Rate My Professor Ann Apps

Ann Apps serves as an Honorary Lecturer in the School of Law and Justice within the College of Human and Social Futures at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She earned her Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Graduate Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety Management from UNSW. Apps completed her PhD in Law at the University of Newcastle, focusing her thesis on "Why Can't We Co-operate? The Impact of Law and Regulatory Policy on the Development and Growth of Co-operative Enterprise in Australia," under the supervision of Dr. Tim Connor and Professor Christoph Antons. Prior to academia, she practiced as a solicitor in regional New South Wales, handling civil litigation, property, and commercial law matters. She also worked as a sessional academic at the University of Wollongong Faculty of Law from 2001 to 2009 before joining Newcastle Law School as a lecturer in 2010.

Apps' research interests encompass co-operative law, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and legal models for social enterprise. She actively promotes co-operative education in Australian tertiary institutions. Key publications include the journal article '"Housing the ‘missing middle’ — The Limited Equity Housing Co-operative as an intermediate tenure solution for Australia’s growing renter class"' in the Australian Property Law Journal (2021), 'A Legal Identity for Mutuals – Distinguishing between profit and purpose' in the Company and Securities Law Journal (2019), and 'Legislating for co-operative identity: The new co-operatives national law in Australia' in the same journal (2016). She has co-authored influential reports such as 'Learning on the Go: Identifying barriers and opportunities for the formation and development of agricultural co-operatives in Australia' (2021) and others on co-operative education. She has obtained research grants totaling $29,850, including $13,000 from the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals. Apps teaches courses like Contract Law, Co-operative Law and Governance, and Corporate Power and Accountability. She is a member of Ius Cooperativum, an international community of co-operative lawyers, and serves on the editorial committee of the International Co-operative Law Journal. Her contributions include numerous presentations at international conferences and workshops on co-operatives and sustainable development. Additionally, she has held roles such as Acting Program Convenor for the Juris Doctor and member of faculty committees.