Dr Gillian Dempsey has over 25 years trial and appellate experience, regularly appearing unled against Kings/Senior Counsel, predominantly in the Federal Court of Australia, as well as Supreme Courts of Queensland, ACT and NSW.  Experienced in eCourt trials and appeals and on Commercial and Corporations Lists.

From 2004 to 2006 she worked with the Australian Government Solicitor in Canberra, acting for Commonwealth departments and agencies.

Dr Dempsey established the Federal Court’s jurisdiction to hear defamation cases in Crosby v Kelly (2012) 203 FCR 451; [2012] FCAFC 96 and for real property matters being accrued to the bankruptcy jurisdiction of the Federal Court through Barnden (Trustee), in the matter of Ross (Bankrupt) v Macedo [2026] FCA 8 and (No 3) [2026] FCA 21.

Her principal areas of practice are defamation and media law (including social media publications), intellectual property and corporations law, with expertise in directors duties, insolvency and bankruptcy.

Known for her exemplary cross-examination skills, with particular expertise in public examinations for liquidators and bankruptcy trustees and challenging the credit of lay and expert witnesses from various disciplines.

She advises and presents on digital evidence, digital forgery and artificial intelligence, including to the Chief Justice and judges of Queensland and to the Queensland Law Reform Commission (2026).

Director, Electronic Frontiers Australia

Professor, MIT Sloan School of Management & QUT Business School:
Convenor, Intellectual Property Strategy and Management

Distinguished Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

Visiting Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

Australian Government Solicitor

Visiting Professor, College of Law, Arizona State University

Senior Lecturer, TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland

Graduate Sub-Dean, Commerce

Books

Kobetsky, M., Dirkis, M., O'Connell, A., Dempsey, G and Krever, R., (2002) Income Tax: Text Materials and Essential Cases, 3rd Edition, Federation Press

Grabosky, P., Smith, R.G., and Dempsey, G.C. (2001) Electronic Theft: Unlawful Acquisition in Cyberspace Cambridge University Press, reprinted 2010.

Journal Articles

Cappa, C. and Dempsey, G.C. (2004) “Moving Far from the Familiar Coastline: Proposed Amendments to the Trade Practices Act and Damages for Mental Injury”, Tort Law Review, Vol. 12, pp. 71-84.

Dempsey, G.C. and Greinke, A.J. (2004) “Proscriptive Fiduciary Duties in Australia” Australian Bar Review, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 1-13.

• Article cited with approval by the Full Federal Court in Expectation Pty Ltd v PRD Realty Pty Ltd (2004) 140 FCR 17 and by NSW Court of Appeal in Brown v NSW [2008] NSWCA 287

Clarke, R.A. and Dempsey, G.C. (2001) “The Feasibility of Regulating Gambling on the Internet” Managerial and Decision Economics, Vol. 22, pp 125-132.

Dempsey, G.C. (1999) “Industrial Espionage: Criminal or Civil Remedies” Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No.106, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra (refereed paper series).

Dempsey, G.C. (1999) “Revisiting Intellectual Property Policy: Information Economics for the Information Age” Prometheus, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 33-40.

Dempsey, G.C. (1997) “Socio-Legal Research and Insider Trading in Australia - A Rejoinder” Australia and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 1 - 4.

Dempsey, G.C. (1996) “Socio-Legal Research and Insider Trading in Australia” Australia and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 265 - 275.

Dempsey, G.C. (1995) “Evolution of Copyright Protection for Computer Programs in Australia” Law and Policy Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 282 - 309.

Presentations

“Digital Forgery and Evidence in the Courts”, presentation to the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court of Queensland, Brisbane, 25 March 2026 (chaired by Megan Mahon, Legal Services Commissioner)

“Digital Evidence and Artificial Intelligence – Opportunities for Queensland’s Evidence Law Reform”, discussion paper submitted to the Queensland Law Reform Commission, 27 May 2026

“Digital Evidence Reform”, presentation to President Fleur Kingham, Chair, Queensland Law Reform Commission, 3 June 2026

Called to the Bar in 1999

Doctor of Philosophy (ANU)

“Knowledge and Innovation in Intellectual Property: The Case of Computer Program Copyright”,
nominated for JG Crawford Prize for best doctoral thesis.

Bachelor of Laws with first class honours (ANU)

Various subject prizes including Blackburn Medal for Scholarship in Law and the Freehill Hollingdale & Page Award for Commercial Studies.

Graduate Diploma of Higher Education (Teaching) (ANU)