Rate My Professor Amanda Head

Dr Amanda Head is a Senior Lecturer (Teaching and Leadership) at Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University. She holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws with first-class honours, and completed her PhD at Macquarie University. Her doctoral thesis, titled 'Presumption and the law: a critical evaluation of presumption in the Australian legal regimes governing the financial consequences on cessation of non-marital relationships through death or dissolution,' examines key issues in family provision and property claims. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a solicitor in private practice specialising in family law and is a certified practising accountant. Head's research specialisation is in family law and succession law, particularly the rights and obligations of parties to non-marital relationships under legislative regimes. She is available to supervise higher degree by research theses in these areas. Key publications include 'Assessing law students in a GenAI world to create knowledgeable future lawyers' (2024, co-authored with Sonya Willis), published in the International Journal of the Legal Profession; 'Children’s access to justice: an examination of a child’s right to participate in parenting decisions in Australian family law' (2023, co-authored with Francesca Dominello), in Human Rights and Legal Services for Children and Youth: Global Perspectives; and 'The legal recognition of close personal relationships in New South Wales - a case for reform' (2011), in the Flinders Law Journal.

Dr Head has earned recognition for her innovative contributions to legal education, including developing peer-review workshops, support groups for mature-age Bachelor of Laws students, and AI-enhanced learning initiatives that foster student engagement, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Her approaches have led to increased participation, enjoyment of assessments, and ongoing mentorship requests from former students. Awards include the Vice-Chancellor's Learning & Teaching Sessional Staff Award (Winner, 2021); Highly Commended, Vice-Chancellor's Learning and Teaching Innovation Award (2023, team with Mareike Riedel); Faculty of Arts Learning & Teaching Educational Leader Award: Pioneering AI-Enhanced Learning Across Multiple Disciplines (2024, team); and Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Education (2025, team). She teaches core units such as The Law of Obligations I - Contracts and Law, Lawyers and Society, influencing the adaptation of legal assessments to generative AI technologies.