David is regularly briefed in complex commercial and corporate disputes in the Supreme Court and Federal Court. David also appears regularly in the Federal Court in judicial review applications of administrative decisions.
As an author of the leading work The Interpretation of Contracts in Australia (now in its second edition) David is often consulted on difficult or financially significant questions of contract law.
David also has expertise in private international law, and he is a former legal officer for the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.
Best Lawyers has recognised David in the Best Lawyers 2025 guide for Construction / Infrastructure Law.
Doyles Guide includes David in the Leading construction and infrastructure junior counsel list for New South Wales 2024.
David was ranked as a leading junior in the Legal 500 - Asia Pacific Construction, Infrastructure & Property in the 2023 Australia-Bar list.
- Neil Street Co Pty Ltd v Ibrahim [2024] NSWSC 1382
- Wonderful Pty Ltd v Faithful Investment Pty Ltd [2024] NSWSC 472
- Entertainment One Films Australia Pty Ltd v Hopscotch Pictures Pty Ltd [2024] NSWSC 365
- Bolin Technology Co Ltd v BirdDog Technology Ltd [2024] FCA 286
- Sader v Elgammal [2024] NSWCA 20
- Acciona Infrastructure Projects Australia Pty Ltd v EnerMech Pty Ltd [2023] NSWSC 1565
"Extremely knowledgable in relation to contract law and construction law. Excellent advocate, very good at witness preparation, pleadings and submissions. Very easy to work with, approachable and accessible."
- Admitted to the Bar: 2010
- Admitted as a Legal Practitioner: 2006
- University of Oxford Law School BCL (with distinction): 2007 - 2008
- University of New South Wales LLB, BSc (Pure Mathematics, First Class Honours): 1998 - 2004
- Sir Kim Lewison and David Hughes, The Interpretation of Contracts in Australia Second Edition (Thomson Reuters, 2025)
- Sir Kim Lewison and David Hughes, The Interpretation of Contracts in Australia (Thomson Reuters, 2010)