I am a retired lawyer lawyer after 44 years of practice. During this period I have been a partner at several city legal firms including Coltmans Price Brent, Middletons, Connery and Partners and during the last 10 years prior to retirement, Moray & Agnew. I practised primarily in the areas of insurance law, litigation and advice including public and product liability, indemnity disputes, personal injury and property damage claims and recoveries, arson and fraud, the defence of sporting, leisure and adventure activity organisations against liability claims and associated risk management advice and Australian Consumer Law. For many years I acted for ski resorts such as Mount Buller, Falls Creek, Mount Hotham, Mount Baw Baw, Mount Selwyn and Thredbo. I also acted for the Australian Ski Areas Association in the drafting and implementation of the Alpine Responsibility Code which has become the "rules of the road" for all Australian ski resorts. In 2003 and 2004 I represented and advised all Victorian Ski Resorts in negotiations with the Victorian Government relating to amendments to the Fair Trading Act, now the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act. These amendments increased the protection to the suppliers of "recreational services" against liability claims by enabling such suppliers to contract out of liability for breach of the consumer guarantees provided the breaches were not caused by "gross negligence".