Des Ryan has celebrated 60 years with Davies Collison Cave. Ryan started at Davies & Collison in 1954, fresh out of university; in 1975, he qualified as a lawyer. In 1981, he established Davies & Ryan solicitors, now known as Davies Collison Cave Law. Ryan was senior partner of the firm from 1988 to 1996 and became a consultant in the firm’s Melbourne office upon his retirement from the partnership in 2001.

In 2001, Ryan was awarded as a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to intellectual property. Despite receiving this high honour, Ryan says that the achievement that gave him “the most pride and satisfaction was being made President of the Institute of Patent Attorneys,” a position he held in 1975 and 1976.