David Ipp

David Andrew Ipp AO QC (1938 – 8 October 2020) was a South African-born Australian lawyer, judge and Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption between 2009 and 2014.

Ipp was a judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Ipp was born in Johannesburg, where he attended Parktown Boys' High School. He subsequently graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Stellenbosch.^[1][2]

In 1964, Ipp became a partner at Hayman Godfrey & Sanderson Attorneys in Johannesburg. He was admitted to the South African bar in 1973.^[2]

Ipp moved to Australia in 1981 and was admitted as a barrister in Western Australia. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1985.^[1]

Ipp served as Treasurer of the Law Society of Western Australia in 1988. He was a Fellow at the University of Western Australia in 1999–2000, and was awarded an Inns of Court Fellowship at the University of London's Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in 1996–97.^[2]

In 1994, Ipp was a Fulbright Senior Scholar. He was scholar in residence at the University of Virginia School of Law.^[3]

From 1989 to 2002, Ipp served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. From 1993 to 2001, Ipp was also the Judge in Charge of the Civil List.^[4] From 2001 to 2002 he was Acting Judge of Appeal of the NSW Court of Appeal before being appointed a Judge of Appeal in 2002.^[1]

In 2008, Ipp was a visiting fellow at the Wolfson College, Cambridge.^{[citation needed]}

Ipp also served as a judge on the Supreme Court of Fiji.^{[citation needed]}

Ipp was a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport and had been since 2000.^[5]

Ipp was the Chairman of the Panel of Eminent Persons,^[6] which former Australian Prime Minister John Howard established in 2002 to reform tort laws. The Panel produced its final report known as the Ipp Report on 30 September 2002.^[7] Many of the recommendations in the report were taken up by state Parliaments in enacting new personal injury legislation.

In 2007, Ipp criticised the reforms which were introduced as a result of his recommendations, suggesting many of the reforms had gone too far.^[8]

In November 2009, Ipp was appointed as the Commissioner of the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), replacing Jerrold Cripps QC whose fixed term had expired.^[9] Ipp's fixed term as Commissioner was due to expire in November 2014; however in October 2013 he announced his retirement with effect from late January 2014, citing ill health.^[10]

Ipp died in Sydney on 8 October 2020, aged 82.^[11]