Adam Carr, Senior Associate at Brisbane-based JCL Law Partners, has spent a decade working in insolvency and litigation from several different perspectives.
Having worked in private practice as well as for the Australian regulators responsible for personal and corporate insolvency, Adam has seen what happens when disputes reach the courtroom, but also understands why avoiding that outcome can sometimes be the bigger success.
‘Litigation is fun. I love it, and it’s good for lawyers, but it can be really bad for clients,’ he says. ‘It takes years off their life, it costs lots of money and even if you have the best case in the world, you can never guarantee a win.’
His enthusiasm for his work goes hand in hand with keeping his clients’ interests front of mind.
Changing course
Becoming a lawyer was not always the plan. After leaving school, Adam spent more than two years studying for a Bachelor of Education with the intention of becoming a primary school teacher, but practical experience in schools eventually convinced him it was not the career for him.
Also working as a paralegal at the time, Adam made the switch to study law with encouragement from one of the firm’s partners.
His route into insolvency was similarly unplanned. ‘I don’t believe I even studied insolvency at university,’ he laughs.
Instead, a barrister teaching Adam during his practical legal training connected him with his first role after graduation. The firm happened to specialise in litigation and insolvency. ‘I kind of just fell into it initially,’ Adam admits. ‘Then once I got stuck in, I really enjoyed it. I still do.’
Seeing insolvency from both sides
After beginning his career in private practice, Adam moved into the regulatory space, spending around three years with the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA), Australia’s personal insolvency regulator.
He later joined the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), where his work brought him into the corporate insolvency space and included significant involvement with the ASIC Assetless Administration Fund, which funds liquidators to investigate and report on suspected director misconduct in companies with few or no assets.
Having spent much of his career working for regulators before returning to private practice gives Adam a perspective he now brings to his work at JCL Law Partners, helping him anticipate how different parties are likely to approach a matter.
‘I try to fold the regulator stuff into my day-to-day and try and build my practice in those areas as well,’ he explains.
Today, his work can involve acting for liquidators and trustees on investigations, public examinations, court applications and recovery actions. On other matters, he may find himself on the opposite side, acting for directors and defending similar claims.
Back in private practice
After joining JCL Law Partners in February 2025, Adam now works primarily across litigation and insolvency, while also helping to supervise junior lawyers within the firm.
Private practice keeps him on his toes. ‘One day I’ll be in court, another I’ll be drafting contracts, then we could be having a mediation, or I’ll be giving some advice,’ he details. ‘The theme of insolvency is always pretty much the same, but the issues are always different.’
Adam also values the broader experience that comes with being part of a boutique firm. ‘Since I’ve been here, I’ve been exposed to a lot of different things,’ he says.
Knowing when to settle
Adam is clear that taking a dispute as far as possible is not necessarily the best measure of success. He points to a recent shareholder dispute involving a settlement of around A$10 million. The matter could easily have proceeded to court, but the JCL team believed there was a better option.
‘We could see it should have been settled, and we settled it,’ he says. ‘We brought it on to mediation early, didn’t even have to file any application and just resolved the dispute.’
This is an approach Adam feels strongly aligned with at the firm. ‘I’m proud of our firm and I’m proud about that aspect of what we do,’ he says. ‘We’re genuine people that are actually here to help.’
An early lesson in advocacy
One of Adam’s proudest achievements came before he had even qualified as a lawyer. While studying, his now-wife was working in Australia on a sponsored visa and Adam became concerned that her employer was underpaying her. ‘I felt they were taking advantage,’ he recalls.
Still a law student, he began compiling evidence and pursued the matter through the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman. The unfair dismissal and underpayment claims were successful, but the consequences went beyond the issue he had initially set out to address.
Further investigation uncovered underpayments affecting other employees, with action ultimately extending across the company.
‘I put in so much effort to put all this evidence together,’ he says. ‘It went much bigger because they discovered that all the employees were getting underpaid.’
Adam now sees this as an early introduction to the type of work he would later pursue professionally. ‘I’m very proud of that, standing up for people who might not otherwise have had a voice,’ he reflects.
The human side of insolvency
That awareness of the person behind a legal problem has remained important throughout Adam’s career.
‘In insolvency, you get the human element of it,’ he explains. ‘You’re dealing with people that have had their head in the sand or people that are going to lose assets. It can be the last straw for them.’
Learning how to manage that emotional side of legal work came early on. During his practical legal training, Adam worked with Justice Connect in homelessness law, supporting people experiencing extremely difficult circumstances.
He still tries to achieve the best possible result for clients while recognising the importance of not absorbing every aspect of their situation himself. ‘You just get better at managing that balance over time.’
Becoming the final stop
For younger lawyers, Adam’s first piece of advice reflects his own unconventional career path: do not specialise too quickly. ‘Don’t pigeonhole yourself too soon,’ he says. ‘Try and go across as many things as you can.’
But as responsibility grows, so should ownership of the work. Adam sees a point in every lawyer’s development when they need to stop assuming somebody more senior will ultimately correct their work. ‘Somewhere along the line, nobody is going to fix it for you, so you need to be the final stop.’
He brings this lesson to his role supervising junior lawyers within the firm, encouraging them to build experience while gradually taking greater accountability for the matters in front of them.
Connecting Australia and Korea
One area Adam is particularly interested in developing is cross-border work between Australia and South Korea.
After making Korean friends at university, Adam became curious about the language and began picking up words through conversation. He taught himself the Korean alphabet, built his vocabulary and immersed himself in Korean music and television before undertaking formal study. He also met his wife through the same group of friends.
‘I read, write and speak Korean,’ he reveals. ‘I started listening to Korean music and watching Korean dramas in 2009 – way before it was popular,’ he laughs.
Adam is now exploring how those skills could form a greater part of his professional life, including building relationships with Korean companies operating in Australia.
It is also one of the areas where he sees potential in IR Global. As a Rising Star, Adam is still relatively new to the network, but is already looking to build relationships with members in Korea and plans to attend the ‘On the Road’ conference in Hong Kong in March 2027.
‘I want to keep broadening my practice,’ he says. ‘I’d like to branch out and do more regulatory and cross-border work with Korea.’
Switching off
Finding downtime is something Adam admits does not always come naturally. ‘Work is demanding in a good way, and home life is demanding in a good way,’ he says.
Much of his time outside the office is spent with his young family, including his six-year-old son. Having previously enjoyed running and exercise, Adam hopes to return to it as his son gets older, potentially with a new running companion alongside him.
There is, however, one pastime that reliably helps him switch off: cars. A long-standing car enthusiast, Adam enjoys watching videos of damaged vehicles being rebuilt and restored. ‘That relaxes me,’ he says. ‘It’s kind of therapeutic.’
