Historical abuse emerged as a significant social issue over recent decades. However, claimants seeking compensation struggle to hold abusers accountable and receive fair compensation. Courts are reluctant to hold an organisation liable for deliberate, wrongful or criminal acts by its
Experience
Awards and Media
Professional Approach and Interest Areas
Experience
Peter is the Principal Lawyer and founder of O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors. Peter is a highly experienced criminal defence and civil lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in NSW and interstate.
Some of his key experiences prior to establishing the firm include:
- Co-founding the UTS Community Law and Legal Research Centre (1996);
- Working as a solicitor for the Children’s Legal Service of NSW;
- Working for the Katherine Regional Aboriginal Legal Aid Service in the Northern Territory (2001-2005);
- Receiving an Award for Outstanding Representation of Children and Young People from the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre (2002);
- Working in a senior role at the NSW Legal Aid Commission (2006-2008); and
- Lecturing within the Law Faculty at the University of Technology Sydney (2006-2013)
Since establishing O’Brien Criminal and Civil Solicitors Peter has:
- Worked on complex criminal matters and appeared in courts at all levels;
- Represented clients in defamation proceedings;
- Represented clients who have been granted Legal Aid;
- Acted for clients on a pro bono basis;
- Represented clients in all major Royal Commissions in the past decade;
- Represented multiple detainees in the Northern Territory Royal Commission, and subsequently being interviewed by Channel Nine’s 60 Minutes program about the case;
- Spoke at an SBS Forum on Juvenile Justice alongside Don Dale detainee Dylan Voller.
- Acting as the instructing solicitor in a false imprisonment case which created new law in Australia
- Co-authored a leading book in the area of intentional tort litigation.
- In 2016, Peter assisted the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse during the questioning of Cardinal George Pell.
- Represented Bill Spedding in a claim against the State of NSW for malicious prosecution, misfeasance in public office and abuses of process after he was arrested and charged during investigations into the disappearance of William Tryell. Peter alongside Speddings counsel worked to sucessfully award William Spedding $1.8 million in damages. Appeared on various News channels to discuss the case; including Four Corners and Channel 9.
- In 2024, O’Brien Solicitors will provide pro bono legal assistance to Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory by way of secondments with the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) in Alice Springs. Peter personally will assist in the Northern Territory for two weeks.
Of course his experience and successes extend far beyond this short list.
Awards and Media
Awards
- Recieved the Human Rights Law Award in 2016.
- Announced Doyles Recommended Lawyer in 2020.
- In 2023, The President of the Law Society NSW Cassandra Banks awarded Peter the prestigious Presidents Medal and praised Peter and the firm for their pro bono work, published textbooks, and their outstanding work in a recent case (Spedding) that has become a noteworthy precedent. The Law Society called him an advocate for the disadvantaged.
Media
- 2017, Principal Solicitor Peter O’Brien interviewed on Channel 7 News pressuring the Northern Terriroty to close Don Dale Detention Centre.
- Defamation case against Nationwide News Pty Ltd
- Man accused of killing intruder granted bail for second time.
- Don Dale inmates receive compensation for the abuse they sustained.
- Peter O’Brien’s cross-examination of Cardinal George Pell during the Abuse Royal Commission, March 2016
Professional Approach and Interest Areas
Recent Articles by Peter O'Brien
**Section 203E of the Crimes Act 1900** establishes an offence for intentionally causing a fire and being reckless as to the spread of the fire to vegetation on public land or land belonging to another. This bushfire arson offence carries
May 18, 2023
If you are or someone you know is under 18 years of age and has been charged with a minor drug offence, there’s a way to avoid court proceedings. Under the Young Offenders Act 1997 (NSW), youth diversion programs can be
May 10, 2023
What is Operation Amarok II? This was a 4-day high-impact operation across NSW targeting the state’s most dangerous domestic violence high-risk offenders. The operation ran from Wednesday (19 April 2023) to Saturday (22 April 2023). Officers from all police area
May 3, 2023
Money laundering is the process of disguising the proceeds of illegal activity as legitimate funds. Anti-Money Laundering laws have been established to prevent this activity and to prosecute those who engage in it. In NSW, these laws have been strengthened
April 12, 2023
The Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) recently released a report on the homicide rate in Australia for the year 2020-2021. The report includes data from State and Territory police forces. It reveals that there were 210 homicide incidents on record,
March 29, 2023