Andrea Durbach

Andrea Durbach is a human rights advocate and political trial lawyer.

Born and educated in South Africa, Durbach practised as a political trial lawyer and human rights advocate, representing victims and opponents of apartheid laws. In 1988 she was appointed solicitor to 25 black defendants in a notorious death penalty case in South Africa and later published an account of her experiences in Upington (Allen & Unwin 1999), which was shortlisted for the Alan Paton Non-Fiction Award. In 2011, the documentary, A Common Purpose, which is based on the book, was screened at the Sydney Film Festival, winning the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

After settling in Australia in 1989, Andrea has worked as a solicitor, public interest advocate, an academic and as Director of UNSW’s Australian Human Rights Centre.