Emeritus Professor Rick Sarre practised as a legal practitioner in Adelaide, South Australia, before becoming an academic. Having studied law, sociology, theology and criminology in Australia, the USA and Canada, he then taught in the United States, Hong Kong, Sweden and South Australia during his 35 years in the tertiary education sector. He also worked as a human rights lawyer in Hong Kong during one of his sabbaticals. He retired as Dean of the Law School at the University of South Australia in 2020. He remains a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology and Professorial Fellow of the Australian Institute of Police Management. He currently serves as an Advisor to the Commission for Academic Accreditation in the United Arab Emirates.