Olivia Ronan

Date of admission to the Bar
2024

Areas of practice

• Administrative & public law
• Appellate practice
• Commercial law
• Commissions of inquiry & inquests
• Constitutional law
• Intellectual property
• Media & defamation law
• Public & private international law
• Trade practices & competition law

Background
Before coming to the Bar, Olivia was Counsel Assisting the Solicitor-General of the Commonwealth (Dr Stephen Donaghue KC). In that role, she appeared as counsel for the Commonwealth in three High Court appeals from Stradford (a pseudonym) v Judge Vasta [2023] FCA 1020, concerning judicial immunity of inferior court judges and a common law defence for gaolers to false imprisonment claims.

Olivia was previously Counsel (Senior Lawyer) in the Office of General Counsel at the Australian Government Solicitor. Her practice involved advising Commonwealth agencies, including during the course of litigation, on questions of constitutional law, public law and complex statutory construction.

Olivia was Associate to Justice Jacqueline Gleeson of the High Court of Australia and Justice Nye Perram of the Federal Court of Australia.

Olivia holds a Master of Laws, a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, and a Licentiate in Music (Flute Performance). She has taught constitutional law at the Australian National University, and is the Chair of the Board of Inner City Legal Centre.

Olivia was the recipient of the Katrina Dawson Award for 2024. She also received the Peteris Ginters Prize for the highest marks in the Ethics Bar Exam for 2024.