Biography
Professor John Phillips joined The Dickson Poon School of Law as Professor of English Law in 1996. After graduation from Cambridge University, Professor Phillips practiced as a Barrister in England and Australia, and held academic appointments at the University of Queensland and University of Western Australia. He was Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Australia between 1993 and 1996. In 1981 he was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University.
Research interests
Professor Phillips' main research interests are contract, commercial law and intellectual property. These are reflected in his two books, "Protecting Designs: Law and Litigation" and "The Modern Contract of Guarantee". The latter is now in its fourth Australian edition and an English edition (completely rewritten for this jurisdiction) has been recently published. All these works are intended as scholarly analysis and evaluation of the relevant area of law, questioning existing dogma and providing suggestions for reform, and also as detailed reference texts for those who practise in this area of law. This reflects the author's approach to legal research - namely, that it should be both scholarly and useful.