Michael Coper

Michael David Coper (27 April 1946 – 13 April 2019) was an Australian legal academic, one of Australia's leading constitutional lawyers, author, and one of the founders of the law school at the University of New South Wales.

Early years Coper attended Cranbrook from 1950 to 1963.

Career Coper studied law at the University of Sydney. He was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Virginia in 1978.

Coper was one of the founders of the law school at the University of New South Wales in 1971 and taught law at the University until 1987. In 1988 he was appointed to the Inter-State Commission,

Coper came to prominence with his prize-winning 1983 book Freedom of Interstate Trade under the Australian Constitution, which was influential in the High Court's change of direction five years later in the landmark case of Cole v Whitfield, in which Professor Coper also appeared as counsel. His 1987 book Encounters with the Australian Constitution was received to great acclaim, as was the project he conceived and co-edited to fruition in 2001, the comprehensive Oxford Companion to the High Court of Australia. Chair of the Council of Australian Law Deans (2005–2007), 2018 – A book of essays was published in his honour Encounters with constitutional interpretation and legal education : essays in honour of Michael Coper 2019 – Doctor of Laws honoris causa from University of New South Wales