Overview Expertise Related Insights, Events & Cases
The Hon James Allsop AC is an international arbitrator and mediator. He also accepts appointments as early neutral evaluator, chair of inquiries and legal expert.
James has over 40 years’ experience as a commercial lawyer, 20 as Counsel and Senior Counsel at the Australian Bar, 22 years as a Judge and later Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia and President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal.
James has wide experience in and knowledge of commercial law and commercial contracts generally and, in particular, insurance and reinsurance, maritime, Admiralty and transportation, energy and infrastructure, banking and finance, company law, shareholder and partnership matters, intellectual property, insolvency, taxation, competition and anti-trust.
He also has experience in common law, in particular professional negligence of auditors, solicitors and insurance brokers.
James was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2023 for eminent service to the judiciary and to the law, to organisational and technological reform, to legal education, and to insolvency law. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2013.
James was appointed as an International Judge of the Singapore International Commercial Court in 2024.
Note: For the purposes of practice in Australia, James’s liability is limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation.
James has been appointed as an arbitrator both presiding and party appointed and as a sole arbitrator in a range of matters concerning commercial disputes such as the construction of commercial contracts, shipbuilding, engineering, energy joint ventures, carriage of goods by sea, oil and gas pricing disputes and the sale of goods.
James has acted as a mediator in a wide range of matters many of which are commercial, including confidential information, restraint of trade, patents and technology, copyright, maritime disputes, class actions, employment disputes and other commercial disputes.
James has also acted as a referee and as a facilitator of expert evidence.
Recent examples:
ADR
See here for a separate list of some of The Hon James Allsop AC’s judgments.
Over the years James has lectured and spoken at various academic and professional gatherings including the Maritime Law Association of Australia and New Zealand (MLAANZ), AILA, the Intellectual Property Association of Australia and New Zealand, the Institute of Patent Attorneys, the Australian National University, the Centre for Asian and Pacific Law in the University of Sydney, and the New South Wales Bar Association.
Recent speaking engagements include:
Please click here for a separate list of publications and papers.
Atkin Chambers is delighted to once again be recognised as a Tier 1 set for…
The second part of a special episode of Burges Salmon’s‘Risk Rewired – The Energy Disputes…
‘The Humanity of Law – Selected Essays of The Hon. James Allsop AC’ has been…
In a special two-part episode of Burges Salmon’s ‘Risk Rewired – The Energy Disputes Podcast’,…
For more information please contact our clerks on
+44 (0)20 7404 0102 or clerks@atkinchambers.com