David Neal, SC

Taught criminal law at the University of NSW, Commissioner Victorian Law Reform Commission, Head, Legislation Branch Victorian Justice Department, Chair, Model Criminal Code Committee. Main areas of practice at the Bar: Criminal Law, Administrative Law, Appellate, Occupational Health and Safety, Major Inquests and Royal Commissions.

Appeared for major corporations and government departments including Baulderstone, Multiplex, Leightons, Toyota, United Energy, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria Police, Office of Corrections, Vicroads, Victoria Legal Aid. Major Inquests: Inquests: Kew Cottages (for Wormald), Port Phillip Prison (for Group 4), Citylink/O'Connor (for Transfield-Obayishi Joint Venture), Beaconsfield Gold Mine (for the mine). Royal Commissions/Major Enquiries: Children of God (for the parents); Metropolitan Ambulance Service Royal Commission (for Bureau of Emergency Services Telecommunications (BEST)). Member of Victorian Bar Council (10 years) and serves on the Law Council of Australia committees on Criminal Law and Access to Justice. Prepared and presented numerous submissions to federal and state government committees on these areas on behalf of the Victorian Bar and the Law Council of Australia.PUBLICATIONS Books: Gardner, Neal and Cashman (eds.), Legal Resources Book (Fitzroy Legal Service, 1977) 448 pp. Casper, Brereton and Neal,

The Implementation of the California Determinate Sentencing Law (Report to the National Institute for Justice (U.S.), 1981) 259 pp. On Tap, Not on Top: Legal Centres in Australia 1971-1982 (ed.) (Legal Service Bulletin, 1984) 64 pp. Criminal Laws (Federation Press, 1990) 1464 pp. with D Brown, D Farrier and D Weisbrot. The Rule of Law in a Penal Colony: Law and Power in Early New South Wales (Cambridge University Press, 1991) 264 pp. Reports: Public Drunkenness: Report (VLRC, 1989) 22 pp. Public Drunkenness: Supplementary Report (VLRC, 1989) 30 pp. Offensive Weapons: Report (VLRC, 1989) 22pp.

The Concept of Mental Illness in the Mental Health Act 1986 (VLRC, 1990) 18pp. Mental Malfunction and Criminal Responsibility: Report (1990) 112 pp. Homicide: Report (1991) 199pp General Principles of Criminal Responsibility (Model Criminal Code Officers Committee, 1992) 119pp Theft, Fraud, Bribery and Related Offences (Model Criminal Code Officers Committee, 1995) 365pp Conspiracy to Defraud (Model Criminal Code Officers Committee, 1997) 99pp Note: a Discussion Paper written by me preceded each of these Reports. ArticlesNeal, ?The Role of the Fitzroy Legal Service? (1978) 11 Melbourne University Law Review 267 Basten, Graycar and Neal, ?Legal Centres in Australia? (1983) 6 UNSW Law Review 163 Neal, ?The Right to Education: The Case of Special Education? (1982) Australian Quarterly 147 Neal and Kirp, ?The Allure of Legalization Reconsidered? (1985) 48 Law and Contemporary Problems 63 Neal, ?Law and Authority: 

Co-Chair Criminal Law Committee - Law Council of Australia
Access to Justice Committee – Law Council of Australia
 
2017 – Law Council of Australia President’s Award – Outstanding Contribution to the Legal Profession

The 2020 listing of Leading Victorian Workplace Health & Safety Senior Counsel details Senior and Queens Counsel practising within workplace health and  safety matters (including prosecutions) in the Victorian legal market who have been identified by the state’s employment and WHS law solicitors for their expertise and abilities in these areas.
 
Preeminent

Rachel Doyle SC, List G Barristers
Peter Rozen SC, Howells List
Leading

Neil Clelland QC, Meldrum & Hyland List
David Neal SC, Patterson’s List
Recommended