Brenda McGivern

Dr Brenda McGivern is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the UWA Law School, The University of Western Australia. Her current professional roles include:

• Principal Registrar, District Court of Western Australia
• Chair, Clinical Ethics Service for the WA Child and Adolescent Health Service
• Member, Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration (AIJA)

Previously, she served as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Education and Deputy Dean of the Law School at UWA, and as a Member of the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).

Her academic qualifications are:

• PhD in Law (University of Tasmania, thesis: 'Interventions in Perinatal Medicine: A Jurisdictional Analysis')
• LLB (Hons) in Law
• BCom in Commerce

Dr McGivern's principal research interests span Health Law, Torts, Insurance Law, and Jurisdiction, with specialized focus on Clinical Ethics and Bioethics. Her work addresses professional regulation, liability frameworks, and risk management in healthcare and insurance contexts, reflecting her dual expertise in legal practice and academic scholarship.

Her publications from 2008-2016 demonstrate consistent exploration of duty concepts across legal domains, particularly occupiers' liability and insurance contract obligations. Key themes include the evolution of post-contractual good faith duties, statutory-common law interplay in premises liability, and medical decision-making for minors, showcasing interdisciplinary methodology bridging doctrinal analysis with practical application.

No scientific awards are documented in available sources.

Dr McGivern has supervised at least one research student. While specific grant details are unreported, her leadership roles indicate active research engagement and institutional contribution.

She directs the Clinical Ethics Service for WA Child and Adolescent Health and contributes to judicial administration through the AIJA, maintaining significant operational involvement in ethics oversight and legal policy development.