David Andrew Ipp AO QC (1938 – 8 October 2020) was a South African-born Australian lawyer, judge and Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption between 2009 and 2014.

Ipp was a judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Education

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Ipp was born in Johannesburg, where he attended Parktown Boys' High School. He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Stellenbosch.[1][2]

Career

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In 1964, Ipp became a partner at Hayman Godfrey & Sanderson Attorneys in Johannesburg. He was admitted to the South African bar in 1973.[2]

Ipp moved to Australia in 1981 and was admitted as a barrister in Western Australia. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1985.[1]

Ipp served as Treasurer of the Law Society of Western Australia in 1988. He was a Fellow at the University of Western Australia in 1999–2000, and was awarded an Inns of Court Fellowship at the University of London's Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in 1996–97.[2]

In 1994, Ipp was a Fulbright Senior Scholar. He was scholar in residence at the University of Virginia School of Law.[3]

From 1989 to 2002, Ipp served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. From 1993 to 2001, Ipp was also the Judge in Charge of the Civil List.[4] From 2001 to 2002 he was Acting Judge of Appeal of the NSW Court of Appeal before being appointed a Judge of Appeal in 2002.[1]

In 2008, Ipp was a visiting fellow at the Wolfson College, Cambridge.[citation needed]

Ipp also served as a judge on the Supreme Court of Fiji.[citation needed]

Ipp was a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and had been since 2000.[5]

Tort law reform

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Ipp was the Chairman of the Panel of Eminent Persons,[6] which former Australian Prime Minister John Howard established in 2002 to reform tort laws. The Panel produced its final report known as the Ipp Report on 30 September 2002.[7] Many of the recommendations in the report were taken up by state Parliaments in enacting new personal injury legislation.

In 2007, Ipp criticised the reforms which were introduced as a result of his recommendations, suggesting many of the reforms had gone too far.[8]

Independent Commission Against Corruption

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In November 2009, Ipp was appointed as the Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), replacing Jerrold Cripps QC whose fixed term had expired.[9] Ipp's fixed term as Commissioner was due to expire in November 2014; however in October 2013 he announced his retirement with effect from late January 2014, citing ill health.[10]

Death

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Ipp died in Sydney on 8 October 2020, aged 82.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Commissioner prowls, then pounces without a thought for mercy by Harriet Alexander & Linton Besser (Sydney Morning Herald, 2 November 2012)
  2. ^ a b c Who's Who in Australia
  3. ^ Ipp, "Reforms to the Adversarial Process in Civil Litigation"(1995) 69 ALJ 705.
  4. ^ Farewell Ceremony for The Honourable Justice Ipp AO upon the occasion of his retirement as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, 13 November 2009, http://www.supremecourt.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/agdbasev7wr/supremecourt/documents/pdf/ipp_speeches.pdf Archived 13 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Court of Arbitration for Sport, "Arbitrators (General List)", http://www.tas-cas.org/arbitrators-genlist Archived 13 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Panel of Eminent Persons Archived 20 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Review of the Law of Negligence Website
  7. ^ The Ipp Report Archived 20 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Government Treasury website
  8. ^ Tort changes went too far: judge by Chris Merritt (The Australian, 5 April 2007)
  9. ^ "Justice Ipp appointed ICAC Commissioner" (Press release). Independent Commission Against Corruption. 13 November 2009.
  10. ^ Nicholls, Sean; Whitbourn, Michaela (24 October 2013). "ICAC commissioner David Ipp announces retirement". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  11. ^ Whitbourn, Michaela; McClymont, Kate (9 October 2020). "Former ICAC Commissioner David Ipp dies aged 82". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Newspapers. Retrieved 9 October 2020.