Marque Lawyers partner Damian Sturzaker has been elected as the president of the Australian branch of the International Law Association (ILA) for the third year running.

Sturzaker was again bestowed the title at the annual ILA address last week, which was this year delivered by Justice Allsop, the president of the NSW Court of Appeal.

Speaking on the topic of "Regional dispute resolution structures: Is there a trend towards alternative dispute resolution?", Justice Allsop said globalisation has led to a blurring of national boundaries. He said that while courts will always have an important role to play in resolving domestic disputes, international arbitration continues to be favoured by businesses trading across national boundaries.

Justice Allsop added that national courts should accept there will be differences in the way arbitral bodies interpret and apply the law, and that courts should be slow to interfere with arbitral awards.

According to Sturzaker, the ILA has seen a large increase in members of late, reflecting an increased interest, especially by young lawyers, in international law.

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"We were honoured to have Justice Allsop deliver the annual address," he said. "We have been fortunate to have a number of High Court judges as well as leading figures in international law deliver earlier addresses, and Justice Allsop was an obvious choice given his keen interest in cross-border transactions."