David Partlett

David F. Partlett is the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law Emeritus at Emory University School of Law. A native of Australia, he holds an LL.B. from the University of Sydney School of Law (1970), an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School (1974), and an S.J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law (1982). Partlett began his professional career as a solicitor with Sly & Russell in Sydney (1969-1971). He served as Senior Legal Officer in the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department in Canberra (1974-1975), providing policy advice on the Racial Discrimination Act and related human rights legislation. Subsequently, he was Principal Law Reform Officer at the Australian Law Reform Commission (1975-1977). From 1978 to 1987, he was Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Reader at the Faculty of Law, Australian National University, serving as Associate Dean from 1982 to 1985.

In 1986, Partlett joined Vanderbilt University Law School as Professor of Law, where he also acted as Dean (1996-1997), Senior Fellow at the Health Policy Center, and Chief of Staff for the Chancellor's Office Search (1999-2000). He received the Paul Hartman Award for Excellence in Teaching (1992-1993), Distinguished Service Award (1996), and Thomas Jefferson Award (1998). From 2000 to 2006, he was Vice President, Dean, and Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University School of Law. At Emory University School of Law, he served as Dean (2006-2011) and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law (2011-present). His areas of expertise include judicial remedies, products liability, professional liability, and torts; he teaches torts, remedies, and professional negligence. Partlett is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a member of the American Law Institute (serving on advisory committees for the Third Restatement of Torts: Liability for Intentional Conduct, Defamation, and Breach of Privacy), and the Selden Society. He has held visiting positions at institutions including the University of Sydney Law School, Melbourne Law School, Australian National University, Université Paul Cézanne, and University College Oxford. His publications include books such as Suing for Medical Malpractice (University of Chicago Press, 1993), Child Mental Health and the Law (Macmillan Free Press, 1994), The Right to Speak Ill: Defamation, Reputation and Free Speech (Carolina Academic Press, 2006), Remedies: Cases, Practical Problems and Exercises, 5th ed. (2020), and co-authorship of Prosser et al., Torts: Cases and Materials, 14th ed. (Foundation Press, 2020). Other works cover tort theory, defamation, privacy, free speech, and remedies, including articles like "BP Oil Spill: Compensation, Agency Costs, and Restitution" (Washington & Lee Law Review, 2011) and "Asbestos Wars: In Three Parts" (Washington & Lee Law Review, 2014).

Professional Email: david.partlett@emory.edu