Professor Matthew Conaglen
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Professor Matthew Conaglen

LLB (Hons) (Auck) LLM (Mich) PhD (Cantab)
Professor of Equity and Trusts
Phone
+61 2 9114 0962
Fax
+61 2 9351 0200
Professor Matthew Conaglen

Professor Conaglen is Professor of Equity and Trusts at the University of Sydney Law School, a position which he has held since 2012. He teaches and researches in the fields of equity, trusts and obligations. Prior to moving to Sydney, he was Reader in Equity and Trusts at the Faculty of Law in the University of Cambridge, where he taught for more than 10 years. He was the Deputy Dean of Sydney Law School from 2016-2018, and has held several high level administrative roles in the Law School.

His doctoral dissertation, written at the University of Cambridge, was awarded the Yorke Prize in 2005. He is the author of Fiduciary Loyalty: Protecting the Due Performance of Non-Fiduciary Duties (Hart, 2010), and a co-author of Snell's Equity (34th ed, Sweet & Maxwell, 2020), as well as numerous book chapters and articles in leading journals both internationally and domestically. His writing has been cited by the High Court of Australia, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the Privy Council, the Singaporean Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of New Zealand , as well as numerous lower courts in those jurisdictions.

Professor Conaglen is an Academic Barrister in New South Wales. Prior to becoming an academic, he was a Senior Solicitor at a major New Zealand law firm where he was involved in a wide range of commercial litigation. In recognition of his expertise in the fields of teaching and research in the Chancery sphere, he was made an Academic Member of the Chancery Bar Association in England. Professor Conaglen is a graduate of the University of Auckland, the University of Michigan and the University of Cambridge.

See his list of recommendations for books to understand the legal duty of loyalty on Shepherd here: https://shepherd.com/best-books/the-legal-idea-of-loyalty-owed-by-a-fiduciary

  • Equity
  • Trusts
  • Property
  • Obligations (with a particular interest in Fiduciary Obligations)
  • Equity
  • Introduction to Property and Commercial Law
  • Foundations of Law

Academic Barrister, New South Wales Bar Association

Academic Member, Chancery Bar Association

Publications

Books

  • Conaglen, M. (2010). Fiduciary Loyalty: Protecting the Due Performance of Non-Fiduciary Duties. Portland, USA: Hart Publishing.

Book Chapters

  • Conaglen, M. (2025). Creation and Setting Aside of Mortgages. In Steven Elliot (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 35th edition, (pp. 1031-1051). London: Thomson Reuters.
  • Conaglen, M. (2025). Discharge of Mortgages. In Steven Elliot (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 35th edition, (pp. 1149-1154). London: Thomson Reuters.
  • Conaglen, M. (2025). Fiduciaries. In Steven Elliot (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 35th edition, (pp. 147-218). London: Thomson Reuters.

Journals

  • Conaglen, M. (2024). Proportionate Liability for Breach of Trust Under the Civil Liability Act: An opiate on the conscience of trustees. UNSW Law Journal, 47(4), 1162-1186.
  • Conaglen, M. (2024). Trustees Competing over Indemnity Rights. Melbourne University Law Review, 48(1), 1-41.
  • Conaglen, M. (2020). Identifying the Profits for which a Fiduciary Must Account. Cambridge Law Journal, 79(1), 38-63. [More Information]

2025

  • Conaglen, M. (2025). Creation and Setting Aside of Mortgages. In Steven Elliot (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 35th edition, (pp. 1031-1051). London: Thomson Reuters.
  • Conaglen, M. (2025). Discharge of Mortgages. In Steven Elliot (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 35th edition, (pp. 1149-1154). London: Thomson Reuters.
  • Conaglen, M. (2025). Fiduciaries. In Steven Elliot (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 35th edition, (pp. 147-218). London: Thomson Reuters.

2024

  • Conaglen, M. (2024). Proportionate Liability for Breach of Trust Under the Civil Liability Act: An opiate on the conscience of trustees. UNSW Law Journal, 47(4), 1162-1186.
  • Conaglen, M. (2024). Trustees Competing over Indemnity Rights. Melbourne University Law Review, 48(1), 1-41.

2023

  • Conaglen, M. (2023). Judicature and Accounts. In Ben McFarlane, Steven Elliott (Eds.), Equity Today: 150 Years after the Judicature Reforms, (pp. 123-143). Oxford: Hart Publishing.

