Our People

"The Capital Punishment Impact Initiative pilot has been a tremendous success. We've already taken steps to increase the number of students, partner organisations, and countries of operation involved in the next phase.”

Professor Bryan Horrigan, Dean, Faculty of Law (2013-2024)

Bryan has both academic expertise and professional experience in public and corporate law and governance from Australian, transnational, and cross-disciplinary perspectives. Bryan has advised commercial lawyers and their corporate and governmental clients on issues ranging from contractual good faith and unconscionable business conduct to corporate social responsibility and rights-based scrutiny of legislation.

“Not only is the death penalty the ultimate act of unnecessary brutality by a state, it is often an indicator of an underlying pervasive brutality against prisoners in the whole system.”

Julian McMahon AC SC, President of the Capital Punishment Justice Project

Julian McMahon is a barrister in Melbourne, working in criminal law. In 2002, he was briefed in the matter of Van Tuong Nguyen, a young Australian arrested in Singapore carrying heroin from Vietnam to Australia. Van was executed in 2005. Since that case Julian has been working on death penalty cases and related issues. He has had death row clients in numerous countries, some executed, some not. He was part of the team who defended Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, executed in Indonesia on 29 April 2015. In 2015, Julian became President of CPJP. In 2017, Julian was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his dedication to defending human rights, including as an advocate for the abolition of the death penalty

Sara Kowal, Clinical Supervisor, Eleos Anti-Death Penalty Clinic & Vice-President,
Capital Punishment Justice Project

Sara has practised exclusively in criminal law since 2004 and has extensive experience in the defence of complex prosecutions including major drug matters, large frauds, homicides, violence and sexual assaults.

Sara is the Vice-President of CPJP. Drawing on her extensive legal experience and knowledge gained through obtaining her Masters of Public Policy and Management, she brings both passion and skill to her work with CPJP.

In 2018, Sara was appointed as the Clinical Supervisor of the Capital Punishment Impact Clinic at Monash University, the first stage of the Capital Punishment Impact Initiative.  The Clinic has now established partnerships with a number of NGOs and lawyers across Asia who provide casework, research and advocacy briefs for law students to undertake under careful guidance and supervision