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CALD Lifetime Achievement Award

About the Award

This prestigious award honours individuals with a career spanning 25+ years who have made a significant and sustained contribution to legal education and/or research.

Supporting Documents

Nominations must include a cover letter and either the nominee’s resume or a link to the nominee’s online profile.

These will be assessed by the CALD Executive against the following criteria:

  1. National or international expertise in their field
  2. Evidence of sustained leadership and collaboration in legal education and/or legal research
  3. Recognition of national or international influence and impact in legal education and/or legal research
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Past Winners

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2025

Professor Alex Steel

Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales.

Professor Steel’s career as a legal academic spans over 30 years, of which he has been in senior leadership positions for the last 16 years. His contributions to legal education, within UNSW, nationally and internationally, have been transformative, reflecting a sustained commitment to excellence, leadership, and collaboration. His leadership in fostering networks, developing national standards, and mentoring educators has left a lasting legacy on the field. His unwavering commitment to collaboration, mentorship, and excellence has not only shaped the careers of many colleagues but has also set new benchmarks for legal education in Australia.

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2021

Emeritus Professor Ian Malkin

Melbourne Law School

Professor Malkin’s teaching has inspired and had a lasting impression on colleagues and students over 35+ years at Melbourne Law School (MLS). Professor Malkin has developed, coordinated and delivered a range of law units and has been involved in broader curriculum development and review. His teaching and learning service, leadership and impact extends well beyond MLS, to the whole of the University of Melbourne, and he has also provided leadership in legal education more broadly at a national level. Professor Malkin’s curriculum development is innovative and he has co-authored leading textbooks in his area of expertise, along with co-authored articles that are a valuable contribution to legal education scholarship. The nomination for this award demonstrates a singularly student-centred approach to teaching which has influenced generations of law students at MLS.

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2022

Dr Penny Carruthers

University of Western Australia

Dr Carruthers for sustained commitment in developing challenging and inspirational learning journeys for law students – in the classroom, through the curriculum, and through broader student experiences

Excellence in Teaching: Outstanding Career Achievement Award

2024

Emeritus Professor Brendan Edgeworth

University of New South Wales

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Award

2020

Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley

Australian National University.

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Award

2022

Professor Ian Ramsay

University of Melbourne.

Lifetime Achievement Legal Research Award

2023

Professor Emerita Anne Twomey

University of Sydney