Civil Advocacy and Advising
Dr Douglas Hassall is a highly experienced Barrister specialising in Civil Litigation. He offers Solicitors and their Clients strong Advocacy in Court as well as full, frank and realistic advice regarding Civil legal questions. He is also experienced in both Mediation and in Commercial Arbitration.
Experience
Dr Hassall was admitted to the Bar in 1979. He holds LLB and BA degrees, and completed his Doctorate in 1998. A practising Barrister since 1992, he appears in Australian Courts at all levels, in Civil Litigation.
He formerly lectured in the Law of Evidence in the then Faculty of Law at the ANU. Earlier in his career, he had experience at senior level in the Federal Attorney-General’s Department, working under Mr Andrew Menzies AM OBE, Barrister, along with Solicitor-General Sir Maurice Byers CBE QC, regarding various Royal Commissions and Federal Inquiries and Federal Tribunals. He is a former Bench Registrar of the Federal Court of Australia and Registrar-in-Bankruptcy. In 2012, he was appointed as a Supreme Court Referee.
As well as being led by Senior Counsel in significant Commercial Litigation, he has appeared extensively in Civil Litigation as a “Senior Junior” Counsel unled. He has appeared as Counsel unled in Appellate matters in the High Court of Australia (including successful Special Leave Applications and Appeals) and in the Full Federal Court and the ACT Court of Appeal.
Qualifications
BA LLB PhD (Qld) Barrister-at-Law
Areas of Expertise
Administrative Law
Appellate Advocacy (Civil)
Arbitration and Mediation
Bankruptcy and Insolvency
Commercial Leases and Contracts
Corporations Law
Defamation
Equity and Trusts
Federal Litigation
Family Provision
Wills and Probate
Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Law
Intellectual Property and Law of Patents
Royal Commissions and Boards of Inquiry
Dr Hassall has appeared in the following appellate and trial courts:
High Court of Australia
Federal Court of Australia
Federal Circuit Court of Australia
Court of Appeal of the Australian Capital Territory
Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
Supreme Court and District Courts of New South Wales
Magistrates Court of the ACT; and various Tribunals
Local Courts of New South Wales.
Admissions and Appointments
Admitted as Barrister in 1979
Principal Legal Officer Canberra
Registrar-in Bankruptcy
Bench Registrar of Federal Court
Practising as a Barrister since 1992
Appointed Supreme Court Referee
Doug’s CV
Further details appear in Doug’s CV, download here.