Student Corey Cavanough has been awarded an Australian Insurance Law Association (AILA) prize for achieving the highest marks in insurance law subjects at Griffith University.  

Mr Cavanough, 23, will graduate this year with a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce (Financial Planning) degree. He is currently doing a placement at the Brisbane office of insurance law specialist HBA Legal. 

AILA presents student prizes, each worth $500, to the top students in insurance law subjects at several universities around Australia every year to encourage graduates to seek careers in the insurance industry. 

AILA Queensland President Sarah Tuhtan presented Mr Cavanough with his prize at the Griffith University Law School’s annual awards ceremony and praised Dean Therese Wilson for recognising insurance law as a distinct subject from contracts and torts law.  

“While both are foundational, they don’t really capture the critical role insurance plays in the commercial world,” Ms Tuhtan said. 

Mr Cavanough says he enjoyed the variety of claims he’s been involved with, from a hospital medical negligence case to a supermarket slip and trip, and his double degree enabled him to see insurance from the perspectives of both lawyers and their clients. 

“It’s different every week,” he said. “It’s made me realise the many ways that insurance is involved in the claims process. 

“I am grateful to AILA for its support for young aspiring insurance lawyers and the opportunities to meet a range of people in the profession and the insurance industry,” he said.