De Silva Hebron /
A lifetime in law David De Silva was travelling around Australia when he discovered his passion for law. It was 1982 and he found himself in Darwin at the time of the Lindy Chamberlain trial. The case had already captured the attention of the nation, and David felt compelled to watch the proceedings, attending almost every day of the trial as a member of the public gallery. “By the end of the trial I was hooked, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer,” David recalls. More than 30 years on, David De Silva is one of the most recognised names in law in the Northern Territory. He established De Silva Hebron in partnership with James Hebron in 1994, and together they built a reputation as a respected local legal firm, with a focus on the business sector. With a team of solicitors and graduate clerks, who work in litigation, civil and commercial matters, De Silva Hebron is a breeding ground for leading law professionals - some of whom have gone on to practise overseas and throughout Australia. David says providing young lawyers with the opportunity to develop their skills was one of the greatest highlights of his own career, along with becoming his own boss after years of study. “After the Chamberlain trial I returned to study to complete my year-12 equivalent as a mature age student, and completed a law degree at Adelaide University while driving taxis at night,” he says. “Once my degree was complete, I was fortunate to secure a position as a Judge’s
Associate in the Supreme Court of South Australia with Justice Millhouse. I came to Darwin to undertake my articles of clerkship with Poveys and was admitted to practise in 1989. “I always wanted to be my own boss. An opportunity arose in 1993 to head up a Queensland based firm’s Darwin office. I accepted that opportunity and the following year decided to partner with James Hebron to set up our own firm.” David has lived in Darwin for 25 years, along with his partner Wendy and their three children. During this time David has had extensive involvement with sporting clubs and community organisations across the Northern Territory, including Australian Rules Football, tennis, hockey, gymnastics, soccer, horse racing and basketball. David has many other interests outside of being a lawyer, including chairing the Darwin Entertainment Centre board and being a board member of the Power and Water Corporation, Tennis NT and Crimestoppers NT. He is vice president of the Carbine Club, member of the RAAF Darwin Golf Club and Admirality Club, life member of St Mary’s Football Club, has volunteered at Darwin Community Legal Service since its inception and is a former director of AFLNT and GTNT. And if that wasn’t enough, David has recently finished a unit in Racing Law and Regulation conducted by the Masters Division of Melbourne University.
David De Silva De Silva Hebron
A: 47 Knuckey Street, Darwin P: 8924 4944 E: ntsolicitors@desilva-hebron.com W: www.desilva-hebron.com DarwinLife Magazine
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