header-logo header-logo

Dodgeball

29 May 2015 / Martin Burns
Issue: 7654 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Profession , ADR
printer mail-detail

Don’t resolve disputes, avoid them, says Martin Burns

Transport for London (TfL) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have developed a practical conflict avoidance and early intervention procedure for construction and engineering contracts, which is designed to save money and preserve commercial relationships.

Disputes on major construction and engineering projects can cause immense harm to long term relations between employers and contractors.

Resolving a dispute is more difficult when a difference of opinion between an employer and contractor is not addressed early. In such circumstances parties frequently descend into the trenches. Their views become rigid and, in many cases, parties become so manifestly inflexible that meaningful dialogue is almost impossible.

Traditional methods for resolving disputes can be very expensive and inordinately slow. The commercial and human consequences of litigation, arbitration and adjudication can often be intolerable. This is usually the case even when parties manage to settle their differences before a judgment; award or decision has been given on a dispute.

Avoidance v resolution

In respect of major infrastructure projects, particularly those which

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Rylatt and Robyn Laye of Anthony Gold Solicitors examine recent international relocation cases where allegations of domestic abuse shaped outcomes
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
Artificial intelligence may be revolutionising the law, but its misuse could wreck cases and careers, warns Clare Arthurs of Penningtons Manches Cooper in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll