Dr Steven Stern is an Adjunct Professor in the Victoria Law School, and former University General Counsel, Victoria University (VU).

As University General Counsel, Dr Stern was responsible to the University Council and the Vice-Chancellor for providing overall professional direction of the University's legal affairs focusing on:

  • the more complex issues involving legal policy
  • interpretation or strategy
  • matters with other significant ramifications.

He has a wide background in the provision of legal services in government, universities, the corporate sector and in private practice.

In his role to the National Companies and Securities Commission/Australian Securities Commission, Dr Stern was responsible for all the non-enforcement legal work of the Commission.

From the Commission, Dr Stern spent approximately two years as a Senior Associate of Mallesons Stephen Jaques working principally on securities issues. Whilst there he was credited with having a major role in designing the legal structure of a due diligence exercise for the prospectus of a bank's rights issue  - that to a degree was said to have set a pattern for subsequent issues.

 He then joined VU as its first University Solicitor.

Academically, Dr Stern completed a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne including completion of a full thesis on the protection of computer software. Dr Stern completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Melbourne with a thesis on the Law of Money, exploring the influence of monetary economics on financial law.

Dr Stern has published in major Australian and international law journals on these topics, as well as on Islamic law, and corporate and securities regulation.

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