Ms Nicola Howell

Biography

Nicola is a Senior Lecturer in the Law Faculty, Queensland University of Technology. Nicola researches legal and policy issues in consumer financial services, consumer credit and other consumer transactions, and personal insolvency. Nicola's recent publications have explored the relevance of a 'Treating Customers Fairly' regulatory approach in Australia, the different definitions of financial services in consumer protection laws, the role of dispute resolution schemes in financial services, and the proposals for a shortened duration for bankruptcy. Nicola is also a PhD candidate at Melbourne Law School, and her PhD research focuses on the legal solutions to over-indebtedness and the ways in which consumers experience the different solutions.

At QUT, Nicola has received research grants and consultancies from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and Queensland Attorney-General's Department, co-authored two background papers for the Banking Royal Commission, and has authored or contributed to submissions to government and other review bodies on issues relevant to consumer law, consumer credit, financial services, self-regulation, and personal insolvency.

Prior to her appointment at QUT, Nicola was the inaugural Director of the Centre for Credit and Consumer Law at Griffith University. Nicola is a member of the Executive of the Consumers' Federation of Australia, and has previously been a member of ASIC's Consumer Advisory Panel and the Consumer and Small Business Representative on the Banking Code Compliance Committee.

With Professor Gail Pearson, Nicola was instrumental in establishing the first Australasian Consumer Law Roundtable, an annual event that has been running since 2006, and involves academics from across Australia and New Zealand. Nicola teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, in areas including insolvency, commercial and personal property, consumer, and banking law.

Some key publications Books

• Bolitho, Hal, Howell, Nicola, & Paterson, Jeannie Marie (2020) Duggan and Lanyon's consumer credit law (2nd ed) Lexis Nexis, Australia

Book chapters

• Howell, Nicola (2016) 'Making Payday Loans Safer: The Australian Approach to Regulating Small and Medium Sized Loans'. In O'Shea, Paul & Fairweather, Karen (Eds.) Credit, Consumers and The Law: After The Global Storm. Ashgate Publishing Limited. (In Press)
• Howell, Nicola (2013) Interest rate caps and price regulation in consumer credit. In Malbon, Justin & Nottage, Luke (Eds.) Consumer Law and Policy in Australia and New Zealand. The Federation Press, Annandale, NSW, pp. 311–336.

Journal articles

• Howell, Nicola J. (2019) Reducing the duration of bankruptcy: Relying on an entrepreneurship and innovation lens to achieve consumer bankruptcy reform. Insolvency Intelligence, 32(3), pp. 109-115.
• Howell, Nicola (2019) Shutting the courts out: Developing consumer credit law in the shadow of alternative dispute resolution and the new Australian Financial Complaints Authority. Journal of Banking and Finance Law and Practice, 30(2), pp. 57-78.
• Howell, Nicola (2018) Researching personal insolvency law and practice in Australia: An update and call for continued investment. Insolvency Law Journal, 26(3), pp. 108-115.
• Howell, Nicola J (2016) 'Small amount credit contracts and payday loans: The complementarity of price regulation and responsible lending regulation'. Alternative Law Journal, 41(3), pp. 174-178.
• Howell, Nicola & Mason, Rosalind F. (2015) 'Reinforcing stigma or delivering a fresh start: Bankruptcy and future engagement in the workforce'. University of New South Wales Law Journal, 38(4), pp. 1529-1574.
• Howell, Nicola J. (2015) 'Revisiting the Australian code of banking practice: Is self-regulation still relevant for improving consumer protection standards?' UNSW Law Journal, 38(2), pp. 544-586.
• Howell, Nicola (2014) 'The fresh start goal of the Bankruptcy Act: giving a temporary reprieve or facilitating debtor rehabilitation?' QUT Law Review, 14(3), pp. 29-52.

Reports

• Howell, Nicola, Wilson, Therese, & Davidson, James (2008) Interest rate caps : protection or paternalism.
• Howell, Nicola (2008) Joint consumer submission to the review of the code of banking practice. (Unpublished)
• Sheehan, Genevieve, Wilson, Therese, & Howell, Nicola (2008) Coming to grips with credit contracts : steps to protect vulnerable borrowers. Brotherhood of St Laurence and Griffith University Centre for Credit and Consumer Law, Fitzroy, Victoria.