Managing Partner/Director

Danial is the founder of Kelly and Partners Lawyers and Kelly Partners Indonesia. He is a lawyer, notary public and academic. He has appeared in the Northern Territory Supreme Court, Local Court, various tribunals and the Federal Family Court. He is admitted to the High Court of Australia. Danial is also a Member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Notaries.

As a Notary Public appointed by the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory of Australia, Dr Kelly's notarial services are recognised world-wide.  Dr Kelly has produced notarial services for countries in every continent of the world.  He is fluent in Indonesian and can conduct all Indonesian language matters in-house.

For 10 years he was a law academic at Charles Darwin University where he taught comparative law and other subjects. He is now an international lecturer at Udayana University in Bali. Danial's PhD topic was on the nature and intersections of authority between law and religion for which he won the Pro Vice-Chancellor’s prize for doctoral excellence - most outstanding Doctor of Philosophy thesis. Danial has provided expert evidence to the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory on matters of Aboriginal law and has published extensively in this area.

Danial has been involved with Indonesia since 1993. He regularly collaborates on teaching and research projects with the law faculty of Universitas Udayana in Bali where he is an editor of the Udayana Journal of Law and Culture and teaches into the undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In addition to legal services, Danial provides professional services in the areas of linguistics, education and policy. 

Danial manages legal processes in Indonesia in collaboration with Indonesian lawyer associates of Kelly Partners. He is fluent in Indonesian and has a functional level of Balinese.

Email: danial.kelly@kellypartners.net

Mobile: 0420500073

Lawyer

Brett graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws in 1979. In late 1982, after a few years in general private practice in the ACT, Brett joined the Northern Land Council, Darwin. From 1986 to 1988 he worked in private practice in Gosford and Sydney. He rejoined the Northern Land Council in late 1988 and was appointed its Principal Legal Adviser in 1991. Brett was the principal of Midena Lawyers from July 2000 and that firm ceased offering legal services in June 2023.

Brett’s work has focused on the management and development of land, including with respect to options for incorporating and to various kinds of commercial developments.

Email: brett.midena@kellypartners.net 

Mobile: 0417 271 977

Barrister & Solicitor

Peter is admitted as a legal practitioner in the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory and focuses mostly on criminal and related matters. Peter has experience with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and brings an extensive background in media and military contexts to his practice of law. 

Peter Butler holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice and has a passion for advocacy and the rule of law. Before coming to the law Peter worked for a number of years in media, defence and other government agencies. He is also a qualified pilot. Peter has the unique combination of a journalist's ability to uncover the truth coupled with a love for justice. Peter’s previous university studies have focussed on communication and he has spent significant time in Taiwan, Japan and Thailand.

Email: peter.butler@kellypartners.net

Mobile: 0408059446

Practice Manager/Law Practice Partner/Director

Desak holds a Diploma of Business (Accounting) from the Gordon Institute in Victoria and a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from Charles Darwin University. She is an accountant who worked for many years in the Northern Territory of Australia government where she focussed on financial compliance and completed studies in government investigations. 

Desak was born in Bali and is highly involved in managing our Indonesian consultancy, PT Kelly Partners Indonesia. She is fluent in English, Indonesian and Balinese.

Email: desak.kelly@kellypartners.net

Mobile: 0456784539

Investment Strategist

Wilis was born in Bali and completed her secondary education there at SMK Dwi Tunggal where she was ranked the top student in her school for three years in a row. She then completed her Northern Territory Certificate of Education at Darwin High School where she was ranked in the Top 10 students of her Year 12 cohort. Wilis then completed a Bachelor of Accounting at Charles Darwin University where she received a scholarship from the Northern Territory Government. 

Wilis offers strategic investment assistance to Kelly Partners clients in Australia and Indonesia. She has particular interests in trusts, auditing and tax and is the founder of Bali Trustees, a service that operates under Australian law to provide clients with the highest level of legal protection for their property or other investments in Bali and other parts of Indonesia.

Legal Researcher

Jenny has a First Class Honours degree in law, and has a Master of Applied Linguistics, Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education.

She has significant experience in private legal practice, especially family law, and was a legal academic for three years until recently.

Jenny provides invaluable support for Kelly & Partners by undertaking much of the necessary high level legal research involved with many matters, especially in a lot of civil litigation matters.

Notary Public - Honorary Consultant

Geoff James was one of the Territory’s most experienced lawyers and notaries. Geoff graduated in law from the Australian National University in 1967, and maintained a private practice in general law as both solicitor and barrister in Darwin for 40 years. For a time Geoff was also employed by McGraw Hill in the US as an editor of legal profession publications and most recently he completed 15 years as a lecturer in law at Charles Darwin University. Some of his most controversial litigation included the Ranger uranium injunction case, the Oenpelli roads case, the Timor gun-running case and the Mudginberri Abattoirs case, all of which made national headlines.

Sadly, Geoff passed away in October 2022 and his absence is greatly felt.