Given:

Element[] array = new Element[] { new Element(1), new Element(2), new Element(3) };

The simplest answer is to do:

List<Element> list = Arrays.asList(array);

This will work fine. But some caveats:

1. The list returned from asList has fixed size. So, if you want to be able to add or remove elements from the returned list in your code, you'll need to wrap it in a new ArrayList. Otherwise you'll get an UnsupportedOperationException.
2. The list returned from asList() is backed by the original array. If you modify the original array, the list will be modified as well. This may be surprising.

^{(old thread, but just 2 cents as none mention Guava or other libs and some other details)}

If You Can, Use Guava

It's worth pointing out the Guava way, which greatly simplifies these shenanigans:

Usage

For an Immutable List

Use the ImmutableList class and its of() and copyOf() factory methods ^{(elements can't be null)}:

List<String> il = ImmutableList.of("string", "elements");  // from varargs
List<String> il = ImmutableList.copyOf(aStringArray);      // from array

For A Mutable List

Use the Lists class and its newArrayList() factory methods:

List<String> l1 = Lists.newArrayList(anotherListOrCollection);    // from collection
List<String> l2 = Lists.newArrayList(aStringArray);               // from array
List<String> l3 = Lists.newArrayList("or", "string", "elements"); // from varargs

Please also note the similar methods for other data structures in other classes, for instance in Sets.