Paul O’Brien

I have been a legislative drafter for over 25 years. I began my drafting career in the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Victoria, Australia, in 1994 after working for various Government Departments. I had also previously worked for a large law firm in Victoria, where I qualified as a barrister and solicitor, and for a large law firm in London, UK. I also worked for a short time in senior barristers’ chambers in London. During my first stint drafting in Victoria I rose to the position of Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel.

In 2008 I moved to Hong Kong and worked for 3 years as a Senior Assistant Law Draftsman in the Law Drafting Division of the Hong Kong Department of Justice. On returning to Australia in 2012 I returned to the Victorian drafting office for a time and also spent 2 years working as a senior drafter in the Northern Territory of Australia. Currently I am a Principal Parliamentary Counsel in Victoria, and also undertake drafting projects from time to time for other jurisdictions such as Hong Kong.

I have given a number of presentations on legislative drafting at conferences of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel and published a number of articles in the association’s newsletter and its journal “The Loophole”. I’ve also given talks on legislative drafting to groups of lawyers, public officials and students.

In my leisure time I particularly enjoy travelling, and have visited over 65 countries and 200 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

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Educational credentials

• B.Comm. (University of Melbourne, 1983)
• L.L.B. (Honours) (University of Melbourne, 1985)
• L.L.M. (First Class Honours) (University of Cambridge, 1988)