AILA presents three student prizes

AILA President's message – Cameron Roberts

AILA has continued its program of presenting annual student prizes to the top students in insurance subjects at several universities around Australia to encourage law graduates to seek careers in the insurance industry.

Two students from the University of Tasmania (UTas) shared the 2022 prize and a University of Technology Sydney (UTS) graduate with a keen interest in the liability of autonomous vehicles won the UTS student prize.

Each prize is worth $500.

UTS graduate Michael Majstorovic, 23, who graduated in May 2022, is now working in estate litigation but keen to move to insurance this year. He has already assisted AILA as a volunteer at some face-to-face industry events.

Michael used the money to help pay for his NSW practising certificate and Law Society membership. “I’m very grateful to AILA for sponsoring the award and the prize will assist me with these fees,” he said.

Having excelled in insurance subjects at university, Michael is keen to see “whether I’m a good match” with insurance in the practical world.

A highlight of his studies was researching and writing a paper that gives an overview of new risks autonomous vehicles create for insurers. Part one of an edited version of that paper is published in this issue of Resolve. The second part will be published in the June issue.

The UTas winners were Scott Currie, 26, and Penny Stevenson, 43. Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 2022. Penny, who is now in her seventh year of part-time study while raising a young family and working part-time as a teacher, will graduate at the end of 2023.

Scott moved from Hobart to Canberra this year to join the Attorney-General’s Department and will initially work on the restructure of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). The Federal Government is abolishing the AAT and replacing it with a new federal administrative review body.

Scott is excited about the opportunity to put into practice lessons learnt in his insurance law studies.

“We examined different dispute resolution systems and considered ways to make them more efficient, streamlined and less intensive in terms of time and money for participants,” he said.

Those skills will be relevant in developing the new structure to replace the AAT.

Hobart-based Penny has “an open mind” on how she will use her legal skills when she graduates. “I still enjoy teaching but definitely want to use my new learnings.”

She’s keen on environmental law and says climate change risk is particularly important to the insurance industry so a career path in insurance is “always a possibility”.

Scott and Penny shared the $500 prize, which Scott used to assist with the costs of moving interstate for his new job. Penny used the funds to help defray the cost of textbooks. Both thanked AILA for the association’s generosity in making the prize available.

WICA2023

AILA is excited to host the international insurance law association AIDA XVI World Insurance Congress on 30 August – 1 September 2023 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Australia has hosted the prestigious event, which is held every four years, only once before, in Sydney in 1994.

You can book early to take advantage of special offers, as ticketing has now opened for WICA2023.

You can read more about the World Insurance Congress in the AIDA column in this issue of Resolve. I’d like to encourage all AILA and NZILA members to help promote the World Insurance Congress to their networks through AILA’s social media links.

	https://twitter.com/wica2023
	https://www.facebook.com/groups/wica2023
	https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14158130/

Please like and share the posts and encourage your colleagues to do likewise. We want WICA2023 to be the biggest, brightest and best-ever AIDA World Insurance Congress and we need members help to achieve that.

I look forward to welcoming you, and members of the AIDA chapters from around the world, to Melbourne in August.