Dr Lise Barry joined the teaching staff at Macquarie Law School in 2005 with a background working in mediation and Youth Justice Conferencing.

Today, Dr Barry is the Deputy Dean at Macquarie Law School, where she teaches Legal Ethics and Dispute Resolution courses in the Juris Doctor. Her research focuses on elder law as well as how lawyers interact with people who have cognitive impairment.

---

1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Provide leadership in the Law School relating to all things Learning and Teaching.

2)  The question I hear most often in my work is…
What’s the policy on …….? I work with lawyers – they like to know what the rules are!

3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Helping students achieve their goals and potential. I really love time in the classroom where I teach our Juris Doctor cohort and working with research students one-on-one is a joy.

4) This year I want to…
Spend more time offline, camping and exploring in beautiful places.

5) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
Sailing through rough seas in a huge timber ketch. Think ‘spartan training vessel’ rather than ‘luxury yacht’. The captain was 80 years old, the crew were a group of young homeless people from the refuge where I worked and I thought I was going to die. The kids thought it was hilarious though.

6) A place that’s special to me is…
Tonga. I lived there for a year with my husband and children. It is a beautiful country with a completely different pace to life. We have a lot to learn from our Pacific Island neighbours.

7) My guilty pleasure is…
Musk Sticks – an essential aid to marking assessments.

8) My hidden talent is…
Surf sports. I’m passionate about surf life-saving and compete in board, surf ski and iron-woman events. This year I won my first individual medal at the Australian Titles on the Gold Coast.

9) Something I’ve never done but wanted to try is…
The banjo. But my family may never forgive me for the year I spent trying to learn the violin. I don’t think I’ll press my luck.

10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
Winning a gold medal in the surf ski relay at the World Titles in France in 2016. We did a Steven Bradbury and came from behind to get a very unexpected gold. Sharing that with close friends was very special