January 7, 2010

Australia’s Chief Justice Robert French to Visit Touro Law as Distinguished Jurist in Residence

Central Islip, NY – Touro Law Center is pleased to announce that the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, the Honorable Robert Shenton French, will visit on January 22, 2010 as the Distinguished Jurist in Residence. During his visit, he will present a lecture to first-year students titled, "Aboriginal Land Rights in Australia - The Constitution and the Common Law.”

Robert French was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia on September 1, 2008. At the time of his appointment he was a judge of the Federal Court of Australia, having been appointed to that office in November 1986. He graduated from the University of Western Australia in science and law. He was admitted in 1972 and practiced as a barrister and solicitor in Western Australia until 1983 when he went to the Independent Bar. From 1994 to 1998 he was President of the National Native Title Tribunal. At the time of his appointment he was an additional member of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and a member of the Supreme Court of Fiji. He was also a Deputy President of the Australian Competition Tribunal and a part-time member of the Australian Law Reform Commission. From 2001 to January 2005 he was president of the Australian Association of Constitutional Law.

For over two decades, Touro Law Center’s Distinguished Jurist in Residence Program has drawn the world's leading jurists to the law school. The program features a public lecture, luncheons and informal meetings, classroom lectures, and a private reception for students, faculty and invited guests. Past guests include Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice Gabriel Bach among others.