Professor Alpana Roy describes her path to UNE Law School as “a long journey” that has taken her from legal practice to senior academic and leadership roles across Australia and New Zealand. She joined UNE from the University of Waikato where she served as Dean and Professor in the Faculty of Law. Now, as Head of Law School, that journey converges in Armidale with a clear focus on research excellence, student experience and community connection.
Professor Roy has published extensively in intellectual property law, internet and domain name law, traditional and Indigenous knowledge, and alternative dispute resolution. Alpana has held academic positions at various universities, including the University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Queensland, and Western Sydney University where she was Associate Dean (Research) in the School of Law. Professor Roy has held a range of senior leadership and management roles in both academia and legal practice over the course of her career.
Professor Roy also has extensive experience in legal practice in Australia and overseas, and has worked both as a solicitor and a barrister (at the Sydney Bar), and nationally accredited mediator. She has worked for large international corporate law firms, boutique law firms, the government, and in a range of in-house positions. She is also frequently engaged to work as a legal consultant for various private and public sector bodies, including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Alpana is admitted to practice in NSW, and is on the Roll of Legal Practitioners for the High Court of Australia. She has been involved in a number of leading cases in the Federal Court of Australia. As a nationally accredited mediator she has been appointed to a number of panels, including the NSW Law Society Mediators Panel, the District Court of NSW Mediators Panel, and the Family Law Settlement Service (FLSS) Panel.
Professor Roy's vision for UNE Law School centres on three interconnected priorities: research excellence, student experience, and community connection – local and global.
She is committed to maintaining and growing the School's established areas of research strength, international outreach, and expertise in online and distance education, as well as to deepening engagement with Indigenous and local communities. She is excited about strengthening ties with the local legal profession and UNE's expansion into Tamworth.
"Our Law School was established back in 1993 and we have an extraordinarily proud history," Professor Roy says. "I would very much like to maintain and grow our areas of research expertise and strengthen our connections — with students, with the profession, and with the communities we serve."
