Matthew Barter
Matt commenced with the firm as a Lawyer in our Statutory Insurance NSW practice, based in Newcastle. In July last year, Matt was promoted to Senior Associate.
Matt is an experienced and respected insurance litigation lawyer. He provides advice on statutory insurance and common law claims and has particular expertise in defending compulsory third party (CTP) claims. Matt delivers a reliable and consistent client service and has a strong focus on sustaining external client relationships and building internal relationships across the Hall & Wilcox teams and offices.
We asked Matt a few questions to reflect on his five years at the firm.
One of my earliest Hall & Wilcox memories is...
Street Fighter on the arcade machine in the kitchen of the Newcastle office with my partner Daniel Stoddart. It was at that moment I realised this was not a traditional law firm and you can be good at your job without losing your less serious side. I have other early memories of imposter syndrome while attending hearings in the months following my admission, thinking I was out of my depth, but I’m glad I hung in there.
A recent great achievement / highlight / result was...
being named in the Lawyers Weekly Best Lawyers list ‘Ones to Watch’ category for 2023 (hopefully being watched for the right reasons). Not as recent but last year I was promoted to Senior Associate which was a professional highlight for me. Winning a case in the Court of Appeal was also a great result for a client earlier this year.
On a personal note, I completed my first full Ironman at Ironman Australia this year after two years of training and Covid/flood cancellations. Crossing the finish line after 10 hours and 53 minutes (and two years of disappointment) was emotional to say the least. I would say though, easily, the biggest highlight for me this year was getting engaged to my beautiful fiancé.
When people ask me about working at Hall & Wilcox I tell them...
I’m glad I’m not at other firms. I’m lucky enough that I can enjoy a healthy balance of work and the other things that I enjoy in life. In this industry, I think that is pretty rare. Of course, everyone always says it’s about the people, which is also true. There’s no need to make an already difficult job more difficult.
Outside of Hall & Wilcox, you’ll find me...
running, swimming, in the sauna, surfing, cycling, at the beach, out to dinner, reading, at the gym, catching up with family and friends, travelling around, watching TV, having a beer or, most importantly, spending time with my fiancé.