@Entity
public class User extends BaseModel {

  private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

  ...

  private List<UserRole> userRoleList;
 
  ...
 
  @ManyToMany(targetEntity = UserRole.class, cascade = {CascadeType.PERSIST, CascadeType.MERGE}, fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
  @JoinTable(name = "USERS_ROLES", joinColumns = {@JoinColumn(name = "USER_ID")}, inverseJoinColumns = {@JoinColumn(name = "USER_ROLE_ID")}
  public List<UserRole> getUserRoleList() {
     return userRoleList;
  }

  public void setUserRoleList(List<UserRole> userRoleList) {
     this.userRoleList = userRoleList;
  }
 
  ....
}

// -----------------------------------------------------

@Entity
public class UserRole extends BaseStatus {
 
  private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

  private List<User> userList;


  @ManyToMany(cascade = {CascadeType.PERSIST, CascadeType.MERGE}, mappedBy = "userRoleList", targetEntity = User.class, fetch = FetchType.LAZY)
  public List<User> getUserList() {
     return userList;
  }

  public void setUserList(List<User> userList) {
     this.userList = userList;
  }

  ...
}

// -----------------------------------------------------

// In DAO

...

getHibernateTemplate().flush();

User user = getHibernateTemplate().get(User.class, 1L); // Works fine

List<UserRole> userRoleList = user.getUserRoleList() // Works fine, userRoleList != null

UserRole example = new UserRole();
example.setUserRole("USER_ROLE_ADMINISTRATOR");
UserRole userRole = (UserRole) getHibernateTemplate().findByExample(example, 0, 1).get(0); // Works fine.

// TROUBLES HERE !!!
List<User> adminList = userRole.getUserList(); // TROUBLE! adminList == null !!!