Meet our Alumni

The Hon David Ashley is a well respected Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Ashley graduated with honours in law from The University of Melbourne, where he also played Second XI cricket. He was later described as having a "Boycott-like solidity" in his approach to the law.

Ashley was called to the Bar in 1965. In a distinguished career as a Barrister he practised mainly in workers compensation, personal injury, industrial and insurance law. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1983.

In the late 1980s Ashley was Leading Counsel in a litigation claim by workers affected by asbestos exposure in the mining town of Wittenoom in Western Australia. This was the first successful litigation against the operators of the Wittenoom Mine and Mill and set a precedent for later asbestos-related claims.

He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1990 and in 2000 became Principal Judge of the Common Law Division of the Court. In 2005 Ashley was elevated to the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria.