Kerry McAuliffe is an Australian lawyer who was admitted to the bar in Australia in 1968 and later worked as a partner of Mallesons Stephen Jaques, a commercial law firm. He holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Australia.
Education
McAuliffe studied law at the University of Western Australia, where he completed a Bachelor of Laws. The university was established in 1911 by an act of the Parliament of Western Australia, making it the state's first university. It opened to students in 1913 and was described at its founding as the first free university in the British Empire, promoting equal access to tertiary education.
The university's law faculty was added in 1927, several decades after its first faculties were created. His admission to the bar in Australia in 1968 marked his entry into the legal profession.
Career
McAuliffe worked as a partner of Mallesons Stephen Jaques, an Australian commercial law firm. The firm traced its origins to 1832 in Western Australia and adopted the Mallesons Stephen Jaques name in 1987, when it was one of the country's leading 'Big Six' law firms.
In 2012 the firm combined with the Chinese firm King & Wood to form King & Wood Mallesons, an international alliance that included the British firm SJ Berwin. That partnership was dissolved on 30 March 2026, and the Australian practice reverted to the Mallesons name.
