Professional Experience
With over 38 years of extensive experience, Paul has developed an excellent reputation in compensation matters in all jurisdictions. Paul was admitted as a solicitor in 1974 and worked at Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers between 1972 and 1976. He then joined a specialist compensation practice working in Newcastle, Hunter and the Northcoast areas as well as Gosford and Sydney.
Paul returned to Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers in January 2007 to obtain access to the substantial resources and expertise available at the firm to be able to service existing and future clients over a wider geographical area and diverse areas of law. The Newcastle Office has recently moved to larger premises and now has seven lawyers including three accredited specialists. Paul continues to service clients in all areas in and north of Newcastle as well as Sydney/Parramatta.
Paul has been involved in several major test cases including:
- Martin v Gollan Wallsend Coal Co Ltd [1989] 5 NSWCCR 1
- Kooragang Cement v Bates [1994] 10 NSWCCR 796
- JA Crockett P/L v Cox [1994] 10 NSWCCR 622
- Moran Health Care Services v Ivy Woods [1997] NSWCCR 499
- Blackadder v Ramsey [2005] HCA 22
Professional Background
Paul obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney in 1972 and his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Sydney in 1974. He was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1974 and as a solicitor of the High Court of Australia in 1976. In 1993, Paul was accredited as a specialist in Personal Injury Law by the Law Society of New South Wales. He was also appointed as a Local and District Court Arbitrator in 1983, and more recently acted as a CARS Assessor from 2003 to 2009. Paul became a Partner at Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers in 2007.