Peter O'Brien

Peter O'Brien is the Principal Solicitor of O'Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors and Australia's leading expert in intentional torts litigation, with over 25 years of experience securing landmark victories in malicious prosecution and unlawful imprisonment cases. Author of Intentional Tort Litigation in Australia and recipient of the Law Council of Australia President's Medal, Peter has achieved record-breaking compensation for clients and is widely recognised for his unwavering commitment to access to justice.

Medical Business Retaliates Against a Reviewer By Doxxing Them

A reviewer leaves an honest one-star review of a business. Happens every day, right? However, unusually, the business doesn’t just disagree in its public reply. Instead, it publishes the reviewer’s full name and email address.  That’s not just a bad customer service moment. It’s a privacy breach, potentially defamation, and one of the more disorienting […]

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Medical Business Retaliates Against a Reviewer By Doxxing Them

“Submit the Footage and You’ll Be Fine”: What a Reddit Mistaken-Identity Radar Thread Gets Right

A driver posted to r/AusLegal describing a highway patrol stop: a car of the same make and similar colour had sped past them moments earlier. Shortly after, a highway patrol officer pulled them over, alleging they were doing 30 km/h over the posted limit off a radar reading. Thankfully, the driver had a dashcam. It

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"Submit the Footage and You'll Be Fine": What a Reddit Mistaken-Identity Radar Thread Gets Right, and Where It Doesn't

NSW’s New Organised Crime Laws: What Doubled Penalties and Facial Recognition Powers Mean If You’re Ever Investigated

Big changes are coming organised crime. On 6 August 2026, the NSW Government introduced the Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Further Organised Crimes Reforms) Bill 2026, backed by a $126.6 million budget package. The Bill has not passed yet, but is expected to soon.  Premier Chris Minns stated: “Organised crime has changed, and our laws

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NSW's New Organised Crime Laws

What the Charges in Sydney’s $80M Vape and Tobacco Bust Actually Mean

On 13 August 2026, investigators from the Multi-Agency Strike Team executed five warrants, dismantling two criminal networks allegedly built on illicit vape and tobacco importation. Seven people have been charged, and the dollar figure attached to the bust? an estimated $80 million.  The charge sheet is the important thing in a case like this. “Directing

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Title banner: Directing a Criminal Group, Proceeds of Crime Charges Explained, with a gavel and scales against a dark, smoky cityscape background.

Police Officer Convicted of Assaulting Our Client During a Sydney Arrest

Our client was a teenager when he was arrested at the end of a police pursuit in Sydney’s west.  What happened during that arrest left him injured, and led to something that rarely happens in cases against the police. When someone alleges excessive force by police, the officer involved is rarely criminally charged and convicted.

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Police Officer Convicted of Assaulting Our Client During a Sydney Arrest

Illicit Tobacco Charges in NSW: The New Landlord Offence and What Closure Orders Actually Mean

On 1 July 2026, it became a criminal offence in NSW to be a commercial landlord who knowingly lets a tenant sell illicit tobacco or illegal vapes from your building. The maximum penalty? A year in prison, a fine of $165,000, or both. This is a big change. Before that, the legal risk in the

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Closure notice NSW

Privacy Breach in NSW: Your Rights and How to Make a Complaint

Finding out that your personal information has been mishandled or used in a way you never agreed to, is an unsettling feeling. If this happens to you, here is what you should do.  You need to understand what the organisation responsible must do, and what you can actually do about the privacy breach.  This guide

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Privacy breach What to do if your privacy has been breached

Drug Supply Prohibition Orders in NSW: The Warrantless Search Power That Was Repealed

For two years, a person in Bankstown, the Orana Mid-Western area, Coffs-Clarence or the Hunter Valley could be searched by police without a warrant if a Drug Supply Prohibition Order was in force against them. However, that order could be based on a serious drug conviction from the previous 10 years. Importantly, it also did

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Australian court house with city in background

Strip Search Leads To Criminal Charges: Viral Reddit Post on WA Woman’s Strip Search

A young woman posted on Reddit that she was arrested, held overnight, and strip searched in WA, even though no one suggested she was hiding anything.  Her question is simple: Was that allowed? The thread is taking off, with hundreds of comments. It quickly lands on an uncomfortable idea: that the “consent” police ask for

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woman distressed looking at phone
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