Nicola Howell

Nicola Howell is a Senior Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology in the Faculty of Business and Law, School of Law. She holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and an LLM from Griffith University, along with multiple law qualifications including a Bachelor of Laws and Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice.

Her research focuses on legal and policy issues in consumer financial services, consumer credit regulation, and personal insolvency. Dr. Howell's work examines the 'Treating Customers Fairly' regulatory approach in Australia, definitions of financial services in consumer protection laws, dispute resolution mechanisms in financial services, and proposals for bankruptcy duration reform. Her PhD research specifically addressed legal solutions to over-indebtedness and consumer experiences with these solutions.

Dr. Howell has received research grants from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and Queensland Attorney-General's Department. She co-authored background papers for the Banking Royal Commission and has contributed to government submissions on consumer law, credit regulation, and insolvency. She previously served as the inaugural Director of the Centre for Credit and Consumer Law at Griffith University and is currently a member of the Executive of the Consumers' Federation of Australia.

Her recent publications reveal a strong focus on consumer protection in financial services, with particular attention to bankruptcy reform, payday loan regulation, and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. The publications demonstrate her expertise in bridging academic research with practical policy applications in the Australian regulatory context.

Dr. Howell teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in insolvency law, commercial and personal property law, consumer law, and banking law. She co-founded the Australasian Consumer Law Roundtable in 2006, which continues to bring together academics from Australia and New Zealand to discuss consumer law developments.