Richard Anicich AM

An experienced non-executive director and board chair, for most of his professional life Richard was a partner of Sparke Helmore (1981-2017), a national law firm with its origins in Newcastle but now with almost 850 people in nine offices across Australia including in each mainland capital city. Richard was the national leader of the Commercial Disputes and Insolvency practice and a partner in the Construction Projects & Infrastructure group. He is still a consultant with Sparke Helmore.

Richard currently chairs the Board of the Committee for the Hunter, a regional advocacy and thought leadership think tank, and also the Boards of Hunter Primary Care Ltd and Rural and Remote Medical Services Ltd, both not for profits in the health care sector. In 2014 he was appointed a Conjoint Professor of Practice in the School of Law at the University of Newcastle and he currently serves on the Advisory Boards for the School of Law and for the Faculty of Business and Law at that University.

In 2018 Richard was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to the community of the Hunter, to business development and medical research, and to the law”.   

Being one of the “originals” at UNSW Law is a privilege I have always cherished. It was a great opportunity to be part of something new and different and experimental. The small class sizes, the teaching methods focused on critical thinking and classroom discussion and the enthusiasm of the small band of academic staff lead by Professor Hal Wooten set us up for success in whatever career path we ultimately followed.