It was called The Champagne Club; a group of Canberra lawyers who gathered on a Friday afternoon to pick apart the week's cases as they shared a well-earned drink and a laugh.
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At its heart was Ben Salmon, QC, who would host the crowd of legal minds in his Legal Aid ACT office - which he dubbed his "chambers" - during a stint as Public Defender more than two decades ago.
There were echoes of those weekly meetings as family members, friends and former colleagues gathered in Yarralumla on Friday afternoon to remember and celebrate the life of Mr Salmon, who died this month aged 77.
Mr Salmon retired two years ago after 50 years of legal practice, the bulk of it at the Canberra bar.
The long-serving silk graduated from the University of Sydney and was admitted as a solicitor in 1965 after working as a Supreme Court judge's associate.
Mr Salmon practiced in litigation before he was appointed as Queen's Counsel in 1985. He was a member of the ACT Law Society Council, twice president of the ACT Bar Association, and held roles as a judge advocate and defence force magistrate.
Long-time friend Ben Biddington, who first worked for Mr Salmon in 1999 and considered him a mentor, recalled his astute legal mind, strong connections within the profession, and his humility.
"The law played a huge role in his life. He was a big believer in people having access to justice, I think it was just in his make-up and ideology.
"For someone who was so successful, he took his ego out of it. He was sort of naturally inquisitive and not too high and mighty to ask if he didn't understand something.
"For so many people, Ben was a predominant figure, not only because he was physically tall and loud, he had the charisma to go along with it and he liked to party."
Former ACT Law Society president Martin Hockridge worked with Mr Salmon during his time as Public Defender, a role he said led to work on many high-profile murder cases and showed his willingness to give back to the community.
"He was a very good counsel, he was very good at going straight to the heart of a matter. He could cut the crap."
ACT Law Society president Sarah Avery said Mr Salmon was "highly respected, generous, and a real character", and would be missed by Canberra legal's profession.
He is survived by his wife Margot, children Amelia, Kate and Ben and five grandchildren.
