Professor Paul Babie

• Biography/ Background

  P T Babie FRSA FAAL

  Bonython Chair in Law and Professor of Law 

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  P T Babie is an expert in property theory, property law, the history of real property law, and law and theology. His research, throughout his career, has asked what property is and how, if at all, it can be justified. He considers those questions from legal hilosophical and from theological perspectives. His approach to property theory involves the exploration of its spatial dimension. He teaches property law, property theory, law and religion, and Roman law.

  Babie joined the Adelaide Law School in 1999, was promoted to a Personal Chair in Law in 2015, and was named the holder of the Bonython Chair in Law in 2021. Established in 1883 and endowed in 1926 by a gift of Sir John Langdon Bonython KCMG, the Bonython Chair in Law is the first endowed chair of law of the University of Adelaide. Babie is its fourteenth holder in the 140 year history of the Adelaide Law School.

  Babie is currently Associate Dean of Law (International Development) and Director of the Research Unit for the Study of Society, Ethics, and Law, and has previously been Associate Dean of Law (Research) and Associate Dean of Law (Learning and Teaching). He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law in 2017 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2021. He received the 2021 Australian Legal Education Awards (ALEA) Excellence in Research Supervision Award, a 2011 Executive Dean’s Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the 2007 Adelaide Law School Excellence in Teaching Prize, 2015 and 2016 Executive Dean’s Awards for Excellence in Research, and 2014 and 2017 Executive Dean’s Commendations for Excellence in Research.

  Babie holds a BA in sociology and political science from the University of Calgary, a BThSt from Flinders University, a LLB from the University of Alberta, a LLM from the University of Melbourne, writing a thesis on the transferability of water entitlements supervised by S D Clark, and a DPhil in law from St Catherine's College, the University of Oxford, completing a thesis on the nature of the Crown (state) interest in Australian land supervised by J W Harris, D J Ibbetson, and J D Davies. At Oxford, he was a Viscount Bennett, a Canadian Centennial, and a Landau Scholar. Following law school he was an Associate with Howard, Mackie (now Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG)) in Calgary, Canada, specialising in securities and natural resources law. Prior to his appointment to the Adelaide Law School, he was Lecturer in Law at St Catherine's and Balliol Colleges, University of Oxford, and the Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne. He is a Barrister and Solicitor (Active Non-Practising) of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta (Canada), and an Associate Member of the Law Society of South Australia (of which he is a Member of the Property Law Committee). He has been a Visiting Professor at Sciences Po École de droit, SOAS School of Law University of London, Faculty of Law University of Oslo, Peter A. Allard School of Law University of British Columbia, University of Alberta Faculty of Law, University of Calgary Faculty of Law, and University of Windsor Faculty of Law.  He is an Adjunct Professor of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and of the Australian Catholic University Thomas More Law School. He is frequently consulted on issues relating to real property law, law and religion (especially in relation to the Australian Constitution), and canon law.

  Babie is a General Editor of the Australian Property Law Journal, a Property Section Contributing Editor of JOTWELL (The Journal of Things We Like (Lots)), was Editor in Chief and South Australia Editor of the Property Law Review (Thomson Reuters), and is an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Law and Religion (Cambridge University Press), the Routledge Research Series in Law and Religion, the Springer Research Series in Law and Religion, and of the Forum on Religion & Ecology (FORE) @ Australia (affiliated with FORE, Yale University (USA). His work has appeared in leading American law reviews (including the North Carolina Law Review, Emory Law Journal Online, UC Davis Law Review Online, Brigham Young University Law Review, Tulane Law Review, San Diego Law Review, Michigan State Law Review, Penn State (PennStatim) Law Review, the University of Hawai'i Law Review, the Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law, the Fordham International Law Journal, and the Journal of Law and Religion) and in leading Australian law reviews (including the Melbourne University Law Review, the Sydney Law Review, the Federal Law Review, the Monash University Law Review, the UNSW Law Journal, The University of Queensland Law Journal, the Adelaide Law Review, and the University of Western Australia Law Review).

