Paul d’Assumpção

pdassumpcao@hzc.com.au

Qualifications: B Com, LLB, GDLP

Paul practises predominantly in administrative law, statutory construction, jurisdictional issues and general litigation. He has experience in most kinds of litigation, both at the Commonwealth and State levels, based on experience in a diverse set of litigated matters, including alternative dispute resolution, criminal, civil penalty, disability discrimination, medical practitioner disciplinary proceedings, personal injury and other tort cases, workers compensation and the like.

Paul has a well-deserved reputation for handling highly sensitive material for Commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies, often giving rise to complex issues.

Prior to being called to the bar, Paul worked as a solicitor for over 14 years with the Australian Government Solicitor.  Throughout his practice, both as a solicitor advocate and then at the private Bar, he has appeared in more than 300 decided cases including for Commonwealth agencies and Ministers.

Paul has appeared in the High Court, the Federal Court, the Federal Circuit Court (and its predecessor), the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (in most of the Registries across Australia), the Victorian Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory, the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and all South Australian Courts (and the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) for government, local government, corporate (including international and multinational corporations) and private clients.

More recently, Paul has been involved in cases attracting national attention, including the AN0M challenge in the Supreme Court of South Australia and the defending the prosecution of David McBride in the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory.

Paul has worked closely with a number Commonwealth Solicitors-General and other eminent senior counsel nationally and in his former role has been specifically engaged for numerous ‘significant matters’ within the meaning of the Legal Services Directions 2017 (Cth) for a range of Commonwealth clients.