James Farrell is the General Manager, Advocacy with Cancer Council Queensland, where he leads and drives the Cancer Council’s advocacy, creating and boldly pursuing opportunities that enable our vision of a cancer free future In that role, James collaborates with Cancer Council Groups across Queensland, the community and all levels of government to advance cancer control as a proponent for all Queenslanders and all types of cancers.
James is an adjunct associate professor with the School of Law at the University of New England. From 2011 to 2015, James was a lecturer with the Deakin University School of Law, where his research interests have been shaped by his experiences working with marginalised and disadvantaged clients, and his research focuses on poverty law, social justice and human rights.
James was Director of Community Legal Centres Queensland from 2013 to 2019, and a Team Leader and later Manager/Principal Lawyer with the PILCH Homeless Persons Legal Clinic from 2007 to 2011. He has been the Treasurer of both the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Victoria's Federation of Community Legal Centres, and a member of the StreetSmart Australia grants committee. James was a centre fellow of the Centre for Rural Regional Law & Justice, a member of the Alfred Deakin Research Institute, Griffith Law School's Visiting Committee, QUT's Law Advisory Board and the UQ Pro Bono Centre's advisory board, and an editorial board member of the Alternative Law Journal. James received a Churchill Fellowship in 2014 to investigate 'how lawyers can empower communities to achieve change'. James has also served on the boards of community legal centres, an arts organisation and other community groups. In 2014, James was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the community, particularly social welfare and legal access programs.
2014 Churchill Fellowship | 2014 Order of Australia Medal | 2012 Australian Leadership Award | 2011 LIV President's Award finalist | 2011 Lawyer's Weekly Awards - Young Gun (highly commended) | 2011 VCOSS Ben Bodna Award