BRISBANE: Association of Corporate Counsel (QLD) and Piper Alderman | Breakfast CLE Session – AI, Ethics & Influence: The New Mandate for Corporate Counsel

Michael is an Associate Professor in QUT’s Law School, focusing on the legal, ethical, and governance challenges of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. His research examines AI’s impact on legal institutions, privacy, and power dynamics. He teaches Technology Law, AI and the Law, and Competition Law and he integrates generative AI into student learning and his teaching. Michael has published widely on technology law and legal innovation, contributing to policy discussions on AI regulation and digital transformation.

Lani is currently Regional Counsel for Stryker, a global medical technology company. Prior to working at Stryker, Lani worked across both in-house and private practice environments, within global and national corporations and federal government. She is passionate about her involvement in various Committees and Associations that give back to her profession, workplace and the broader community. She is currently the Secretary and Committee member of the Queensland division of the Association of Corporate Counsel, Co-State lead for Queensland of Stryker Women’s Network and involved in the MTAA AI, Privacy, Digital Health and Cybersecurity Working Groups. She recently completed her AI Governance Professional Certification with the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Craig is an intellectual property and technology lawyer with expertise in all facets of IT contracting and procurement, including advising on competitive procurement processes and the preparation and negotiation of supply and service contracts, such as anything-as-a-service, agile software development, hardware supply and maintenance contracts and managed services arrangements. He has also worked with clients to develop terms of use for electronic commerce platforms.

Craig is experienced in data security and information privacy matters, such as preparing privacy and credit reporting policies, employee procedures and data breach response plans, as well as delivery of privacy training. Craig has a broad knowledge of State and Commonwealth privacy laws. Craig has advised a number of clients on compliance with the mandatory data breach notification requirements under the Privacy Act, including whether a data breach is notifiable and the preparation of notifications and applications for exemption from notification requirements.

As a registered trade mark attorney, he has routinely advised and represented clients in relation to intellectual property protection, commercialisation and enforcement. Craig has worked with clients to recognise and protect their valuable intellectual property assets, including identifying those assets and taking steps to protect the assets through registration (if available). He has prepared and negotiated commercialisation agreements, including licence agreements, collaboration agreements and research and development agreements.

Paul Venus is a highly experienced lawyer specializing in commercial litigation, dispute resolution and commercial law, across Australia.

With over 29 years of experience, he has acted in all levels of the Australian Court system, including the High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia, Supreme Courts of Queensland and New South Wales, District Courts, and Magistrates Courts.

His expertise spans practice areas which are characterised by high levels of regulation. Those include Competition and Consumer law, Intellectual Property Protection, Privacy, Franchising, Technology, Defamation law, Insolvency litigation, and Banking litigation. He is also an experienced franchising and commercial mediator, who is familiar with the Mandatory Codes of Conduct prescribed by the Competition & Consumer Act.

As a trusted adviser, Paul is known for his responsiveness to client needs, clarity and commerciality of advice, and strong advocacy. Clients, ranging from multinational corporations to SMEs to high-net-worth individuals, rely on Paul for counsel. They turn to him when making difficult decisions, requiring help in stressful situations, or seeking to navigate legal complexities to achieve high value outcomes for their business. His approach to providing practical context to legal problems and achieving exceptional outcomes for clients has earned him high praise from his clients.

Paul also has substantial experience in contract disputes, negligence cases, corporate law disputes, and shareholder disputes.

In addition to his litigation expertise, Paul brings a wealth of knowledge in commercial and corporate law. Real world industry knowledge has been gained by Paul from non-executive director roles in the Electricity and Health sectors. Paul has also gained experience in not-for profit organisations as a non-executive director in a research foundation and a charitable trust.

Paul’s expertise as a commercial lawyer, and excellent drafting skills enable him to provide strategic commercial advice and negotiate a wide range of agreements for clients. He has substantial knowledge advising clients on directors’ duties and responsibilities, conflicts management, continuous disclosure, board decisions, responses to regulator notices and investigations.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland, a Masters of Laws from Queensland University of Technology, and a Certificate of Arbitration and Mediation from the University of Adelaide. He is admitted as a legal practitioner in the High Court of Australia, Supreme Court of Queensland, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Supreme Court of South Australia, and Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.