History

Talbot Olivier was established in 1927 by the late David Walsh, a leading criminal lawyer of his time, who presided over the company for some 30 years.

The firm eventually grew into a small partnership, with the late James Mazza, another leading criminal lawyer of the day, acting as partner from 1951 to 1970.  The Honourable Henry Wallwork QC acted as partner from 1960 to 1965, leading the firm in litigation advice. He left the partnership in 1965 to join the Western Australian Bar, and was later appointed to the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

The late Don Talbot became a name principal in 1961, and started moving the firm into a new era.  In 1969, our business name changed to Talbot & Olivier, at which time Don Talbot became senior principal, remaining at the helm until his retirement in 1996. 

Paul Olivier, Talbot Olivier's other name partner, has been practicing law with the firm for over 40 years, having joined in January 1965. He was made a partner 18 months following his commencement. Paul remains a key figure at Talbot Olivier, continuing as a senior principal leading the Insurance practice group and is also in-house counsel and active administrator.

Guiding Talbot Olivier through its growth and into its new phase of providing legal services, Paul Kordic acted as the managing principal from 1993 to 1999, and again from 2001 to 2008.

Talbot Olivier today

Talbot Olivier is owned by Integrated Legal Holdings Limited Group (ILH), which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in August 2007. ILH is one of the first publicly listed legal services companies. The listing has defined new, innovative business structures for how legal firms can operate into the future.

Leading Talbot Olivier through its revolutionary changes is current managing principal, Brendan Taylor, who has been with the firm since 1997 and practices in our Litigation and Defamation and Media groups.