Half a century of legal insight: UNSW Law Journal turns 50
Published on the 09 July 2025 by UNSW Media
Guests at the anniversary celebration review copies of the UNSW Law Journal | Photo: www.simonanders.com
One of Australia’s leading student-run legal academic journals has celebrated 50 years at the forefront of scholarship, thought leadership and reform.
Since its first issue in 1975, UNSW Law Journal has published influential articles across public, private, and international law - providing a platform for ideas, debate and critical perspectives that have helped shape legal thinking and public policy in Australia and beyond.
UNSW Law & Justice Dean Professor Andrew Lynch hosted a gathering of past and present contributors and members of the student editorial board at UNSW Sydney to celebrate the enduring impact of the Journal.
“The UNSW Law Journal has been shaped by generations of talented students, all with a commitment to publishing the highest quality peer-reviewed legal research,” Prof. Lynch said.
“Successive editorial teams have maintained a consistently professional standard, ensuring the Journal enjoys enormous respect not just with the academy but across the judiciary and legal profession. It is important to emphasise that the UNSW Law Journal is in the tradition of the great US law school journals – it is a proudly independent and student-run publication.
“This anniversary is not just about honouring the past; it’s about recognising the role the Journal will play in shaping and sharing the future of legal thought. Its enduring success is a testament to the industry of our students, the rigour of their editorial work, and the importance of providing a platform for critical and independent legal scholarship."
A milestone in Australian legal publishing
O'felia Zhao addresses guests at the UNSW Law Journal 50th Anniversary celebration
Professor Andrew Lynch addresses guests at the UNSW Law Journal 50th Anniversary celebration
UNSW Law Journal 50th Anniversary celebration
UNSW Law Journal 50th Anniversary celebration
UNSW Law Journal 50th Anniversary celebration
View the full image gallery at www.simonanders.com
The Law Journal is a UNSW Law & Justice flagship publication and one of the most widely cited legal reviews in Australia. The Journal publishes four issues every year and is renowned for its noteworthy and topical content aimed at contributing to contemporary legal debate.
The publication is committed to producing articles that are relevant not only to academics, but also to legal and business professionals. It is widely cited in academic texts, other scholarly journals, parliamentary committee reports, court judgements, government reports and in the news media.
UNSW Law Journal Executive Editor O’felia Zhao is a student of the Bachelor of Commerce / Laws and is also a paralegal at Allens. She joined the Journal's editorial board in 2023.
“Marking 50 years of the UNSW Law Journal is not just about honouring our past – it’s about recognising the unique intellectual space the Journal has created, where students and academics come together to challenge assumptions, critique the law, and imagine its future,” Ms Zhao said.
“I’m deeply proud of the current and past generations of Editorial Board members and Executive Editors whose rigour, vision and independence have shaped the Journal into what it is today. It’s an immense privilege to lead such an esteemed publication – one that not only reflects legal scholarship but helps drive its direction.”
Students setting the legal agenda
The Law Journal has a diverse and influential readership. It is distributed among Justices of the High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia and Supreme Court of NSW. Subscribers also include government departments, non-government organisations, law firms and universities worldwide.
The success of the Journal reflects contributions made by the successive generations of student members of the Editorial Board, the Faculty Advisers, UNSW Law & Justice, the Journal’s sponsors, and its contributors, all of whom have helped shape and guide the UNSW Law Journal since its inception.
Members of the Editorial Board are selected from among the most exceptional students at UNSW Law & Justice, with topics conceived and produced by student editors. The students bring a fresh perspective and enthusiasm for the law that ensures the Journal reflects contemporary legal thinking and exceptional editorial standards.