Carter Newell is pleased to announce the elevation of four lawyers across two separate office locations, effective from 1 July 2025.
CEO Marc Walker congratulates Katie Richardson (Employment & Workplace Advisory and Professional Liability) and Jakob Mignone (Construction, Projects and Infrastructure) on their elevations to Senior Associate, and Stephanie Teoh (Commercial Property and Energy & Resources) and Abby Shieh (Professional Liability) to Associate.
CEO Marc Walker also commented:
“Today, we celebrate not just these promotions, but the dedication and exceptional talent of our staff that make up our firm and drive it forward.
“Elevations across our practice areas reflect our ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation. I am incredibly proud of each of these lawyers and look forward to seeing the continued impact they will have on our clients and our firm.”
The diverse array of staff being recognised across 3 different practice areas and 2 offices reflects Carter Newell’s commitment to its staff development, career progression and drive to offer an extensive range of expertise for its clients. These elevations also exemplify the firm’s promise to create an environment conducive to high-performance that achieves excellence by recognising staff for their dedication.
Senior Associate elevations
Katie Richardson
Katie Richardson is a highly skilled solicitor with a particular focus on employment law, professional liability, and employment practice liability claims. She has a strong reputation for advising employers on complex workplace issues, including unfair dismissal, general protections, discrimination, and workers’ compensation claims. When acting for insurance clients, Katie is adept at drafting complex advices on liability, causation, quantum, settlement strategy, and reserves, with her work consistently receiving excellent feedback from clients.
Katie’s employment law practice includes preparing submissions for mediations, conciliations, and court appearances. She regularly appears independently at Fair Work Commission conciliations, PIPA conferences, and in reviews and case management hearings (both contested and uncontested) in both the Supreme Court and Federal Court, where her advocacy skills are highly regarded by colleagues and clients alike.
n addition to her employment law expertise, Katie has significant experience defending professional liability claims and advising on employment practices liability matters. She is skilled in briefing and collaborating with counsel and experts, and has achieved successful outcomes for clients through strategic negotiation and advocacy in both litigated and pre-court settings.
Katie’s practical approach, technical expertise, and strong leadership ensure she delivers commercially sensible and effective solutions tailored to her clients’ needs. Her commitment to excellence and her depth of experience in employment law continue to distinguish her as a trusted adviser in the legal profession.
Jakob Mignone
Jakob is a senior associate in the Construction, Projects and Infrastructure team at Carter Newell, specialising in construction disputes and commercial litigation. With a proactive and client-focused approach, he combines extensive experience across both contentious and transactional matters to deliver pragmatic and commercially viable solutions.
Jakob advises principal developers, head contractors, builders, and subcontractors on construction contracts and recovery strategies, and has prepared high-value adjudication applications and adjudication responses under the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017.
Jakob’s expertise spans a wide range of complex legal issues, including many interlocutory applications in the Federal and State Courts, such as applying for judicial reviews of adjudicator’s decisions, commencing and resisting applications for security for costs, strike out applications, freezing orders, pre-action and discrete disclosure applications and civil contempt proceedings.
He has successfully represented clients in high-stakes matters, including setting aside enforcement of a $1.8 million mortgage due to unconscionable conduct, advising corporate groups on restructuring and preference payments, and defending multi-million-dollar Federal and State Court claims involving breaches of the Australian Consumer Law and Corporations Act.
He has also acted for clients in disputes arising from misleading real estate marketing, deceased estates involving complex equitable claims, and national debt recovery for major franchisors. Jakob maintains a keen interest in the intersection of construction law with insolvency and restructuring, leveraging his broad skill set to navigate and resolve intricate legal challenges effectively.
Associate elevations
Stephanie Teoh
Stephanie is an Associate in the Commercial Property and Energy & Resources teams at Carter Newell Lawyers, with experience advising clients across a broad spectrum of property and transactional matters. She provides comprehensive support to the Commercial and Property teams at every stage of a matter, from drafting advice and correspondence on various contracts to reviewing and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, through to settlement and finalisation of a matter.
Stephanie’s expertise includes reviewing contracts for a diverse client base, ranging from large national companies and private firms to individuals. She is skilled in drafting a variety of commercial documents, including leasing, commercial, and conveyancing contracts including reviewing and negotiating contracts and agreements. In the energy and resources sector, Stephanie assists with complex transactional matters, such as pipeline projects, due diligence investigations, reporting, and environmental compliance. She conducts thorough legal due diligence on proposed acquisitions, advising on tenements, land access, easements, and encumbrances and provides guidance on land access agreements and foreign acquisitions for resources activities across different jurisdictions in Australia, ensuring compliance with legislative frameworks and relevant policies and codes.
Abby Shieh
Abby is an experienced associate specialising in professional indemnity law, with a strong focus on advising brokers, claims managers, and business owners in the real estate, hospitality, and tourism sectors. Originally qualified in New Zealand, Abby brings a unique trans-Tasman perspective to her practice, having worked directly with employment law clients before transitioning to professional indemnity insurance across multiple Australian jurisdictions, including Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Western Australia.
Abby is highly regarded for her expertise in managing employment disputes, workplace health and safety matters, and misrepresentation claims. Her in-depth knowledge of state and federal legislation, including the Australian Consumer Law and employment law frameworks, ensures her clients receive accurate, up-to-date, and commercially pragmatic advice. Abby is detail-oriented and prides herself on clear, concise communication—often preferring direct conversations to foster genuine client relationships and streamline matter management.
For more information, visit: https://www.carternewell.com/
