed AI deployment is the back-office Intapp Time billing tool from April 2025.
Who owns Colin Biggers & Paisley?
CBP is a private legal partnership, not publicly traded. Its corporate entity, CBP Lawyers Holdings Limited (ABN 41 606 739 888), was incorporated 30 June 2015; the firm grew through mergers, including Monahan & Rowell in 2012 and Hemming + Hart in 2013, rather than outside investment.
Has Colin Biggers & Paisley adopted AI tools like Harvey or Legora?
As of 2026, CBP has not publicly confirmed adoption of a client-facing frontier legal AI platform such as Harvey or Legora. Its only announced AI-related technology is Intapp Time, an AI-powered timekeeping and billing-compliance system, announced April 2025, putting it behind peers like Ashurst and Allens.
Who is Colin Biggers & Paisley's managing partner in 2026?
Dr Andrew Murray became Managing Partner effective 1 October 2025, succeeding Nick Crennan who held the role from 2017. Murray had served as Deputy Managing Partner from August 2024, positioning him to lead the firm's technology and pricing strategy through its 125th-anniversary period.
Timeline
  • 2026-07-17CBP hires six-person construction team, including two partners, from HopgoodGanim into Brisbane office
  • 2026-07-01Stephen Webb promoted to partner at CBP
  • 2025-10-01Dr Andrew Murray becomes Managing Partner, succeeding Nick Crennan
  • 2025-04-29CBP adopts Intapp Time, an AI-powered timekeeping and billing-compliance platform
  • 2025-02-12Chris Bresler appointed lead partner in CBP's property insurance practice
  • 2024-09-12CBP announces brand refresh marking 125th anniversary; Andrew Murray named Deputy Managing Partner
  • 2021Logie-Smith Lanyon (Melbourne) merges into CBP
  • 2013Hemming + Hart (Brisbane) merges with CBP, expanding into Queensland
  • 2012Monahan & Rowell (Melbourne insurance firm) merges with CBP
  • 1948Firm formally becomes Colin Biggers & Paisley via partnership of Colin Biggers and Robert Paisley
Revision history
30 July 2026
First assessed. Protection under test. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.
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