Patrick Burgess is an Australian barrister who was a trial counsel, including jury trials for serious criminal offences, and was later appointed as the Senior Member the Australian Refugee Review Tribunal. He led refugee and humanitarian assistance programs in Rwanda/Zaire following the genocide in 1994, 1996 and 1997, and has managed emergency projects in Yemen, eastern Indonesia and post-tsunami Aceh.

Patrick went to East Timor for three months in mid 1999, serving the UNAMET mission responsible for the independence ballot. Following the outbreak of mass violence he remained in Timor for the following six years, serving as a District Administrator and then Director of Human Rights for the UNTAET and UNMISET missions, which included responsibility for the war crimes investigations unit in its early stages. His responsibilities included the lead role for the UN in relation to establishing the East Timor Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR), where he worked for three years, as Principal Legal Counsel and Senior Advisor to the Commissioners. From 2005-7 he was the Lead Advisor on Human Rights and Access to Justice for the Australian government program of support to the Indonesian legal system,based in Jakarta, Indonesia. This work included training of judges, prosecutors and lawyers on international law and transitional justice.