Who we help
We help public and large private companies solve problems relating to insurance, dispute resolution & litigation, commercial & corporate legal services, and construction law.
We work with some of Australia’s largest organisations – particularly in the industries of insurance, construction and mining, energy and resources.
The team
We have 20 partners and more than 160 lawyers, management and support professionals who work together to deliver solutions for our clients.
Our people are genuinely passionate about what they do and are recognised as experts in their field. We value the specialist expertise of our people in all areas of our profession – from the different types of legal services, through to management, finance, people and culture and administration.
We are optimistic, pragmatic, inclusive and dependable – we respect individuality, have growth mindsets and work together to create outcomes that would be impossible to achieve without the team approach.
Key Facts
- Established in 1989
- 160+ employees
- Brisbane Sydney Melbourne
- 22 lawyers recognised by Best Lawyers in Australia
- Tier Ranked and Recommended at a firm level by Doyles Guide in the categories of Professional Indemnity, Public & Product Liability and Construction & Infrastructure Litigation practices
International partnerships
Carter Newell is part of two internationally recognised alliances – TAGLaw (ranked as ‘Elite’ by Chambers & Partners) and Insurance Law Global.
These memberships connect our firm with vetted and verified legal experts throughout the world who have similar values as our own. There are strict parameters around quality, ethics and confidentiality.
We have been investing in these associations for more than 20 years, including travelling to meet with and building relationships with experts in fields relevant to our clients.
These trusted associates broaden our capability – providing us and in turn our clients quick access to reliable and trusted local market knowledge, regardless of the jurisdiction.
Founded in 1999, TAGLaw (part of TAG Alliances) is an international alliance of independent law firms providing a full range of legal services to clients all over the world. TAGLaw is one of the world’s largest legal alliances globally with more than 160 firms in over 90 countries.
ILG is a multi-jurisdictional network of best-in-class law firms dedicated to serving the insurance industry. ILG has a presence in 48 cities across 14 countries and aims to help clients respond to the challenges and opportunities arising from globalisation and the evolving needs of the insurance industry.
What we value
and our people.
Client-centric collaboration
Working as a team creates better outcomes for our clients and ourselves. Whether we are brainstorming legal solutions between our internal teams, workshopping commercial objectives with our clients, or liaising with international law firm alliances on developing trends – we achieve more together.
Respect for the individual
For people to thrive, they need to feel safe, respected and accepted for who they are. We encourage individuality at all levels – from personal life choices through to diverse ideas and approaches to legal problems. The respect we have for ourselves and each other is integral to our success.
Continuous growth
In a world that is constantly evolving, our commitment to being open-minded helps us stay relevant, embrace change and seek out new ideas. We are constantly looking for opportunities to develop our firm and ourselves.
High-performance mindset
Delivering excellence begins with believing you can achieve it. We facilitate a high-performance environment where our people have the skills, resources and support to be the best version of themselves. We celebrate specialist expertise, are outcomes focused and always act with integrity.
Firm news
Awards & accreditations
Recently, we were recognised for our expertise and achievements by the following organisations and publications:
22 of Carter Newell’s experts were individually recognised in The Best Lawyers in Australia 2025 edition for their expertise in:
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Aviation Law
- Commercial Law
- Competition Law
- Construction / Infrastructure Law
- Corporate Law
- Equity Capital Markets Law
- Ethics and Professional Responsibility Practice
- Insurance Law
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Legal Malpractice Litigation
- Litigation
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Mining Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Oil and Gas Law
- Personal Injury Litigation
- Planning and Environmental Law
- Product Liability Litigation
- Professional Malpractice Litigation
- Real Property Law
Carter Newell has been recognised as ‘Leading’ in the following areas:
- Professional Indemnity Law Firms – Queensland
- Public & Product Liability Law Firms (Defendant) – Queensland
- Construction & Infrastructure Litigation Law Firms – Queensland
- Employment Law Firms (Employer Representation) – Queensland
- Town Planning & Development Law Firms – Queensland
- Leading Corporate Law Firms – Queensland
- Medical Negligence Law Firms (Defendant) – Queensland
- Aviation Law Firms – Australia
In addition, 10 of our partners have been recognised for their specialist expertise in the following categories:
- Construction & Infrastructure Litigation Lawyers – Queensland – David Rodighiero (Leading) and Patrick Mead (Recommended)
- Employment Lawyers (Employer Representation) – Queensland – Lara Radik (Recommended)
- Medical Negligence Lawyers (Defendant) – Queensland – Michael Gapes (Recommended)
- Professional Indemnity Lawyers – Queensland – Mark Brookes (Leading) and Michael Gapes (Recommended)
- Public & Product Liability Lawyers (Defendant) – New South Wales – Danielle Skinner (Recommended)
- Public & Product Liability Lawyers (Defendant) – Queensland – Rebecca Stevens (Preeminent) and Glenn Biggs (Recommended)
- Town Planning & Development Lawyers – Queensland – Hannah Riggs (Recommended)
Winner – Dispute Resolution; Construction and Infrastructure; and/or Litigation Team of the Year
ESG
We believe organisations with established Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) practices perform better across all facets of business – and that we are an example of this.
Our approach to ESG is directly in line with our firm values and who we are as an organisation. Our people are provided guidance and support in relation to adhering to the principals set out in our ESG policy and we encourage active participation in all ESG activities.
Our ESG policy seeks to address the UN Guiding Principles of Protect, Respect and Remedy and specifically address environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.
We embrace principles that are aligned with our business priorities, are consistent with our commitment to ethical and sustainable practices and demonstrate our respect for those communities in which we operate.
Environmental
Looking after our natural environment has never been more important.
At Carter Newell, we recognise our responsibility to protect and contribute to the sustainable future of our planet.
Our environmental policy ensures we are accountable to these responsibilities.
We contribute to environmental sustainability in the following ways:
- Waste reduction and recycling
- Community engagement
- Energy conservation
- Green building practices
- Sustainable procurement
- Employee education and training
By integrating environmental considerations into our everyday lives, we can all have a meaningful impact on the goal of environmental protection and conservation.
Governance
The carter Newell Board
Carter Newell is a partnership structure across offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Management of the firm is led by Chief Executive Officer, Marc Walker, and the Chief Financial Officer, Daren White, and supported by the Chair of Partners, Paul Hopkins.
The Carter Newell board consists of elected and representative directors and any external directors appointed in accordance with the Partnership Agreement. We also have independent directors who provide advice on the operation and governance of the firm.
Security of information
The security of our client and employees’ information is paramount and we have taken best practice measures to ensure our people’s and clients’ privacy is protected.
ISO 27001:2013 certification
Information security management system ISO 27001 is globally recognised as the highest level of security-related accreditation a business can attain. It is the most widely adopted information security standard in the world.
Our Information Security Management System (ISMS) protects our information assets and systems to ensure the information we capture when performing our services is held confidentially and with integrity.
As part of our certification, our ISMS is independently audited on an annual basis to ensure we continue to comply with the requirements of ISO 27001.
ISO 9001:2015 certification
In addition to our quarterly independent file reviews, we are ISO 9001 certified.
Our Quality Management System (QMS) conforms to ISO 9001 and is designed to meet client requirements and exceed client expectations.
We are committed to continual improvement of our systems and processes to ensure they are in line with best-in-class practice. Our systems and processes are independently audited on an annual basis to ensure we continue to comply with the requirements of ISO 9001.
