The Australian Centre for Private Law at The University of Queensland is proud to present its Consumers, Credit and the Law Symposium on Monday 8 July 2013.

The Global Financial Crisis has led to large scale reforms in the regulation of financial services across the world. In the US, the subprime mortgage crisis in particular was cited by many as evidence of the market’s inability to act responsibly in the consumer credit space.

The US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK and other European Union Member States have all introduced responsible lending provisions and other regulatory mechanisms directed towards the protection of consumers of credit.

Consumer Credit and the Law offers an informative program designed for legal professionals, government regulators, consumer advocates, and those working in the banking and finance sector. Sessions led by experts from Australia and the UK will explore the rationale for consumer credit reform,  compare the approaches taken in different jurisdictions, examine the early indications of its effectiveness and make predictions for the future of the sector.

Members of the legal profession may also claim CPD points for attending on a full-day basis.

Information correct as at date of event.

Professor James Devenney

Head of School, Professor of Commercial Law, University of Exeter

Professor Devenney joined Exeter Law School in October 2011 from Durham University, where he was Deputy Head of Durham Law School and Director of the Durham University Institute of Commercial and Corporate Law. He previously held posts at Cardiff Law School and the Bristol Law School, and has recently spent time at Adelaide Law School and the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability and Society at Cardiff University.

The Professor’s work has been cited by the High Court of Singapore (see Chwee Kin Keong v. Digilandmall.com [2004] SGHC 71), the High Court of England and Wales (see Parabola Investments Ltd v. Browallia Cal Ltd [2009] EWHC 901 (Comm) at [130]) and the English Law Commission (see Law Commission of England and Wales: Ninth Programme of Reform (Law Com No 293), para 4.18). He has provided assistance to the Law Commission on consumer law, misrepresentation and unfair commercial practices; and was recently invited to discuss the proposal for the codification of Australian Contract Law with the Australian Attorney- General’s Department.

Professor Devenney teaches commercial, corporate and property law; and was shortlisted for the prestigious Oxford University Press Law Teacher of the Year award in 2011.

 

Karen Fairweather

Associate Lecturer, TC Beirne School of Law, The University of Queensland

Karen joined the TC Beirne School of Law in January 2012. She was previously a Graduate Teaching Assistant (2008 - 10) and Lecturer (2010 - 11) at the University of Durham, United Kingdom. Karen was a Prince of Wales Scholar of Grays Inn and was called to the Bar in 2007. Her research interests are in the field of contract law, comparative law, legal history and consumer credit law. Her PhD thesis, supervised by Professor James Devenney, examines the historical development of the protection of borrowers in the context of personal credit transactions.

 

Nicola Howell

Lecturer, Queensland University of Technology

Nicola is a lecturer in law at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, where she teaches into contract, consumer, commercial and insolvency law subjects. Her research interests include consumer policy, consumer credit law, self-regulation and bankruptcy. Prior to her appointment at QUT, Nicola was the inaugural Director of the Centre for Credit and Consumer Law, an academic centre based at Griffith University. Nicola is also a member of the executive committee of the Consumers’ Federation of Australia, and between 2009 and 2012 was the Consumer & Small Business Representative on the Banking Code's Code Compliance Monitoring Committee. (Qualifications: LLM (Griffith), LLB Hons (Melb), BSc Hons (Melb)).

 

Professor Mel Kenny

Chair of Consumer and Commercial Law, Leicester De Montfort Law School

Professor Kenny’s work focuses on the intersection of private law, EU law, consumer law and commercial law from both a comparative and private international perspective. His research concerns competition issues and in particular the application of competition to the State and public undertakings.

In recent years Professor Kenny’s publications have explored four highly charged legal topics: the ‘Europeanisation’ of national private law and the associated calls for consolidation and codification; the comparative assessment of the treatment of surety agreements across Europe; the general issue of ensuring consumer protection and the private international implications of proposals for a Common European Sales Law.

