About the firm
Saylor Legal is built on the judgement that comes from more than two decades of practice in one complex field. David Saylor has worked in native title law since 2003.
Principal Lawyer
More than two decades in native title practice. Few Australian lawyers have been in the field for as long as David.
Practising native title law since 2003. David represents Traditional Owner groups in claims, consent determinations, compensation proceedings, ILUA negotiations and PBC governance matters.
Areas of practice
A sole practice does not mean David works alone. Federal Court native title matters require a coordinated team of experts, David leads that team and maintains the client relationship throughout.
On contested Federal Court matters David briefs Senior Counsel and junior barristers with expertise in native title law. He prepares the instructions, coordinates the hearing strategy, and remains the point of contact for the claim group throughout. The choice of counsel is always discussed with and agreed by the client.
Connection evidence is the evidentiary core of a native title claim. David has worked with leading anthropologists and historians over more than two decades, and understands what makes connection evidence compelling to a court. He briefs, manages and cross-references expert evidence to ensure it integrates with the legal argument.
Native title law is about people, country and community, not only procedure. David attends on-country when required, participates in community meetings where instructed, and maintains the kind of understanding of individual claim group circumstances that takes years to develop. Traditional Owners are clients, not just instructing parties.
Prescribed Bodies Corporate and RNTBCs have ongoing compliance and governance obligations. David advises PBC boards directly, and where matters require additional corporate or governance expertise, works alongside CATSI Act specialists and ORIC to provide complete advice.
Native title matters run for years. Claims commenced in the late 1990s are sometimes still before the Federal Court. Compensation proceedings can take a decade from instigation to final orders. Institutional knowledge is not a luxury in this field , it is essential.
A sole practice with a single specialist means the lawyer who took instructions at the outset is the same lawyer at the Federal Court hearing. Claim group members who have built trust with David over years of engagement are speaking to the same person, not briefing a replacement associate who joined after the last hearing.
That continuity also applies to David's knowledge of the law. Native title jurisprudence developed rapidly in the 1990s and 2000s and continues to evolve, particularly in compensation matters. Having been present for the full arc of that development is not something a general-practice firm can replicate.
David works from Hyde Park, Queensland, 5 Woolcock Street. For Traditional Owner groups in North Queensland, Cape York and the Gulf Country, proximity matters: David can attend on-country without the friction that comes with fly-in lawyers from Brisbane or Sydney.
Saylor Legal accepts instructions from Traditional Owner groups and PBCs across Australia. Federal Court native title jurisdiction is national; geography is not a barrier to engagement.