Dr Andrea Fejos

Biography

Dr Andrea Fejős researches and teaches in (consumer) contract and banking law. Andrea's research is in retail financial services law, on the intersection of consumer law and financial regulation, which she calls 'financial consumer law.' Andrea's current research focuses on aspects of financial inclusion: * social lending and the work of credit unions in the UK * automated loan contracts * credit, food poverty, and mental health resilience. Andrea's current work draws on her previous consumer law research on standard form contracts, unfair contract terms, consumer credit, consumer alternative dispute resolution, and enforcement of consumer rights, which she published in leading journals such as the Journal of Consumer Policy and the European Review of Private Law. She also relies on her broad educational background and work experience. In addition to her formal education, Andrea has completed additional training in mediation and negotiation (Humboldt University, 2006), European Law (CEU, 2006), German and European Law (Ludwig Maximilians University, 2007), consumer protection law and policy (European Consumer Organization- BEUC, 2011) and qualitative research (University of Essex, 2020), and a placement at the Financial Conduct Authority (2018). Before joining Essex Law School in September 2015, Andrea was a lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Business Studies, Dr Lazar Vrkatic in Serbia. Andrea is passionate about improving the real lives of consumers. In addition to her academic work, Andrea served as a consumer protection advocate, a volunteer legal adviser to the National Consumer Protection Organization of Serbia (2007-12), worked at the Oxford Citizens Advice Bureau as a researcher and financial education trainer (2015) and as a Trustee of the Colchester Citizens Advice Bureau (2019). She has been an expert consultant on several research projects for the EU Commission that resulted in law reform; she is an Individual Member of Finance Watch, a Director of Financial Inclusion Europe, and a member of the European Law Institute. Andrea regularly delivers training at The Academy of European Law (ERA) to lawyers, judges, barristers, solicitors, in-house counsels, and regulatory authorities, and she is an author of a popular blog: 'Recent Developments in European Consumer Law' widely read by law and policy makers, judges, practicitons and academics. As a recognition of her work on influencing EU consumer law, in 2023, Andrea was awarded the an Impact Award by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Essex. Since 2020, she has been working with the British credit union sector. Her work is currently on creating the first guide on affordability assessment for the industry, in cooperation with the Association of British Credit Unions Limited. At Essex Law School, Andrea leads the strategy on law and technology and is the first Director of the Business Law Clinic.

Qualifications

• PhD University of Szeged, Hungary (2014)

• LLM in Banking and Finance Law, Queen Mary, University of London (2014)

• LLM in International Business Law, Central European University (2006)

• LLB University of Novi Sad, Serbia (2004)

Appointments

University of Essex

• Lecturer, Law, University of Essex (1/9/2015 - present)

• Visiting Lecturer, Business Law Institute, University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Scieneces (1/12/2022 - present)

• Senior Lecturer, Essex Law School, University of Essex (1/10/2023 - present)

Other academic

• Lecturer, Law, Faculty of Law and Business Studies Dr Lazar Vrkatic, Union University (1/9/2007 - 1/9/2012)

• External Examiner, Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College University of London (22/3/2021 - present)

• Visiting Scholar, School of Law, University of California, Berkeley (7/1/2010 - 20/5/2010)