Professor Pauline Ridge is a private law scholar and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Her articles and book chapters concerning equity, restitution, property and contract law have been cited by judges and commentators across the common law world. She co-edited Fault Lines in Equity (Hart Publishing, 2012) and is co-author, with Professor Joachim Dietrich, of Accessories in Private Law (Cambridge University Press, 2015). The book provides an analytical framework and doctrinal exposition of accessory liability, referring to all common law jurisdictions, with an Anglo-Australian focus. Her doctrinal and historical research into the legal regulation of religious financing is also highly regarded.This work has led Pauline into human rights law, particularly the right to freedom of religion, which she is now exploring in the context of private law.
Pauline has given interviews, written opinion pieces and made government submissions on a range of religion and law topics, including the reform of religious charity law and the implications of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse for the confessional seal. She is a former Director for the Centre for Commercial Law at the ANU College of Law and member of the Charity Law Association, Australia and New Zealand. In 2013 she was a Visiting Fellow, Asian Law Institute, National University of Singapore. Most recently, she was a visitor at Oxford Brooke University's Centre for Commercial Religion (February, 2019) and the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society, University of Victoria, Canada.
Pauline studied at the Australian National University (where she received a University Medal) and the University of Oxford (BCL).
Awards
| 2007 | ANU College of Law Dean's Cup for Collegiality |
Significant research publications
View more publications on the ANU Researchers website
View more publications on the ANU Researchers website
Link to ANU researchers profile
Research biography
Professor Pauline Ridge is an internationally recognised private law scholar.
Her articles and book chapters concerning equity, restitution, property and contract law are read and cited by judges and commentators across the common law world. She co-edited Fault Lines in Equity (Hart Publishing, 2012) and is co-author, with Professor Joachim Dietrich, of Accessories in Private Law (Cambridge University Press, 2015). The book provides an analytical framework and doctrinal exposition of accessory liability, referring to all common law jurisdictions, with an Anglo-Australian focus. Her doctrinal and historical research into the legal regulation of religious financing is also highly regarded.This work has led Pauline into human rights law, particularly the right to freedom of religion, which she is now exploring in the context of private law.
Pauline has given interviews, written opinion pieces and made government submissions on a range of religion and law topics, including the reform of religious charity law and the implications of mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse for the confessional seal. She is a former Director for the Centre for Commercial Law at the ANU College of Law and member of the Charity Law Association, Australia and New Zealand. In 2013 she was a Visiting Fellow, Asian Law Institute, National University of Singapore. Most recently, she was a visitor at Oxford Brooke University's Centre for Commercial Religion.
Books & edited collections
Refereed journal articles
Book chapters
Conference papers & presentations
Commissioned reports
Government submissions
Case notes & book reviews
Other
Currently supervising
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Topic: 'Recognising and Responding to Economic Forms of Domestic Violence in Private Law' (funded by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Topic: topic
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Topic: A question of coherence? Property in discretionary trusts for the purposes of bankruptcy and family law in Australia.
PhD supervision
I am willing to supervise in the areas of:
I have previously supervised:
Current PhD supervision:
SJD supervision
I am willing to supervise in the areas listed above under PhD supervision.
MPhil supervision
I am willing to supervise in the areas listed above under PhD supervision.
LLM Masters thesis supervision
I am willing to supervise in the areas listed above under PhD supervision.
Honours thesis supervision
I am willing to supervise in the areas listed above under PhD supervision.
Current courses
| Year | Course code | Course name |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Class #7135 | Equity and Trusts |
| 2023 | Class #5442 | Equity and Trusts |
| 2023 | Class #4139 | Restitution |
| 2023 | Class #4140 | Restitution |
| 2023 | Class #1576 | Equity and Contemporary Issues |
Previous courses
| Year | Course code | Course name |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Class #5207 | Equity and Trusts |
| 2021 | Class #5562 | Equity and Trusts |
| 2021 | Class #4287 | Restitution |
| 2021 | Class #4288 | Restitution |
| 2021 | Class #4635 | Modern Equity: Concepts and Principles |
Philosophy & approach
I teach in my areas of research expertise (which encompass the law of equity, restitution law, and law and religion). I love my subject matter and I really want my law students to love it too. I am also conscious that many of them will become professional lawyers: their university education has a direct and profound effect upon the clients they serve and so there is legal content and skills that they must master. I have a responsibility to society as well as to my students in this respect. Experience has taught me that many law students are anxious about their academic performance, time-poor and lack confidence. Therefore, pastoral care is an integral part of my teaching philosophy. I believe very strongly in supporting my students so that they can maximize their learning, whilst also being intellectually true to the subject matter. My aim is to be fully present to my students in my teaching through developing mindful and respectful relationships with them. I use humour in order to lessen anxiety and because it is a natural part of my personality. I aim to facilitate a process of independent and “deep” learning because I believe that students are more likely to understand material that they have grappled with for themselves. I do this by being a guide (choosing relevant material, teaching formats, assessment schemes, etc), commentator (giving my expert analysis of the law) and coach (encouraging, motivating and caring for them). My greatest satisfactions as a teacher include when I see the ‘lightbulb’ come on in relation to a tricky legal rule, when I see genuine enthusiasm being sparked, and when former students stay in touch. In conclusion, I try to teach in such a way that my students truly enjoy their learning, master the relevant legal content and associated skills and are enabled to make a valuable contribution to society.
Past courses
