Teaching Strengths
Ms Brooke Washusen
Higher Degree by Research Candidate
School of Law
College of Business and Law
Brooke is a PhD Candidate at the School of Law. Her research focuses on modern concepts of family and how succession law can be reformed to better accommodate these structures. She is also a Sessional Academic at the School of Law and has experience teaching Succession, Law Reform and Criminal Law.
Brooke is also a Researcher with the South Australian Law Reform Institute (SALRI) where she has worked across a number of projects including Communication Partners (2021), Supported-Decision Making (2024-2025), the Review of the Real Property Act (2024-2025), where she was the Lead Researcher, and Indigenous Jury Participation (2025-2026).
Prior to her candidature, Brooke practised in the areas of succession and family law, and had a particular interest in family provision claims.
In addition to succession law, Brooke also has research interests in criminal law and family law, including how these laws impact women, children and members of the LGBTIQA+ community.
Brooke's PhD candidature is supported by an RTP Scholarship. She is also the receipient of the Baker Scholarship in Law for 2026.
| Date | Position | Institution name |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 - ongoing | Sessional Academic | Adelaide University |
| 2024 - 2025 | Sessional Academic | University of Adelaide |
| 2021 - ongoing | Research Assistant | South Australian Law Reform Institute |
| Date | Type | Title | Institution Name | Country | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Scholarship | Baker Scholarship in Law | Adelaide University | Australia | $10,000 |
| 2025 | Teaching Award | Excellence in Sessional Teaching | Adelaide Law School | Australia | - |
| 2024 | Achievement | Certificate of High Achievement: WEP2 - Law and Practice of Estates - NSW | The College of Law Australia | Australia | - |
| 2024 | Achievement | Certificate of High Achievement: FLP1 - Foundations of Family Law Practice - VIC | The College of Law Australia | Australia | - |
| 2023 | Achievement | Certificate of High Achievement: WEP1 - Foundations of Wills & Estates Practice | The College of Law Australia | Australia | - |
| 2021 | Award | Executive Dean Award for Embedded Indigenous Knowledge | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| 2020 | Recognition | Dean's Commendation for the Completion of the LLB with Distinction | University of Adelaide | Australia | - |
| Date | Institution name | Country | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 - 2025 | The College of Law Australia | Australia | Masters of Law (Applied Law) |
| 2020 - 2021 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice |
| 2016 - 2020 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Laws |
| 2016 - 2020 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Diploma in Languages |
| 2016 - 2019 | University of Adelaide | Australia | Bachelor of Arts |
| Date | Title | Institution name | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Admission to Practice as a Barrister and Solicitor | High Court of Australia | Australia |
| 2021 | Admission to Practice as a Barrister and Solicitor | Supreme Court of South Australia | Australia |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Plater, D., Washusen, B., & Villios, S. (2025). One Shall Not Kill and Profit from their Crime (Except in “Exceptional Circumstances”): The new South Australian Forfeiture Act 2024. The Bulletin (The Law Society of South Australia). |
| 2025 | Washusen, B., Plater, D., Lawrie, K., & Williams, J. (2025). Barriers to Indigenous Participation on Juries: A South Australian Research Study. The Bulletin (The Law Society of South Australia). |
| 2025 | Plater, D., & Washusen, B. (2025). 'A Lasting Boon upon the Australian People’? SALRI Reviews the Real Property Act and Torrens System. Bulletin (Law Society of South Australia), August. |
| 2025 | Washusen, B. (2025). Money Saver or Money Drainer? The Perils of Home Kit Wills. The Bulletin (The Law Society of South Australia). |
| 2024 | Plater, D., & Washusen, B. (2024). The need for new solutions? Establishing a legal framework for supported decision-making. The Bulletin (The Law Society of South Australia). |
| 2024 | Plater, D., Babie, P., & Washusen, B. (2024). The Torrens System 166 Years on: SALRI's Timely Review of the Real Property Act. The Bulletin (The Law Society of South Australia), 1-8. |
| 2023 | Washusen, B. (2023). What will happen when I’m gone? An overview of burial rights. The Bulletin (The Law Society of South Australia). |
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Babie, P., Plater, D., Washusen, B., Villios, S., Brunacci, A., Williams, J., . . . Neumann, M. (2025). ‘A Lasting Boon Upon the Australian People’: A Review of the Role and Operation of the Real Property Act 1886 (20). Adelaide, SA: South Australian Law Reform Institute. |
| 2025 | Villios, S., Plater, D., Conroy, E., Giancaspro, M., Nosworthy, B., Spyrou, P., . . . Washusen, B. (2025). The Need for New Solutions? Establishing Legal Frameworks for Supported Decision-Making in South Australia (21). Adelaide: South Australian Law Reform Institute. |
| 2021 | Plater, D., Nicholls, H., Basso, S., Brunacci, A., Holt, J., Jacobs, J., . . . Washusen, B. (2021). Providing a Voice to the Vulnerable: A study of Communication Assistance in South Australia (16). Adelaide: South Australian Law Reform Institute. |
| Date | Funding Body/ Scholarship Name | Funding Type | Project | Collaborators | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Baker Scholarship in Law | Scholarship | Who is Family? Reconsidering Familial Structures in Contemporary Succession Law | - | $10,000 |
| 2025 | Research Training Program | Scholarship | Who is Family? Reconsidering Familial Structures in Contemporary Succession Law | - | $35,300 pa |
| 2025 | Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration | Grant | Legal Barriers to Indigenous Participation on Australian Juries | Prf John Williams, APrf David Plater, Adj Prf Geoff Muecke and Katelin Lawrie | $14,585 |
Brooke is currently teaching into LAWS1008 - The Law of Succession as a Seminar Leader.
Brooke also has experience teaching into the following subjects:
- Succession Law (Lecturer, Seminar Leader, Course Developer and Marker)
- Criminal Law (Seminar Leader, Guest Lecturer and Marker)
- Law Reform (Guest Lecturer and Marker)
| Date | Role | Committee | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 - ongoing | Representative | College of Business and Law Student Experience and Success Committee | Adelaide University | Australia |
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | SA Chapter Executive | Pride in Law | Australia |
| 2023 - ongoing | Member | The Bulletin | The Law Society of South Australia | Australia |
| 2021 - 2026 | Member | John Bray Alumni Network | The University of Adelaide | Australia |
| Date | Role | Membership | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Member | Pride in Law | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | The Law Society of South Australia | Australia |
| 2021 - ongoing | Member | John Bray Alumni Network | Australia |
| Date | Office Name | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 - ongoing | Graduate Research Student Representative (School of Law) | Adelaide University | Australia |
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