Paul Lewis

Paul Lewis is a Senior Legal Counsel and one of Sydney’s most senior and well-respected Family Law specialists. Based at our Sydney and Parramatta offices, Paul acts for clients that live locally, in the regions and overseas.

After attending Sydney University and becoming a solicitor in 1990, Paul was mentored by one of Sydney’s leading family lawyers (the late John Pollard) before becoming an Accredited Specialist in Family Law in 1999. Paul has been a practising mediator since 1994. He became an Accredited Specialist in Dispute Resolution in 2018, awarded on an honorary basis for his services to that area of the NSW Law Society’s Specialist Accreditation Scheme.

Guiding clients through the uncertainty and stress of their changed family circumstances and helping them arrive at a new turning point in their lives is Paul’s reason for choosing family law as his specialist area. Paul was one of the first lawyers in Australia to be trained in Collaborative Law in 2005, and he includes the use of collaborative processes among the various “process choices” that are available to clients.

Paul settles the vast majority of his cases (parenting and financial matters) and is known as a firm and pragmatic negotiator. He is a determined and wise litigator for those cases that require a decision by a Judge.

Speaking about our firm when you or someone you know needs a family lawyer, Paul says:

“Carroll & O’Dea is a well-known firm that invests in modern technology for the benefit of its clients and all who work here. It is a credit to the firm’s leadership that the firm is 100% committed to client care and upholds timeless ethical values in an era full of rapid changes.”

Key Professional Achievements

• Family Law Committee member, NSW Law Society, 1999 to 2016
• Editorial Consultant (honorary), ADRJ, 2000 to date
• Lecturer in Family Law, Advanced Family Law and Practical Legal Skills, Western Sydney University, 2001 to 2003
• President, St George-Sutherland Regional Law Society, 2006
• Independent Children’s Lawyer (ICL), 2008 to 2015
• Not-for-profit board director, 2008 to 2018
• Pioneer in the practice of evaluative mediation in family law financial cases including contributions to the design of the FLSS (Family Law Settlement Service) run by the NSW Law Society from 2012 onwards
• ADR Committee member, NSW Law Society, 2013 to date
• Appearances at several Parliamentary Inquiries on Family Law, Child Support and Surrogacy
• Joined Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers in early 2025 after being a family law partner at other Sydney firms for 20 years