Our people

David Talalla | John Talalla | Sonia Shaw

David is a qualified barrister and solicitor with extensive experience in Australia and overseas – including ten years in the United Kingdom and eight years in south-east Asia.

He has practised with leading firms in law and international recruitment.

David’s intimate knowledge of, and extensive contacts within the legal markets in Australia and abroad, represents a decisive advantage for clients. He has placed lawyers from junior to partnership level, predominantly in private practice and in-house.

He has combined his professional skills with a personal passion for sport. As a former Business Development Manager with the Sport Federation of Victoria, David developed risk management and business plans for sporting associations and provided strategic advice to the Department for Sport and Recreation.

He holds a LLB (Hons.) degree from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom and a Master of Business (Sports Management) degree from Deakin University, Australia.

As a director of David Talalla & Associates, David’s ethos is not ‘business at any cost’. He is a relationship builder, who is focused on the quality of service, not the volume of business.

David is married with two children. In his spare time he enjoys the company of his family and watching cricket, AFL and rugby union. He is a Level Two cricket coach.

David can be contacted on:

Tel:     + 613 9607 8261
Fax:    + 613 9607 8282
Mob:   + 61 439 887 288
Email: david@dtassociates.com.au

John read law at the University of Sussex, United Kingdom and graduated with a LLB (Honours). He has more than 15 years experience in both the Media and Financial Services Industries.

John has resided in Asia for the last 20 years and has a sound understanding of regional sensitivities and business practices both in the private and public sectors.

John has worked as a journalist on the business desk covering all aspects of business for a leading Malaysian English Daily dealing with all levels in the corporate and government sectors before taking on editing responsibilities. He still enjoys strong contacts and networks within the media industry.

He was also responsible for International Marketing for a wide range of financial services for a financial services provider, including fund management, corporate finance services and asset management. He has developed a strong client-base in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and the United Kingdom.

John is licensed with the Malaysian Securities Commission as a Dealer’s Representative and has worked with a bank-backed stock-broking company as an institutional dealer in Malaysian equities.

John is based in Malaysia and is responsible for recruitment in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

John can be contacted on:

Tel:    + 603 2169 7496
Fax:   + 603 2169 7497
Mob:  + 60 16 296 6088
Email: john@dtassociates.com.au

Sonia is a qualified lawyer with 12 years experience as an advocate and solicitor having been called to the Malaysian Bar in December 1995.

She commenced her legal career in private practice with a mid-tier law firm where she specialised in Information Technology and related clientele. Sonia then went on to work in one of Malaysia’s leading telecommunications companies where she spent five years as an in house legal advisor and two years in their corporate communications department. She has handled not only a broad range of telecommunications and procurement contracts but was also responsible for the company’s trademarks portfolio.

Sonia’s range of experience has given her a comprehensive understanding of the personal qualities required for a successful solicitor within a corporate environment. She has extensive knowledge of the Asian market both in-house and private practice.

Sonia’s passion is travel, interior decorating & family. She is not process driven and her priority is delivering a quality service to both clients and candidates.

Sonia is based in Brisbane.

Sonia can be contacted on:

Tel:    + 61 7 3303 0301
Fax:   + 61 7 3303 8445
Mob:  + 61 433 038 055
Email: sonia@dtassociates.com.au