David Graham Russell, (born 2 December 1950) is an Australian

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

who specialises in

international tax International taxation is the study or determination of tax on a person or business subject to the tax laws of different countries, or the international aspects of an individual country's tax laws as the case may be. Governments usually limit the ...

law.

Early life and education

David Russell was born in the town of Dalby in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

as the second son of Charles Wilfred Russell MP and Hilary Maude Russell (née Newton), subsequently H M Russell OBE. He attended Jimbour State School from 1956 to 1960, after which he attended

Anglican Church Grammar School The Anglican Church Grammar School (ACGS), formerly the Church of England Grammar School and commonly referred to as Churchie, is an independent, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, Day school, day and boarding school for boys, located in ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

from 1961 to 1967. His university years were spent at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

in Brisbane, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1971, his

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

in 1974, and finally his

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is a postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in another subject. In many jurisdi ...

in 1983.

Career

Professional

Russell was admitted as a solicitor in Queensland in 1974, and was called to the Bar in 1977. He is admitted to practise in Australia,

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

(where he is a member of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

), the Courts of the

Dubai International Financial Centre The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is a special economic zone in Dubai covering , established in 2004 as a financial hub for companies operating throughout the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) markets. DIFC is regulated ...

, New York (as a legal consultant), New Zealand and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in Australia in 1986. He has practised in Dubai and London at

Outer Temple The Outer Temple is a building next to Temple, London, the Temple area in London, just outside the City of London. In the 14th century, the property seized from the Knights Templar was divided, and that part of the Temple property then just outsi ...

Chambers, Sydney at Ground Floor Wentworth Chambers and Brisbane at Sir Harry Gibbs Chambers, He has acted for

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

and State Governments as well as individuals and corporations. Russell was President of the Taxation Institute of Australia from 1993 to 1995, and of the Asia Oceania Tax Consultants' Association from 1996 to 2000. He is a member of the Law Council of Australia Business Law Section Taxation Committee. He served as a member of the Ministerial Consultative Committee for the Tax Law Improvement Project from 1994 to 1997 and as a member of the Steering Committee for the National Review of Standards for the Tax Profession in 1993 and 1994. From 1991 to 1995, he was a member of the National Tax Liaison Group. Russell has lectured and written extensively on taxation related topics in Australia and overseas, and served as a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of Australian Tax Practice. He has lectured at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

for the Master of Taxation course, the

for the Master of Laws course and served as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

of the University of Queensland. He was the Australian correspondent for

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

's academic journal '' Trusts & Trustees''. and is now one of its co-editors. He was Chairman of STEP Australia, a member of the STEP World Wide Council until 2018. Deputy Chair of STEP WorldWide in 2018 and 2019 and a member of STEP's Professional Standards and Public Policy Committees and the Committee of the STEP Contentious Trusts & Estates Special Interest Group, a co-chair of the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the International Section of the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Section, an

Academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. Accor ...

of The International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, a member of The Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers, a member of The Commercial Bar Association, an Honorary Member of The Taxation Institute of Hong Kong, a Fellow Member of the

Chartered Institute of Taxation The Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) is a registered charity (number 1037771) and the leading professional body in the United Kingdom concerned solely with taxation. The CIOT deals with all aspects of direct and indirect taxation. Activ ...

(UK) and a

Freeman of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...

. Russell is listed in the Taxation Category in the

Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...

's Best Lawyers review of the Australian Legal Profession in 2008 and all later years. In 2012, he was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for, amongst other things, "service … to

taxation law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

and

legal education Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

". In 2014 he was awarded Chartered Tax Adviser of the Year. Since 2017 he has been a member of Legal Week's Private Client Clobal Elite rl=https://privateclientglobalelite.com From 2016 to 2018, he chaired the DIFC's Wealth Management Review, and is Executive Editor of the Laws of the DIFC ef=https://academy.difc.ae/publication/laws-difc-volume-1/

Political

David Russell served continuously on the State Executive of the

Liberal National Party of Queensland The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) is a major conservative political party in Queensland, Australia. It was formed in 2008 by a merger of the Queensland divisions of the Liberal Party and the National Party. In most other states ...

and its predecessor party, the

National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia, commonly known as the Nationals or simply the Nats, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right and Agrarianism, agrarian List of political parties in Australia, political party in Australia. Traditionally represe ...

— Queensland from 1984 to 2014 apart from six months in 2008–2009. He was President of the National Party in Queensland from 1995 to 1999, Vice-President of the National Party of Australia from 1990 to 1995, and 1999 to 2005, and President of the National Party of Australia from 2005 to 2006. He played a significant part in the merger of the National and Liberal Parties in Queensland in 2008, and was Vice-President of the

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia (LP) is the prominent centre-right political party in Australia. It is considered one of the two major parties in Australian politics, the other being the Australian Labor Party (ALP). The Liberal Party was fo ...

from 2009 to 2011.

Other

Outside the law, Russell maintains his interest in his family's rural business, Russell Pastoral Company, and its flagship property, '' Jimbour Station'' in Jimbour, Queensland. He served as President of the Australia-Japan Society in Queensland from 1997 to 2002, and as inaugural President of the National Federation of Australia Japan Societies from 2001 to 2005. In 2010 he was awarded the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...

with Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon for services to Australia–Japan relations.

Personal life

Russell married Deborah Ann Campbell on 19 September 1975. Deborah was the daughter of The Hon. Sir Walter Benjamin Campbell AC QC and Georgina Margaret Campbell (née Pearce). They have one son, Andrew Russell.

Publications

* ''Towards greater fairness in taxation: A Model Taxpayer Charter'' (2013) – with Michael Cadesky & Ian Hayes

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, David 1950 births Australian Anglicans Australian barristers Australian pastoralists Australian King's Counsel Living people Members of the Order of Australia Lawyers from Brisbane Recipients of the Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class University of Queensland alumni People from Dalby, Queensland People educated at Anglican Church Grammar School