The association presents the prizes to the top students in insurance subjects at several universities across Australia annually to encourage law graduates to seek careers in the insurance industry.
The two students who took home AILA prizes were:
Currie moved from Hobart Canberra to join the attorney-general's department. He will initially work on the Administrative Appeals Tribunal's (AAT) restructuring amid the government's plans to abolish it and replace it with a new federal administrative review body.
Currie said he expects to gain an insight into the policy behind dispute resolution from “a big picture perspective” in the new role.
“We examined different dispute resolution systems and considered ways to make them more efficient, streamlined, and less intensive in terms of time and money for participants,” he said.
Meanwhile, Stevenson, who is keen on environmental law, said she has “an open mind” on how to use her legal skills once she graduates, but there is “always a possibility” to have a career focusing on climate change risk as it is significant to the insurance industry.
Currie and Stevenson will share the $500 prize, which will assist the former with the costs of moving interstate for his new job and the latter with the cost of textbooks. Both thanked AILA for its generosity.
This year, AILA will host the AIDA (international insurance law association) XVI World Insurance Congress, an event held every four years.