Ten move up as Carter Newell appoints two partners and elevates eight

Joining the partnership are Lara Radik (Workplace Advisory) and Julie Bowker (Insurance – Sydney)

Carter Newell is also pleased to announce the elevations of Kelly Pain (Corporate), Allison Bailey (Insurance), Heidi Bayles (Insurance), and Greg Stirling (Insurance) to Special Counsel. 

Being elevated to Senior Associate are Stephanie Levesque (Insurance), Joseph Brighouse (Insurance) and Stephanie Huestis (Insurance) and Luke Bush (Insurance – Melbourne) is elevated to Associate.

Managing Partner Paul Hopkins said, “We are so thrilled to be elevating this group of extraordinary lawyers.  This is a record number of elevations from all three Carter Newell offices recognising the depth of talent in our specialist practice areas”.

Lara Radik leads the firm’s Workplace Advisory practice focusing on workplace and industrial relations and workplace health and safety. She has over 13 years’ post admission experience advising in these areas across a wide range of industries and client types. Lara is a sought after speaker at both industry and association seminars and lead author of the Carter Newell Workplace Advisory Gazette, now in its 6th edition.

Located in the firm’s Sydney office, Julie Bowker specialises in insurance law with a focus on professional indemnity. Her experience also extends to class actions, property damage, construction and public and product liability claims. Julie makes regular written contributions to the insurance industry and is a member NSW Law Society Litigation, Law and Practice Committee.

“We are delighted to have Lara and Julie join the partnership as they each bring a unique set of attributes that strengthens our firm culture and our offering to clients”, Mr Hopkins said.

Mr Hopkins continued, “We are embracing the new now and moving forward. Our focus remains on growth and most notably the high level service and expertise we provide to our clients, especially as we continue to embrace the changes and adapt our flexible firm”.

Special Counsel elevations

Kelly Pain is a senior commercial lawyer in Carter Newell’s Corporate team. With a strong focus on mergers and acquisitions in the private equity and energy and resources sectors, Kelly assists clients in respect of share and asset acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures and general commercial issues including drafting, negotiating and advising on the interpretation, application and administration of commercial contracts.

Allison Bailey acts for insurers and corporations with respect to public and product liability disputes within the firm’s specialist property & injury liability team. She has a particular interest in product defects and the operation of the Australian Consumer Law, having worked with national businesses in relation to losses arising from products, produce recalls and services with a view to resolving disputes and managing brand reputation. Allison also manages large losses and catastrophic injury claims across a variety of industry sectors.

Heidi Bayles specialises in advising on and defending professional indemnity claims across a broad range of industries, ranging from general property and injury liability claims to medical malpractice, defamation, cyber and fidelity. She has also defended many insureds before disciplinary tribunals and investigations.

Specialising in financial lines insurance law, Greg Stirling manages a range of complex and high value professional indemnity claims with a specific focus on claims against solicitors and other professional service providers and advising on the evolving area of cyber-risk.

Senior Associate elevations

Stephanie Levesque is a specialist defence insurance lawyer acting for insurers and insureds with a special interest in the hospitality industry. She has advised on indemnity and liability issues as well as detailed quantum issues for personal injury claims. In addition, Stephanie is experienced in recovery claims resulting from property damage.

With a focus on medical malpractice within the financial lines insurance team, Joseph Brighouse acts for a wide range of medical professionals, including allied health professionals and general practice medical centres, in a broad range of pre-court and litigated claims including disciplinary proceedings. He also represents a wide range of other professionals, represents businesses and individuals in workplace health and safety investigations and prosecutions, and advises national and international insurers on indemnity issues including policy response and the application of exclusions.

With a specialised focus in personal injury, public liability, property damage and compulsory third party claims, Stephanie Huestis has extensive experience acting for major insurers and self-insureds in Australia and overseas. Her practice includes investigating and managing claims through to attending compulsory conferences, mediation and trials, along with preparing for and appearing at inquests in the Coroners Court of Queensland. Stephanie practices across both Queensland and Victorian jurisdictions and was recently appointed President of the Women in Insurance Association, Queensland Chapter.

Associate elevations

Working out of the firm’s Melbourne office, Luke Bush practices across both financial lines and general liability matters having worked in house for many years at a major insurer.  Luke possesses strong professional indemnity, medical malpractice and public and product liability experience together with experience in the areas of directors’ and officers’ liability, management liability, property liability, disciplinary complaints and hearings as well as fidelity and crime loss.

“Our promotion strategy has always been based on “grow our own”.  It gives me great pleasure that some of these senior elevations are lawyers who commenced their career from university with us.” Mr Hopkins said.

Mr Hopkins went on to state, “This round of promotions also sees 70% of our elevatees being female and half of our male and female elevatees work in a part-time capacity demonstrating two core strategic elements of our diversity policy and key factors of our diverse firm-wide culture”.

Carter Newell Lawyers is an award winning specialist law firm that provides legal advice to Australian and international corporate clients.  With offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne the firm primarily acts for listed and unlisted public companies, large private companies and government enterprises operating across a broad range of industries.