Rate My Professor David Rolph

Professor David Rolph is a Professor of Law at the University of Sydney Law School, specialising in media law. He earned his BA (Hons) in 1997, LLB (Hons) in 1999, and PhD in Law in 2005, all from the University of Sydney. A journalist, publisher, lawyer, and alumnus of the University, he joined the Sydney Law School as a full-time academic in 2005. His academic career includes significant editorial and leadership roles. From 2007 to 2013, he served as editor of the Sydney Law Review, one of Australia’s leading generalist law journals. He sits on the editorial boards of the Media and Arts Law Review, Communications Law Bulletin, Communications Law, and the International Journal of the Semiotics of Law. Since 2015, he has been one of the editors of the New South Wales Law Reports. In November 2025, Professor Rolph was appointed Director of Judicial Liaison at the Sydney Law School. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law since 2018 and an Academic Member of Level 22 Chambers.

Professor Rolph’s research focuses on media law, including defamation, contempt of court, privacy, and breach of confidence. He is the author of several authoritative books, such as Defamation Law (Thomson Reuters, 1st ed., 2016), described as the definitive work on Australian defamation law; Reputation, Celebrity and Defamation Law (Ashgate, 2008); Contempt (Federation Press, 2023), the sole Australian textbook on contempt of court; and Rolph on Defamation (Thomson Reuters, 2nd ed.). He has published numerous book chapters and journal articles on these topics. His scholarship combines theoretical analysis with practical insights, addressing key issues like publication liability, defences, remedies, and reforms needed for digital contexts. Professor Rolph teaches media law units and is frequently cited in significant cases and sought for expert commentary on high-profile media law matters, underscoring his influence in the field.