Private and Commercial Law

Welcome from the Head of School 

I am honoured to be the first head of UNSW’s School of Private and Commercial Law, and to lead a group of internationally respected teachers and researchers working in these fields.  

Our academics have a long-standing reputation for excellence in teaching private, commercial and corporate law at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Combining intellectual rigour with innovative techniques, we aim to nurture and challenge our students. We help them develop a detailed and precise understanding of core legal doctrines as well as transferable critical skills they can use in legal practice and other commercial environments.  

We’re deeply engaged with the law in practice and are committed to forging new connections with and shaping the workings of the legal profession, government agencies and the business sector. 

Please explore our website to find out more about our academics’ influential work and the range of courses in private and commercial law that form part of our highly regarded undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

- Professor Michael Handler, Head of School

About us

UNSW School of Private and Commercial Law is home to world-leading experts in the areas of law that govern our commercial dealings with and obligations to each other. In our teaching, research and policy-oriented work, we seek to engage critically with local and international laws. We explore contracts and business transactions, property dealings, the conduct of corporations, financial institutions and trade organisations, the steps that need to be taken to avoid causing harm, and how to resolve personal and commercial disputes.   

We’re committed to producing well-rounded, work-ready graduates who have an exceptional understanding of private and commercial law. They have a keen awareness of how these laws operate in practice and how they might be reformed, particularly to address emerging social and technological challenges.  

Our school’s research is diverse, has intellectual depth and aims to make a real-world impact. Through high-quality publications and building on valuable research networks, our academics work on issues in areas as wide-ranging as:  

  • banking and finance  

  • civil procedure  

  • competition law and consumer law  

  • contract law  

  • corporate law and governance  

  • dispute resolution  

  • equity and trusts  

  • intellectual property  

  • international business transactions  

  • international trade law  

  • land and law  

  • personal property law 

  • sports law  

  • succession law  

  • torts. 

Study with us

Our students experience diverse methods of teaching and learning, benefiting from the experience of leading judges, legal practitioners and policy officers.

Our research

Our research shapes the direction of the law and influences the thinking of legal professionals, government officials, policymakers and industry, in Australia and overseas.

Our people

Find academics from the School of Private and Commercial Law