Former NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery has been appointed a Visiting Professorial Fellow in the UNSW Faculty of Law.

Mr Cowdery stepped down as DPP earlier this year after 16 years in the role, during which time he led some of the nation's most high-profile and controversial cases including Ivan Milat, Gordon Wood and most recently Keli Lane.

Prior to his DPP appointment, Mr Cowdery spent nearly 20 years at the private bar in Sydney, largely in criminal law, both prosecuting and defending. He was president of the International Association of Prosecutors from 1999 to 2005, and the inaugural co-chair of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association, from 1995 until 2000.

He is human rights adviser to the Law Council of Australia and chair of its International Human Rights observer panel.

At UNSW Mr Cowdery will be involved in teaching, writing and student mentoring. He is the third recent appointee to the criminal justice program at UNSW Law, joining Professor Julie Stubbs and Professor Janet Chan.

Professor David Dixon, Dean of Law, said: "Nicholas Cowdery was not only the most prestigious prosecutor in our state's history, but he was also one of the best at taking a very public stance in calling for reform in criminal justice.

"UNSW is well-known for its strengths in criminal justice, and Nicholas is not only bringing distinguished and well-documented experience, but a dedicated passion to working with and mentoring our outstanding students so that they too can make their mark in society."

Read more at the UNSW Law website.

Contact: Steve Offner UNSW Media Office | 02 9385 8107