 

Dr Paul O'Shea

Senior Lecturer, TC Beirne School of Law, UQ

Paul O'Shea lectures in business law at the TC Beirne School of Law. His research interests are in consumer law, an area he focused on for his PhD thesis entitled, 'Addressing inequality in consumer transactions.'

A graduate of the UQ Law School, Paul’s career has included practice as a commercial litigation solicitor for city-based law firms, and as the foundation civil litigation solicitor at Financial Counselling Services (Qld) Inc. He is the author of many publications, including the chapter on 'Consumer Rights' in the Lawyers Practice Manual, and the 'Consumer Credit Law' section of the Queensland Law Handbook. His article 'Regulatory Powers and Consistency' will be published in the forthcoming Consumer Law and Policy in Australia and New Zealand (Federation Press).

Paul has presented numerous papers and seminars at national conferences and for the Queensland Law Society (QLS). He is a member of the QLS Banking and Finance Committee and the Investment Panel of the Financial Ombudsman’s service.

 

Dr Onyeka Osuji

Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Exeter

Dr Onyeka Osuji joined the University of Exeter in September 2007. He has a PhD in law from the University of Manchester (as a School of Law Scholar); a BCL (Law) from the University of Oxford (as a Shell Centenary/FCO Chevening Scholar) and an LLB from the University of Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Dr Osuji's research interests include consumer protection, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance, non-financial reporting, globalization, multinational enterprises and regulation. He practised corporate and commercial law and litigation in Nigeria with the firm of G. Elias and Co, before proceeding to the United Kingdom for postgraduate and professional law studies. Dr Osuji is qualified as a barrister and solicitor of Nigeria and a (non-practising) solicitor of England and Wales. He has advised individuals, corporations, and national and international governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Dr Osuji teaches the law of contract, commercial law, corporate social responsibility, company law and corporate governance and mooting and advocacy skills.

 

Professor Gail Pearson

The University of Sydney Business School

Gail Pearson is Professor of Business Law at the University of Sydney. With Richard Batten, she is the author of Understanding Consumer Credit (2010). Other works are on Commercial Law, Financial Services and Consumer Protection. These include Financial Services Law and Compliance ( Cambridge University Press 2009) Commercial Law Commentary and Materials ed 3 (2010) ( with Fisher, Peden and Tolhurst) She is Vice President of the International Association of Consumer Law, a member of the International Law Association's committee for the international protection of consumers and is a Member of the Code Compliance Committee for the Mutuals Banking Code of Practice.

 

Kate Tokeley

Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Victoria University of Wellington

Kate specializes in Consumer Law and Policy. She is an academic at the law school at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her interests lie in the areas of consumer law, legal paternalism, internet law, contract law and access to justice. Her work in the area of consumer law examines the various ways in which the law is justified in intervening in the market place to protect consumers. She has researched and published on topics such as online auctions, unfair terms, vendor bidding, class actions, tobacco regulation and the place of paternalism in consumer law. Kate is particularly interested in the limits and justifications for consumer law. She has written a text book on Consumer Law in New Zealand and published numerous articles in refereed journals and chapters in books. Her work has been published both in New Zealand and internationally.

 

Dr Therese Wilson

Senior Lecturer, Griffith Law School, Griffith University

Dr Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Griffith University and is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland. She teaches corporate law, banking and finance law and international commercial arbitration; and recently completed her PhD thesis on “Regulating to Facilitate Access to Safe and Affordable Credit for Low Income Australians.”

Therese chairs the Australian Financial Inclusion Network and the Board of Foresters Community Finance Ltd and is a member of the Board of Social Investments Australia Ltd. She serves on the Queensland Law Society Banking and Finance Committee and is a member of Zonta International and Amnesty International.

 

Delegates may claim CPD points from the organisations below for symposium attendance.

Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA)

The symposium is accredited with 1 CPD hour per hour of seminar session attendance, not including meal breaks.
Code UQ/CCLS:08072013

Bar Association of Queensland (BAQ)

The symposium is accredited with 1 CPD point per hour of attendance in the non allocated strand.
Code UQCCS13

Queensland Law Society

Queensland CPD points may be claimed for attendance at this symposium, based upon practitioner
self-assessment. 1 CPD point can be claimed per hour of attendance (not including breaks/social activities).

