Dr Sarah Lothian

Lecturer and Academic Barrister, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, University of Wollongong
I am a Lecturer and Academic Barrister at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong.

I decided to embark upon a career in Academia after spending 12+ years in the legal profession. During my legal career I always endeavoured to build upon my academic credentials. In many ways, I enjoyed law school so much I never wanted to leave.

I completed my undergraduate studies in Arts and Law at the University of Sydney in 2008 and was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW and the High Court of Australia. Whilst working full time as a Solicitor in a busy boutique Sydney law firm, I completed my Masters in Family Law at the College of Law Sydney in 2012. After being called to the Bar of New South Wales in 2013 I decided to continue my studies. In 2016, I completed my Masters in Maritime Law at the University of Nottingham (With Distinction) and was awarded the School of Law’s Best Graduating Masters Student of 2016.

After successfully defending my PhD in law at the University of Sydney in November 2020 I secured a position as Lecturer at ANCORS. In this role, I draw upon my experience as a legal practitioner. I remain an active member of the New South Wales Bar and I am also admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales.

At ANCORS, I convene the Masters course on Maritime Regulation and Enforcement, and teach into a range of courses on law of the sea and other oceans governance issues. I also co-supervise Masters and PhD research projects in these areas.

My research focuses on the development of a new Implementing Agreement to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which will be dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). My research concerns each of the four elements of the BBNJ package deal including marine genetic resources, area-based management tools (marine protected areas), environmental impact assessments, capacity-building and marine technology transfer.

My recent book, Marine Conservation and International Law: Legal Instruments for Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (Routledge, 2022) provides a blueprint for an International Legally Binding Instrument (ILBI) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. The development of an ILBI could signify a pivotal turning point in the law of the sea by addressing regulatory, governance and institutional gaps and deficiencies in the existing international law framework for BBNJ.