2022

  • Conaglen, M. (2022). Mason's Fiduciary Principles. In Barbara McDonald, Ben Chen, Jeffrey Gordon (Eds.), Dynamic and Principled: The Influence of Sir Anthony Mason, (pp. 296-315). Sydney, NSW: The Federation Press.
  • Conaglen, M. (2022). The Fiduciary Status of Agents. In Paul S Davies, Tan Cheng-Han (Eds.), Intermediaries in Commercial Law, (pp. 13-42). Oxford: Hart Publishing. [More Information]

2020

  • Conaglen, M., Bridge, S. (2020). Creation and Setting Aside of Mortgages. In John McGhee and Steven Elliott (Eds.), Snell's Equity 34th Edition, (pp. 967-987). London, UK: Sweet & Maxwell.
  • Conaglen, M., Bridge, S. (2020). Discharge of Mortgages. In John McGhee and Steven Elliott (Eds.), Snell's Equity 34th Edition, (pp. 1077-1082). London, UK: Sweet & Maxwell.
  • Conaglen, M. (2020). Fiduciaries. In John McGhee and Steven Elliott (Eds.), Snell's Equity 34th Edition, (pp. 143-210). London, UK: Sweet & Maxwell.

2019

  • Conaglen, M. (2019). Fiduciary Principles in Contemporary Common Law Systems. In Evan J. Criddle, Paul B. Miller, and Robert H. Sitkoff (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Fiduciary Law, (pp. 1-19). New York: Oxford University Press. [More Information]

2018

  • Hill, J., Conaglen, M. (2018). Directors' duties and legal safe harbours: A comparative analysis. In D. Gordon Smith, Andrew S. Gold (Eds.), Research Handbook on Fiduciary Law, (pp. 305-330). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. [More Information]
  • Conaglen, M. (2018). Trust Arbitration Clauses. In Richard C. Nolan, Kelvin F. Low, Tang Hang Wu (Eds.), Trusts and Modern Wealth Management, (pp. 76-129). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]

2017

  • Conaglen, M. (2017). Brickenden. In Simone Degeling, Jason NE Varuhas (Eds.), Equitable Compensation and Disgorgement of Profit, (pp. 111-142). Oxford: Hart Publishing. [More Information]
  • Conaglen, M. (2017). Synthesis of Comparative Case Studies by Jurisdiction (chapters 1 - 15). In Luz M. Martinez Velencoso, Saki Bailey, Andrea Pradi (Eds.), Transfer of Immovables in European Private Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

2016

  • Conaglen, M. (2016). Equitable Compensation for Breach of Trust: Off Target. Melbourne University Law Review, 40(1), 126-167.
  • Conaglen, M. (2016). Equity's role. In P G Turner (Eds.), Equity and Administration, (pp. 503-526). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [More Information]

2015

  • Conaglen, M., Bridge, S. (2015). Creation and Setting Aside of Mortgages. In John McGhee (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 33rd Edition, (pp. 885-904). United Kingdom: Sweet & Maxwell.
  • Conaglen, M., Bridge, S. (2015). Discharge of Mortgages. In John McGhee (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 33rd Edition, (pp. 989-993). United Kingdom: Sweet & Maxwell.
  • Conaglen, M. (2015). Fiduciaries. In John McGhee (Eds.), Snell's Equity - 33rd Edition, (pp. 137-198). United Kingdom: Sweet & Maxwell.

2014

  • Conaglen, M. (2014). Australia. In David Brownbill, Adam Cloherty, Edward Cumming, Jessica Hughes, Daniel Warents (Eds.), International Trusts Law, (pp. A2.1-A2.30). United Kingdom: Jordan Publishing Ltd.
  • Conaglen, M. (2014). Proprietary Remedies for Breach of Fiduciary Duty. Cambridge Law Journal, 73(3), 490-493. [More Information]

2013

  • Conaglen, M., Nolan, R. (2013). Contracts and Knowing Receipt: Principles and Application. The Law Quarterly Review, 129(3), 359-379.
  • Conaglen, M. (2013). Fiduciary duties and voluntary undertakings. Journal of Equity, 7(1), 105-127.
  • Conaglen, M. (2013). Interaction between statutory and general law duties concerning company director conflicts. Company and Securities Law Journal, 31(7), 403-422.