The hotels on this list are located within easy walking distance of the conference venue. The list is not exhaustive. Appearance on this list does not imply recommendation.

The Marriott Hotel – 5 star
515 Queen Street, Brisbane (Ask for Government Rates, The University of Queensland, $233 per night subject to room availablity) – Phone 61 7 3303 8000 - 
www.marriott.com.au/hotels/travel/bnedt-brisbane-marriott-hotel/

The Stamford Plaza – 5 star
Corner of Margaret & Edward Streets, Brisbane (Ask for The University of Queensland Corporate Rate, $230 per night, subject to room availability) – Phone 61 7 3221 1999 - 
www.stamford.com.au/spb/

Sofitel – 5 - star
249 Turbot Street (adjacent to Brisbane Central Station) – Phone 61 7 3835 3535 – Rooms from $325 per night, 
www.sofitelbrisbane.com.au

Clarion Collection Rendezvous Hotel – 4.5 star
255 Ann Street (opposite Brisbane Central Station) – Phone 61 7 3001 9888 – Rooms from $188 per night, 
www.choicehotels.com.au

Quality Hotel The Inchcolm – 4 star
73 Wickham Terrace (near Turbot Street) – Phone 61 7 3226 8888 – Rooms from $149 per night, 
www.choicehotels.com.au

Astor Metropole Hotel and Apartments – 4 star
193 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill (near Upper Edward Street) – Phone 61 7 3144 4000 – Rooms from $149 per night, 
www.astorhotel.com.au

Novotel Brisbane – 4.5 star
200 Creek Street (near Turbot Street/Wickham Terrace) – Phone 61 7 3309 3309 – Rooms from $259 per night, 
www.novotelbrisbane.com/contact.html

Oaks Aurora Tower (Apartments) – 4.5 star
420 Queen Street, Brisbane – Phone 61 7 3838 9800 – Rooms from $154 per night 
www.oakshotelsresorts.com/oaks-aurora/

Mantra on Queen Hotel and Apartments – 4 star
570 Queen Street, Brisbane – Phone 61 7 3234 8888 – Rooms from $175 per night, 
www.mantra.com.au/queensland/brisbane-and-surrounds/brisbane/accommodation/hotels/mantra-on-queen/

Medina Executive Hotel and Apartments – 4 star
15 Ivory Lane, Brisbane (On top of Hill next to Story Bridge) – Phone 61 7 3218 5800 – Rooms from $142 per night, 
www.medina.com.au/medina-executive-brisbane/hotel

Hotel George Williams (YMCA) – 3.5 Star
317-325 George Street, Brisbane Rooms from $105 per night Phone: 61 7 3308 0700 Web: 
www.hgw.com.au

Snooze Inn – 3 Star
383 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane Rooms from $109 per night Phone: 61 7 3620 4800 Web: 
www.snoozeinn.com.au

Metro Hotel Tower Mill – 3 Star
239 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, Brisbane Rooms from $130 per night Phone: 61 7 3832 1421 Web: 
www.metrohotels.com.au/brisbane-hotels/metro-hotel-tower-mill-on-wickham-terrace-5

Explorers Inn – 3 Star
63 Turbot St, cnr George St, Brisbane Rooms from $100 per night Phone: 61 7 3211 3488 Web: 
www.explorers.com.au

If you would prefer to stay closer to the University of Queensland some options are:

The Jephson Hotel at Toowong – 4 star
63 Jephson Street, Cnr Sherwood Road, Toowong, 10mins bus ride to the city, plenty of transport available - Phone 61 7 3736 4400 – Rooms from $209 per night, 
www.jephsonhotel.com.au/Reservations.aspx

Chasely Apartments – 3.5 star
435 Coronation Drive, (Cnr of Chasely Street) Auchenflower, 10mins bus ride to the city, with plenty of transport available - Phone 61 7 3371 4000 – Rooms from $155 per night, 
www.chasely.com.au/location