About the Chairman

Chairman of the General Council of the Gibraltar Bar

David has spent his career as a litigator at Hassans, over the years undertaking work in practically all areas of dispute resolution. In 1981 he was called to the Bar in London and to the Gibraltar Bar. He took silk in 2002. Having served on the Gibraltar Bar Council at different times, he took on the chairmanship between 2009-2012. Subsequently he became vice-chairman of the Council taking over from Keith Azopardi QC when he stood down in November 2017. David was appointed chairman in April 2018.

He will be closely involved with the steps that need to be taken to implement the Legal Services Act. This will mean the replacement of the Bar Council by the Law Council, created by the LSA, membership of which shall be compulsory and extended to lawyers in public service, in-house lawyers, legal executives and costs draftsmen, all of which will come to be subject to regulation by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority.

The Law Council’s mission includes furthering, promoting and safeguarding the interests of the legal profession, now defined as extending to the above categories of lawyers; promoting the study of law and provision of legal services and maintaining the standards, honour and independence of the legal profession. The Law Council will also discharge its statutory functions and role in the co-governance of the legal profession.

David is therefore keen to ensure that, in the same way as the Bar Council has always striven to fully represent its members’ interests, this will continue to be the case when that membership increases both in number and in the nature of the work which they undertake.

Enhancing Justice, Regulation and the Quality of Legal Services