David is a Principal and head of the family law department at Dobson Mitchell Allport.
David has extensive experience as a family lawyer, both within Australia and internationally, having practised in London, the offshore jurisdiction of Jersey (Channel Islands) and more recently in Melbourne with one of Australia’s top tier family law teams. David rejoined Dobson Mitchell Allport in June 2018 after commencing his legal career with Dobson Mitchell Allport as a graduate in 2003.
David practises exclusively in family and relationships law; with particular expertise in the following areas:
- divorce (including advising clients who may have a jurisdictional choice of where their case can be conducted);
- complex financial settlements, including matters where assets are based within Australia and overseas;
- same sex and de facto property matters;
- financial agreements;
- parenting arrangements; including residence/contact disputes and domestic and international relocations; and
- Hague Convention child abduction cases.
David is dual qualified as a Solicitor of England & Wales and advises and represents clients in respect of both Australian and English family law issues. He is regularly instructed to provide advice to clients, other lawyers, UK local authorities and English courts regarding cross border family law issues; including child protection matters.
David is a trained collaborative lawyer and has a pragmatic and solution focused approach to tackling family law disputes. He works hard to build a close rapport with his clients and deliver strong outcomes through either negotiation or litigation.
David is a member of the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia, Family Law Practitioners Association of Tasmania, Law Society of England & Wales, Australian British Chamber of Commerce and Law Society of Tasmania Family Law Committee.