Consumer law
Stability on shifting sands
COMMERCIAL GUIDANCE ON REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SYSTEMS AND MEETING CONSUMER OBLIGATIONS, WITHOUT COMPROMISING PROFITABILITY.
Businesses trading in Australia to have to manoeuvre a progressively assertive and rapidly shifting consumer protection and regulatory environment, preemptively obtaining strategic legal advice to mitigate potential risks provides stability and protection for your company.
Consumer protection laws are multifaceted and onerous, with extensive application to commercial transactions and disputes. Enforcement by regulatory bodies is also escalating and increasingly aggressive, and as regulators exhibit greater proactivity and collaboration across diverse jurisdictions, both domestic and international regulatory landscapes are becoming more challenging. Hanging in the balance of these rapidly evolving laws is your business certainty and livelihood.
We are a specialised and highly respected commercial law firm with niche, international trade expertise, collaborating closely with our Australian and international clients to identify impediments to their business strategies and solve emerging problems.
We synthesise intricate consumer law issues into practical and commercial advice, ensuring your company’s compliance systems are structured to protect your business, directors, and senior management from the risk of severe financial and potentially criminal penalties, without tethering it in a competitive marketplace.
Our commercial and consumer lawyers advise clients across diverse sectors including manufacturers, retailers, industry bodies, and service providers on their obligations and options when supplying goods and services across the gambit of consumer protection issues under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Australian Consumer Law.
We guide clients in areas of product safety; marketing, advertising, and distribution practices; warranties and consumer guarantees; product labelling; country and region of origin; unconscionable conduct and unfair practices; and false, misleading, and deceptive conduct. Ultimately, our aim is to support you to stand on sure feet so your business can take off.
OUR SERVICES
OUR EXPERIENCE
Moulis Legal is the most highly regarded and consulted law firm in trade remedy matters in Australia. In being so, we have also become the most highly credentialled law firm in international trade, WTO law, and import and customs law more broadly. Our people are at the table of some of the largest and most complex international deals in the world.
We are a trusted partner for challenging transactions with global implications – providing support throughout your entire business journey. Our goal is to ensure your risks are mitigated and opportunities are fully leveraged at every opportunity, while guiding you through the labyrinth of international trade laws and regulations.
Our results-focused team of international trade lawyers provide expert and strategic advice regarding trade defence, import and export controls, sanctions compliance, free trade agreement negotiation, WTO dispute procedures, and international dispute resolution.
REMAIN STEADFAST ON SHIFTING SANDS
Moulis Legal is a leading legal firm for competition, consumer protection, and regulatory matters, drawing on our commercial acumen and niche international trade expertise to provide holistic, business-forward solutions to our clients.
Our reputation is built on our many years advising in high-profile, international trade matters for global and Australian companies, handling complex cross border, customs, and commercial projects, including foreign investment, investigation, defence, and regulatory compliance. We have a reputation for finding adept solutions for clients across major projects and high-level advisory work, especially at the intersection of government and private sector activities.
AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW
Moulis Legal has a deep understanding of Australian Consumer Law and the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. We are aware of the diversity and complexity of issues our clients may face, and the most effective approach to resolving them. Our team stays abreast of emerging Australian Consumer Law developments, and prides itself on pioneering inventive solutions that yield substantial savings in time and money for our clients.
Offering in-depth experience in navigating competition and consumer laws on behalf of our clients, we have advised and acted in a broad range of consumer protection issues, including misleading and deceptive conduct, product safety regulations, and compliance investigations.
Our consumer law lawyers provide clients with advice on implied and express warranties for goods and services under Australian Consumer Law, product safety recalls including obligations to notify the ACCC, labelling laws including country of origin claims, and permitted representations pursuant to Australian Consumer Law. We also have experience in drafting large-organisation Australian Consumer Law staff training manuals and product warranty cards.
We offer multi-sector expertise and industry knowledge across a broad range of sectors, ensuring we have the breadth of expertise necessary to offer our clients a holistic service, from competition and regulatory and compliance advice through to litigation. We are sought after to provide holistic advice to clients across diverse markets, including technology, telecommunications, infrastructure, transportation, retail, and more.
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION
Moulis Legal is well skilled in engaging with the the national consumer regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and key regulatory decision-makers. Our consumer law lawyers stay abreast of the latest developments and share these with our clients, allowing them to anticipate and mitigate potential issues, and swiftly respond to regulatory investigations on behalf of clients.
As a formidable and active independent statutory authority with wide-reaching powers and stringent enforcement capabilities, the ACCC seeks high penalties for contraventions of competition and consumer laws. Our consumer law lawyers have insightful knowledge of the activities and recent enforcement actions of the ACCC and how it operates. We work with clients to manage consumer regulatory compliance to avoid severe financial and potentially criminal penalties.
We manage regulatory investigations on behalf of clients in matters involving product safety, consumer protection, and competition issues, including conducting litigation and representing clients before the ACCC.
Our team of consumer law lawyers partner with leading competition law practices at international firms to deliver seamless, global services to clients in multi-jurisdictional mergers and investigations. We have successfully represented our clients at the European Court of Justice and the US Court of International Trade.
Our insights
WHY AUSTRALIAN TARIFF COMPLIANCE IS FAR FROM A NUISANCE.
From 1 July 2024, the requirement to pay “nuisance” tariffs on the importation into Australia of 457 product types will be removed. What advantage can be taken of this new concession and what does it emphasise regarding proper commercial and administrative compliance with Australia’s tariff classification system?
A blueprint for compliance with government contracts.
Oftentimes, effective project delivery and a happy partnership are driven by compliance with the details in the contract itself. And although these details are easily overlooked, a few simple strategies in place will go a long way towards setting yourself up for success and avoiding costly disputes.
