Rate My Professor Shaun McCarthy

Associate Professor Shaun McCarthy serves as Director of Clinical Legal Research in the University of Newcastle School of Law and Justice and Director of the University of Newcastle Legal Centre. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Newcastle, a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University, and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University. Admitted as a solicitor to the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia, he maintains an unrestricted practising certificate from the Law Society of NSW. With prior experience as a lawyer at Legal Aid NSW advocating in courts, McCarthy also acts as Program Convenor for the Practice Program in Practical Legal Training and has served as Acting Head of Newcastle Law School during specific periods.

McCarthy's academic interests focus on clinical legal education and community engagement, public interest advocacy, miscarriage of justice investigations, client capacity, disability law, tribunals, professional conduct, human rights, social justice, and access to justice, contributing to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). His key publications include the book 'Working with Youth Violence: The Name.Narrate.Navigate Program' (2023, co-authored with Blakemore et al.), journal articles such as 'Digital health autonomy for people with communication or swallowing disability and the sustainable development goal 10 of reducing inequalities and goal 3 of good health and well-being' (International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 2023), 'Death by Choking or Dysphagia: A Review of Coronial Findings (Australia and Canada)' (Journal of Law and Medicine, 2022), and 'The Rise and Rise of Tribunals – Engaging Law Students in Tribunal Advocacy' (International Journal of Clinical Legal Education, 2014). He received the 2017 Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the Australian Awards for University Teaching, recognizing his leadership in clinical programs involving real client casework in public interest and human rights matters. McCarthy's influence extends to high-profile cases like the police shooting of Roni Levi and the wrongful detention of Cornelia Rau, alongside initiatives such as the 'Law on the Beach' clinic since 2004, the 'Know the Law' app for international students, the trauma-informed Name.Narrate.Navigate program for at-risk youth, and the Older Persons Legal Clinic supported by a $700,000 NSW Government grant. His multidisciplinary work promotes diversionary approaches and access to justice in the Hunter region and nationally.