Contemporary Australian Corporate Law

Contemporary Australian Corporate Law is a highly-regarded introduction to corporate law in Australia that provides an authoritative, contextual and critical analysis of the law governing Australian corporations and financial markets.

It explores the rules, principles, doctrines and policies that constitute corporate law in Australia within their legal, social, economic and political contexts. Clearly and precisely written, this edition has been thoroughly updated and refined to reflect current Australian corporate law, including recent case law, changes to the Corporations Act 2011 and the impact on the corporate sector of the Financial Services Royal Commission.

Written by leading legal scholars, Contemporary Australian Corporate Law will assist students to develop a critically informed understanding of corporate law and the role of corporations in contemporary society.

About the Authors

Stephen Bottomley, Australian National University, Canberra

Stephen Bottomley has been researching and teaching corporate law for over thirty-five years. He has taught undergraduate courses in corporate law, takeovers and securities markets law, and postgraduate courses in corporate governance and government corporations. He is a highly distinguished scholar with the following affiliations: Member of the Corporate Law Teachers Association of Australia and New Zealand since its inception, and President in 2002 and 2003; member and past Chair and Executive member of the Australasian Law Academics Association; and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law. From 2013–2017 he was Dean of the Australian National University College of Law.

Kath Hall, Australian National University, Canberra

Kath Hall has been researching and teaching corporate law for nearly twenty years. She has taught undergraduate courses on corporate law, and postgraduate courses on corporate governance, and transnational anti-corruption law. Her research reflects a strong theoretical and practical understanding of the complexities involved in regulating global corporations and transnational corruption. In 2013, she was awarded an Australian National University College of Law Award for Excellence in Teaching and in 2014 a Vice-Chancellors Commendation for Teaching Excellence. In 2012–2014 she was a non-residential Fellow at Harvard University's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, and between 2016–2019 she was a lead researcher on a large empirical project investigating positive organizational responses to whistleblowing. Kath is a member of the Corporate Law Teachers Association of Australia and New Zealand Committee; Deputy Director, of the Transnational Research Institute on Corruption at ANU; and member, International Bar Association Anti-Corruption Committee.

Peta Spender, Australian National University, Canberra

Peta Spender has been researching and teaching corporate law for many decades. She has taught courses in corporate law, financial markets law, takeovers, corporate governance and litigation. She is the co-author of leading Australian textbooks on litigation and corporate law. Peta is a Presidential Member of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT), where she presides over hearings and appeals in areas such as administrative review, discrimination and mental health. She has the following affiliations: Fellow, Australian Academy of Law; President, Corporate Law Teachers Association (2013–2015), Member of Executive Committee of the Corporate Law Teachers Association of Australia and New Zealand, and a member of this association since its inception; Member, Joint Rules Advisory Committee – ACT Supreme and Magistrates Courts (2005–2017); and Member, National Legal Profession Reform Consultative Group (2009–2010). From 2017–2019 she was Deputy Dean of the Australian National University College of Law.

Beth Nosworhty, University of Adelaide

Beth Nosworthy has been researching and teaching corporate law for over ten years. She worked as an Associate in the Supreme Court of South Australia and as a commercial lawyer with an Adelaide firm before commencing her career as an academic. Since joining the University of Adelaide, she has taught corporate law and equity at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, and is the Director of the Entrepreneur and Venture Advice Clinic, a pro bono service for start-ups and new ventures within the Clinical Legal Education program at the Adelaide Law School. In 2017, she was awarded the Faculty of the Professions Executive Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. She is a member of the Law Council of Australia, Business Law Section, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Corporate Law Teachers Association of Australia and New Zealand (2017–2020).