Quilter, Julia Dr

Professor Quilter enjoys a national and international reputation for research excellence in the field of criminal law and justice. Prof Quilter is currently leading a number of projects on sexual assault law law reform - work that began more than 20 years ago when she completed a PhD thesis on the topic (2000). Prof Quilter is leading the ARC funded project ‘Intoxication Evidence in Rape Trials: A Double-Edged Sword?’ (DP200100101) which is the first Australian multi-jurisdictional study of sexual assault trials and how evidence of intoxication is used in such trials. She is also leading a study into the experiences of complainants in adult sexual offence trials in NSW, commissioned by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice (NSW), which will analyse over 75 NSW sexual offence trials. Prof Quilter recently completed a commissioned report for the Victorian Law Reform Commission for the ‘Improving the Response of the Justice System to Sexual Offences’: Qualitative Study of Rape Trials in the County Court of Victoria, 2014-2019 (August 2021) (co-authored with Professor Luke McNamara). Prof Quilter is also a Chief Investigator on the ARC funded project, ‘Violence, Risk and Safety: The Changing Face of Australian Criminal Laws’ in collaboration with Prof McNamara (UNSW), Emeritus Prof Brown (UNSW), Hon Prof Hogg (UNSW), Prof Loughnan (USyd) and Prof Farmer (Glasgow) (DP210101072). She is a regular media commentator on criminal justice issues having given over 100+ interviews. 

Since 2010 she has taught criminal law and criminal justice at the School of Law, University of Wollongong. In 2015 she was the recipient of an OLT national Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Teaching and Learning as part of the First Year Law Integration Team. In 2016, she was named one of UOW’s Women of Impact and she discusses her research and experiences in this video: Justice in Law.

Before commencing her full-time academic career, Prof Quilter spent a decade practising criminal and public law as both a solicitor at the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office and as a barrister at the NSW Solicitor General and Crown Advocate’s Chambers. Prof Quilter is a graduate of the University of Sydney (Arts, Honours Class 1 English with the University Medal, 1993), the University of New South Wales (Bachelor of Laws with the University Medal, 2000) and Monash University (Doctor of Philosophy, 2000).