David Kinley

Professor David Kinley holds the Chair of Human Rights Law at the University of Sydney. He is also an Expert Member of Doughty Street Chambers in London, a founding member Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, and a board member of Cisarua (an Afghan refugee-led education centre located in Indonesia).

Born and raised in Ireland, David studied an eclectic mix of business, economics, philosophy, law and human rights at universities in England, culminating in a PhD from Cambridge in 1990, after which he moved to Australia.

David has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar (at American University/World Bank) and has taught and lectured at universities all over the world. He’s also worked with international organisations including the UN, the World Bank, and the European Union, as well as government agencies, law firms, multinational corporations and NGOs across the globe.

David’s books include Civilising Globalisation: Human Rights and the Global Economy; Necessary Evil: How to Fix Finance by Saving Human Rights; and The Liberty Paradox: Living with the Responsibilities of Freedom. His latest book project, In a Rain of Dust: Death, Disease, Deceit, and the Lawyer Who Busted Big Asbestos, is due to be published in 2025.

His publications have won an American Society of International Law book prize, the Axiom International Business Book Award, and been included in The International Affairs Top Ten Summer Reading Lists. David also has a TEDx video: How Much Do Banks Owe Us?

He can be found on LinkedIn and X (@dwkinley) and can be contacted by email at Sydney Law School or through his literary agent, Chris Newson at Newson Wallwork Media in the UK.