Carter Newell

Senior Partner
Direct: +61 7 3000 8355
Mobile: 0414 669 413
Fax: +61 7 3000 8455

• Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Queensland University of Technology
• Bachelor of Education, Australian Catholic University
• Diploma of Teaching, Australian Catholic University
• Solicitor, Supreme Court of Queensland

• Finalist Lawyers Weekly Australasian Law Awards 2016 - Managing Partner of the Year
• Finalist Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Award 2016 - Insurance
• Best Lawyers in Australia 2017 - Insurance Law and Litigation
• Preeminent Leading Brisbane Professional Indemnity Lawyer by Doyle's Guide 2015
• Recommended Leading Australian Aviation Lawyer by Doyle's Guide 2015
• Best Lawyers in Australia 2016 - Insurance Law

Relevant experience

Paul has specialised in all aspects of claims handling under aviation, public and products liability and professional indemnity wordings for the last 20 years.  His extensive experience means that he is regularly approached by underwriters and brokers to assist at the front end of major corporate and institutional accounts in terms of contract reviews, general risk management issues and claims management. He has advised underwriters and brokers on all aspects of policy wordings in the marketplace and is used by underwriters to assist on major claims where thorough and proactive claims management is critical to ensure losses are minimised.  He is committed to prompt, proactive, results driven, legal services and this has enabled him today to be the leader of one of the largest commercial insurance legal practices in Australia. Paul’s extensive experience enables him to represent our underwriter clients’ interests at all levels of dispute resolution including settlement conferences and mediations to ensure the best possible result is achieved. 

• Paul has handled both major and minor aviation, public and products liability and professional indemnity claims in Courts throughout Australia;
• He has advised underwriters on all applicable exclusions and endorsements in standard public and product liability wordings and professional indemnity wordings;
• He has advised underwriters in relation to a major product liability class action which was issued in the New South Wales Supreme Court and involved losses of up to $140m;
• He has advised underwriters relating to a multi-million dollar product liability claim concerning diseased pigs;
• He has advised underwriters in relation to the majority of the significant general aviation aircraft disasters that have occurred in Queensland, the Northern Territory and in the Asia Pacific region over the last 17 years;
• He authored the article “Balancing the Scales on Tort Reform in response to comments by his honour Justice Kirby on the impact of the tort reform effecting the Australian insurance industry; and
• He has presented papers at the ARIMA (The Association of Risk and Insurance Managers of Australasia) and AILA (Australian Insurance Law Association) conferences and has been published in relevant industry journals.

• Paul is an appointed member of the Queensland Law Society Accident Compensation Tort Law Section Committee.
• Australian Insurance Lawyers Association
• Australian Professional Indemnity Group
• Brisbane Insurance Club Inc
• Member (and committee member) of the Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand