Dr Gordon Hughes AM

Principal Lawyer Davies Collison Cave

Dr Hughes is a principal lawyer in Davies Collison Cave’s Litigation and Commercialisation practice. He is a renowned expert in the areas of intellectual property commercialisation, information technology law, eCommerce and data protection.

Dr Hughes joined Davies Collision Cave as a partner in 2016. Prior to this he was a partner with Ashurt for 17 years, where his practice focused on the drafting and negotiation of IT and outsourcing contracts, advising on e-commerce, procurement and data protection issues and representing clients in IT dispute resolution. He has acted for both suppliers and customers, and for both the public and private sectors.

Dr Hughes has been a leader of the Australian and international legal profession, having served as president of the Law Institute of Victoria, the Law Council of Australia and LAWASIA. In 2006, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Law Awards, and in 2010 he was elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. He is an Adjunct Professor, and a part time member of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

Dr Hughes has authored, co-authored and/or edited nine legal texts, including ‘Data Protection in Australia’ , ‘Computer Contracts: Principles and Precedents’, and ‘Trade Secrets and Privacy.’ He has received numerous awards in recognition of his achievements, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Law Awards in 2004 and various honorary  life memberships of Australian and international professional associations.  He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law in 2011.

In 2017, Dr Hughes was awarded an Order of Australia “for significant service to the law, to professional organisations and to international affairs and legal practice in the Asia-Pacific region”.