2012

  • Conaglen, M., Weaver, E. (2012). Protectors as Fiduciaries: Theory and Practice. Trusts and Trustees, 18(1), 1-19. [More Information]

2011

  • Conaglen, M. (2011). Difficulties with Tracing Backwards. The Law Quarterly Review, 127, 432-455.
  • Conaglen, M. (2011). Reviewing the Review of Fiduciary Discretions. Cambridge Law Journal, 70(2), 301-304.
  • Conaglen, M. (2011). The Extent of Fiduciary Accounting and the Importance of Authorisation Mechanisms. Cambridge Law Journal, 70(3), 548-578. [More Information]

2010

  • Conaglen, M. (2010). Explaining Target Holdings v Redferns. Journal of Equity, 4(3), 288-294.
  • Conaglen, M. (2010). Fiduciary Duties in Canada. Cambridge Law Journal, 69(3), 450-452.
  • Conaglen, M. (2010). Fiduciary Loyalty: Protecting the Due Performance of Non-Fiduciary Duties. Portland, USA: Hart Publishing.

2009

  • Conaglen, M. (2009). Fiduciary Regulation of Conflicts between Duties. The Law Quarterly Review, 125, 111-141.

2008

  • Conaglen, M. (2008). Public-Private Intersection: Comparing Fiduciary Conflict Doctrine and Bias. Public Law, 1(202), 58-83.
  • Conaglen, M. (2008). Sham Trusts. Cambridge Law Journal, 67(1), 176-207. [More Information]
  • Conaglen, M. (2008). Thinking about Proprietary Remedies for Breach of Confidence. Intellectual Property Quarterly, 2008 (1), 82-109.

2007

  • Conaglen, M. (2007). Recipient Liability in Equity. Cambridge Law Journal, 66(3), 515-517.
  • Conaglen, M. (2007). Strict Liability for Receipt of Misapplied Trust Property – Confusion Abounds. Cambridge Law Journal, 66(1), 19-22.

2006

  • Conaglen, M. (2006). A Re-Appraisal of the Fiduciary Self-Dealing and Fair-Dealing Rules. Cambridge Law Journal, 65(2), 366-396.
  • Conaglen, M. (2006). Dishonesty in the Context of Assistance – Again. Cambridge Law Journal, 65(1), 18-21.
  • Conaglen, M. (2006). Hastings-Bass and Third Parties. Cambridge Law Journal, 65(3), 499-502.

2005

  • Conaglen, M. (2005). Book Reviews: The Quistclose Trust. Edited by William Swadling. Cambridge Law Journal, 64(1), 249-251.
  • Conaglen, M. (2005). Conflicting duties owed by solicitors acting for multiple clients. Cambridge Law Journal, 64(2), 291-293.
  • Conaglen, M. (2005). Contests between rival trust beneficiaries. Cambridge Law Journal, 64(1), 45-48.

2004

  • Conaglen, M. (2004). Judicial Review of Trustees' Discretionary Decisions. Cambridge Law Journal, 63(2), 283-286.

2003

  • Conaglen, M. (2003). Disciplinary Investigations and Legal Professional Privilege. Cambridge Law Journal, 62(3), 580-583.
  • Conaglen, M. (2003). Equitable Compensation for Breach of Fiduciary Dealing Rules. The Law Quarterly Review, 119, 246-271.

2001

  • Conaglen, M. (2001). Fiduciary Liability and Contribution to Loss. Cambridge Law Journal, 60(3), 480-483.

1999

  • Conaglen, M. (1999). Book Review of J. Dietrich, "Restitution: A New Perspective". New Zealand Universities Law Review, 18, 431-434.
  • Conaglen, M. (1999). Duress, Undue Influence and Unconscionable Bargains: The Theoretical Mesh. New Zealand Universities Law Review, 18, 509-545.

1998

  • Conaglen, M. (1998). Justifying Politically Correct Language: A Fresh Start. Public Law Review, 9, 183-195.
  • Conaglen, M. (1998). Retention of Title Clauses and New Products. New Zealand Business Law Quarterly, 4(114), 119.

1996

  • Conaglen, M. (1996). "Retaining" Title to Mixtures and Manufactured Goods: A Principled Re-Appraisal. Denning Law Journal, 11, 23-61.
  • Conaglen, M., Hollyman, R. (1996). Fiduciary relationships in commercial settings: Some thoughts on recent New Zealand cases (Part I). New Zealand Law Journal, January, 13-17.
  • Conaglen, M., Hollyman, R. (1996). Fiduciary relationships in commercial settings: Some thoughts on recent New Zealand cases (Part II). New Zealand Law Journal, February, 54-58.

1994

  • Conaglen, M. (1994). Judicial Supremacy: an alternative constitutional theory. Auckland University Law Review, 7, 665-690.

1993

  • Conaglen, M. (1993). Television New Zealand v Prebble, Court of Appeal. 14 May 1993, CA 161/92. Auckland University Law Review, 7, 448-454.