Rate My Professor Tony Foley

Professor Tony Foley is an Emeritus Professor in the ANU College of Law at the Australian National University, within the Law faculty. He earned a BA, LLM (Hons), Master of Dispute Resolution (Distinction), and PhD from ANU. A leading scholar in institutional responses to criminal wrongdoing, restorative justice, legal education, the legal profession, and lawyer wellbeing, Foley has published extensively in these fields. Notable publications include 'Lawyer wellbeing, workplace experiences and ethics: a research report' (2025, with V. Holmes, J. Webb, S. Tang, S. Ainsworth), 'Sexual Harassment & Legal Profession Regulation: Is Strengthening Ethical Culture the Answer?' (2021, Law Institute Journal, with V. Holmes, T. Foley, J. Webb, S. Ainsworth), 'Ethical Climate, Job Satisfaction and Wellbeing: Observations from an Empirical Study of New Australian Lawyers' (2020, Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics, with S. Tang, V. Holmes), 'Ethical misconduct by new Australian lawyers: prevalence and prevention' (2020, International Journal of the Legal Profession, with S. Tang, V. Holmes), and 'Changing institutional culture in the wake of clerical abuse–the essentials of restorative and legal regulation' (2019, Contemporary Justice Review). He also co-authored ACT Law Reform Advisory Council reports: 'Becoming a restorative city' (2018) and a report on the Guardianship and Management of Property Act 1991 (2016, with F. Tito Wheatland, S. Rice).

Foley's career includes serving as Interim Pro Vice-Chancellor (University Experience) from 2019 to 2020, Chair of the ACT Law Reform Advisory Council from 2016 to 2018, Director of Clinical Programs at ANU College of Law from 2011 to 2017, Duty Solicitor at ACT Legal Aid from 2005 to 2015, Associate Director Research at ANU College of Law from 2009 to 2010, and member of the Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory Complaints Committee from 2007 to 2012. He is a Senior Member of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal and leader of the Transition to Practice Research Group. Foley has received the 2015 Office for Learning and Teaching Australian Award for University Teaching Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning, the 2014 ANU Vice-Chancellor's Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning for clinical legal education, and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). He has presented research at international conferences, including the European Forum for Restorative Justice in Belfast (2014) and the Law and Society Association Conference in Minneapolis (2014), contributing to advancements in legal practice ethics and restorative justice.