Jonathan Harlen

Biography

Jonathan holds a Phd in Law from Southern Cross University, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) also from SCU, and a Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University of Wellington (NZ). As a law student he won numerous academic prizes including the Stone & Partners Prize as dux of his graduating year. Prior to becoming an academic he worked as a mediator and solicitor-advocate for commercial law firms in northern New South Wales, and has broad experience in civil litigation.

Jonathan is currently Course Co-ordinator of the LLB Honours course at Southern Cross University, and Deputy Course Co-ordinator of the LLB degree. He is also Deputy Chair of the Faculty Board for the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts. He has previously held positions at SCU as panel member for the Non-Academic Misconduct Appeals Panel and as a member of the Law Discipline Assessment Review Working Group.

Jonathan is also a renowned author of young adult fiction, with more than 30 books published in 9 countries. He is the recipient of the Wilderness Society Environment Award, the Family Award and the NSW Office of Multicultural Affairs Literature Award, and has been short-listed for the NSW Premier's Award and the Australian Book of the Year. Two of his books have been recognised as Notable Books by the Children's Book Council of Australia. In 1996 he was awarded a Category A Fellowship by the Arts Council of Australia.

Research

Jonathan is currently researching the online teaching of law in immersive block models, and is co-author, with A/Prof Helen Walsh, A/Prof Mandy Shircore and Dr Liz Goode, of a recently-completed focus group research paper entitled, "Understanding Engagement in Block Model Legal Education: Design and Student Experience." The paper has been submitted for publication in the Legal Education Review.

Community engagement

In 2024 Jonathan co-founded, with A/Prof Mandy Shircore, the inaugural Far North Coast High School Mock Trial competition. Since 2024 he has written new materials for the trials each year. The trials have grown from six schools competing in one event in 2024 to eighteen schools in 2026, competing in trials in Lismore, Coffs Harbour, and on the Gold Coast, and including more than one hundred students. Jonathan also regularly conducts law masterclasses for high school students ranging from year 9 to year 12.

Teaching

As a Teaching Scholar, Jonathan has developed a wide range of innovative and engaging online study materials. In 2025, he was awarded a CAUL OER Collective Development grant of $2,000 to research and write an open source (online) textbook for law students in the area of succession law. This work, entitled Succession Law in Focus, will fully replace the two current expensive texts used in this area with a comprehensive and authoritative free alternative. It is scheduled for publication in late 2026.

In 2025, Jonathan was awarded the Vice Chancellor's Excellence in Teaching Award for "outstanding service and remarkable achievements" during that year. He achieved a 100% student satisfaction rating in sixteen units of study between 2024 and 2026.