Admission Dates

October 2004
Appointment as Silk
February 1990
Admitted to the New South Wales Bar
July 1986
Admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

Academic Qualifications

University of Sydney, 1980-1986
B Ec (1st Class Honours) (University Medal)
LLB (1st Class Honours)
University of Cambridge, 1994
LL.M, 1st class Hons., Churchill Scholar and Commonwealth Trust Scholar (major areas included international public law, international human rights law and international commercial arbitration)
University Of Sydney, 2008
Ph D (Crimes Against Humanity In International Law)

Specific Areas of Practice

Robert has practiced in a wide range of commercial and related areas covering corporate law, insolvency, professional negligence, building and engineering disputes and insurance law. Robert has appeared in most Courts and recent cases include in the High Court, Tambree v the Travel Compensation (2005) 224 CLR 627 (Trade Practices) and in the New South Wales Court of Appeal, Perpetual v Heperu (2009) NSWCA 84 (cheque law). Robert has also acted as a commercial arbitrator.

In addition, Robert maintains a keen interest in international law, particularly international criminal law (having completed a Ph D in crimes against humanity) and international human rights law. He has appeared pro-bono in several cases in these areas. These include cases such as the Aboriginal Stolen Generation constitutional law case in the High Court (Kruger v Commonwealth) (1997) 190 CLR 1, the Full Court of the Federal Court over the refugee status of the East Timorese living in Australia (Jong Kim Koe v Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs [1997] FCA 306) and most recently as Counsel for the relatives of Mr Brain Peters, one of the 'Balibo five' of Australian journalists killed in East Timor in 1975, at his coronial inquest before the New South Wales Deputy Coroner.

Robert has also conducted observer missions overseas on behalf of the International Commission of Jurists including in 2009 to Sri Lanka in respect of the trial of senior journalist Mr Tissanaiyagam who was charged with terrorist related offences over articles he wrote.


Academic teaching

  • University of Sydney, Tutor in Economics/Industrial Relations - Undergraduate 1985-1987
  • University of Sydney, Lecturer in LL. M/Postgraduate Diploma of Labour Relations and the Law 1987-1990
  • Guest Speaker at the Sydney Centre for International Law at University of Sydney on "What is in a name? A theory of crimes against humnaity" in May 2008
  • Regular speaker at the Young Lawyers One Day Seminars on Commercial Law

Professional Associations

  • International Commission of Jurists, Australian Section, Vice President of the New South Wales Branch
  • Centre Affiliate of the Sydney Centre for International Law
  • International Law Association (Australian Branch)
  • American Society Of International Law
  • Amnesty International, New South Wales Lawyers Branch

Publications

Includes:

  • Australian Iron &Steel Pty Ltd v Banovic & Ors, High Court of Australia (1990) 18 Australian Business Law Review 410


  • 'Race and the Constitution' (2002)76 Australian Law Journal 456-465


  • 'Direct Discrimination and a Defence of Reasonable Justification' (2003) 77 Australian Law Journal 514 (cited by McHugh and Kirby JJ in Purvis v New South Wales (Department of Education and Training) (2003) 217 CLR 92).


  • Paper "A theory of crimes against humanity " presented to the Sydney Centre for International Law at University of Sydney in May 2008.


  • Submission to the Australian Government in 2008 on behalf of the relatives of Mr Brian Peters on the need for the Commonwealth Government to seek the extradition of those named by the NSW Deputy Coroner as being suspected of killing the 'Balibo five' in East Timor in 1975


  • 'Crimes Against Humanity Defy Definition' Law Society Journal of New South Wales July 2008, volume 46, page 24


  • 'What is in a name? A theory of crimes against humanity' (2008) 15 Australian International Law Journal 85.

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