  Appointments

  Bonython Chair in Law, The University of Adelaide, Australia (2021-present)

  Personal Chair in Law, Adelaide Law School, Australia (2015-present)

  Associate Professor and Reader in Law, Adelaide Law School, Australia (2012-2014)

  Senior Lecturer in Law, Adelaide Law School, Australia (2008-2011)

  Lecturer in Law, Adelaide Law School, Australia (1999-2007)

  Lecturer in Law, Balliol College, University of Oxford, UK (1999)

  Lecturer in Law, St Catherine's College, University of Oxford, UK (1996-1999)

  Lecturer in Law, Melbourne Law School, Australia (1995)

  Visiting Fellow in Law, Melbourne Law School, Australia (1994)

  Associate, Howard, Mackie (now BLG (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP)), Canada (1993-1994)

  Student-at-Law, Howard, Mackie (now BLG (Borden Ladner Gervais LLP)), Canada (1992-1993)

  University Service

  Associate Dean of Law (International Development), Adelaide Law School (2017-2019, 2021-present)

  Director, The University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Ethics and Law (RUSSEL) (2021-present)

  Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching), Adelaide Law School, The University of Adelaide (2021)

  Associate Dean (International), Faculty of the Professions, The University of Adelaide (2017-2019)

  Director, Law and Religion Research Project, The University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Ethics and Law (RUSSEL) (2017-present)

  Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of the Professions, The University of Adelaide (2011-2017)

  Associate Dean of Law (Research), Adelaide Law School (2007-2011, 2012-2017)

  Director and Founder, The University of Adelaide Research Unit for the Study of Society, Law and Religion (RUSSLR) (2007-2017)

  Memberships

  Royal Society of Arts, Fellow (by election) (2021-present)

  Australian Academy of Law, Fellow (by election) (2017-present)

  National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), Member 1999-present

  Research Awards

  Executive Dean of The University of Adelaide Faculty of the Professions Award for Excellence in Research (2016)

  Executive Dean of The University of Adelaide Faculty of the Professions Award for Excellence in Research (2015)

  Executive Dean of The University of Adelaide Faculty of the Professions Commendation for Excellence in Research (2014)

  Teaching Awards

  Council of Australian Law Deans (CALD) and Legal Education Associate Deans (LEAD) Network, Australian Legal Education Awards (ALEA), Excellence in Research Supervision (2021)

  Executive Dean of The University of Adelaide Faculty of the Professions Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2011)

  Adelaide Law School Prize for Excellence in Teaching (2007)

• Qualifications

  DPhil (Oxford, 2002)

  LLM (Melbourne, 1995)

  LLB (Alberta, 1992)

  BThSt (Flinders, 2006)

  BA (Calgary, 1989)

  Barrister and Solicitor (Active Non-practising), Court of King's Bench of Alberta, Canada (2022-present)

  Barrister and Solicitor (Active Non-practising), Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta, Canada (1993-2022)

  Associate Member, Law Society of South Australia (2008-present)

• Teaching Interests

  Property Law (LLB/MCL)

  Property Theory (LLB/MCL)

  Law and Religion (LLB/MCL)

  Roman Law (LLB/MCL)

  Honours Research and Writing (LLB)

• Research Interests

  Private Law Theory

  Property Theory

  Law and Religion

• Publications

  My scholarly research and grants can be found at my Researcher Profile, Google Scholar, SSRN, ResearchGate, and academia.edu pages.

  My contributions to the scholarly community can be found at my Clarivate Web of Science page.

• Media Expertise

  Categories	Law, Crime & Justice, Religion & Theology
  Expertise	law, climate change and religion; property law and property theory, the relationship between resource use and climate change; relationship between law, religion and theology
  Notes	Paul Babie's primary research interests are legal theory, especially the nature of property and its role in climate change; the relationship between law and theology; and, law and religion, especially the relationship between constitutions and religious freedom. He has published over 90 books, book chapters and scholarly articles, and given over 80 public lectures and papers in both fields.

Entry last updated: Tuesday, 21 May 2024

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