Thomsons

Dispute Resolution

Partner

David acts for a wide range of Australian and international clients across complex corporate, commercial and regulatory disputes. His clients span corporations law, intellectual property, competition and consumer law, franchising, agribusiness and education matters. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators, an accredited mediator since 1993, and a member of the mediator panels of the Law Society of SA and the Resolution Institute.

David litigates, manages and resolves complex corporate, commercial and regulatory disputes in all Australian jurisdictions. His practice encompasses corporations law, IP, competition and consumer law, franchising, agribusiness and education. He also acts as a mediator across a wide range of commercial disputes. He is Chair of the Law Council of Australia's national Federal Court Liaison Committee and its Federal Circuit Court Liaison Committee, and a former Chair of the Federal Litigation and Dispute Resolution Section. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an honorary life member of the Institute of Managers and Leaders.

David's litigation practice spans complex multi-party corporate and regulatory disputes in federal and state courts. His mediation practice is equally substantial: inducted as a Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators in 2014, he has been an accredited mediator for over 30 years and regularly mediates significant commercial disputes across multiple sectors.

David's combination of senior litigator and accredited mediator gives him a full-spectrum view of commercial dispute resolution that informs both his advocacy and his advisory work. His national leadership roles on the Law Council of Australia's Federal Court Liaison Committees reflect deep engagement with the development of federal litigation practice.

Current Chair of the Law Council's National Federal Court Liaison Committee and its Federal Magistrates' Court Liaison Committee. Past Chair of the Federal Litigation and Dispute Resolution Section of the Law Council and continuing member of the Section's Executive. Franchising Council of Australia Licensing Executive Society (Australia and New Zealand) Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ) Past President of the Australian Institute of Management (SA) and honorary life member of the Institute of Managers and Leaders Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Distinguished Fellow of the International Academy of Mediators

Bachelor of Laws (Hons), University of Adelaide Admitted to the Supreme Court of South Australia