Researcher biography
Dr William Isdale is a Senior Legal Officer with the Australian Law Reform Commission, and an Adjunct Fellow of the T.C. Beirne School of Law. Previously he worked as a solicitor in private practice, where he specialised in financial services, regulatory and general commercial legal advice. Before commencing practice he was an Associate to the Hon. Justice John Dowsett AM on the Federal Court of Australia.
William holds a PhD in law for a thesis on native title compensation, which was supervised by Adjunct Professors Jonathan Fulcher and the Hon. Justice Andrew Greenwood (a judge of the Federal Court of Australia). His thesis addressed issues relating to native title law, tort law, constitutional law, and the law of remedies. A version of his thesis won the 2021 Holt Prize, and will be published as a book by Federation Press in early 2022.
He also holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Queensland, and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from the Australian National University. He is currently studying part-time for an LLM in International Financial and Commercial Law with King's College London.
William is a weekly contributor of case notes to the Queensland Law Reporter, and has published articles in a number of journals on both public and private law issues. He is particularly interested in the intersection of law with public policy. He maintains an avid interest in moral, political and legal philosophy, particularly their practical applications and implications for law reform.