Construction disputes in pandemic times

Construction disputes in pandemic times

A webinar presented by the IBA International Construction Projects Committee of the Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law Section (SEERIL)

12 AUG 2020 1300 – 1430 BST

After six months of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, which has put (and continues to put) social, economic and legal systems to an unprecedented test, governments around the world have started to relax lock down measures and the construction industry is slowly starting to move again. As workers go back to construction sites, and engines roar again, owners, contractors, subcontractors, vendors and consultants start looking into contract clauses and claims of all sorts flourish. The reason for this webinar is to explore different approaches to construction disputes in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, trying to identify potential trends in claims and in the resolution of those claims, but also challenges derived from the ‘new normality’ derived from social distancing and its impact on court, arbitration, mediation and dispute board proceedings.

The international construction industry is grappling with the consequences of the global pandemic. The impact of Covid-19 on construction projects is far from consistent: some construction projects came to an abrupt halt as Governments ordered work to stop; other projects were able to continue, but with significant delays and reduced productivity; but in some locations projects have raced ahead, taking advantage of the global lockdown to work longer hours on projects normally constrained by limited work opportunities. Much has been said about the need to work collaboratively through the pandemic, to avoid adding protracted disputes to already difficult working conditions. But how realistic is this approach? And is it a temporary reprieve, or will be soon (if not already!) return to ‘business as usual’ with claims being escalated through multi-tier dispute resolution clauses up to arbitration and local courts.

In this webinar, the Dispute Resolution Subcommittee of the IBA International Construction Projects Committee will speak with representatives from arbitral institutions, FIDIC, practitioners, arbitrators and judges and dispute boards, to hear their experiences over recent months, and their expectations for the future of dispute resolution in the construction sector.

Certificate of Attendance

Certificates of attendance for this webinar will be provided to all IBA members who have registered in advance and attended the live broadcast for a minimum of 30 minutes based on verified sign-in and sign-out times. Certificates can only be issued to the name provided at the time of registration.

Currently only IBA members will be provided with a certificate free of charge. IBA members should use the email address you have on file with the IBA to register for this webinar if you require a certificate of attendance.

Certificates for non-members are chargeable, please make enquiries at webinars@int-bar.org.

Thomas Frad
Karasek Wietrzyk Rechtsanwälte, Vienna; Vice Chair, Dispute Resolution Subcommittee, IBA International Construction Projects Committee

Sharon Vogel
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel, Toronto, Ontario; Vice Chair, Dispute Resolution Subcommittee, IBA International Construction Projects Committee

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Gary Born
Singapore International Arbitration Centre and Chair of the International Arbitration Practice, Wilmer Hale, London

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Dr Donald Charrett
Expert Determination Chambers, Melbourne, Victoria

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Jaime Gray
NPG Abogados, Lima

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HH Frances Kirkham CBE
Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Center, Birmingham

Aisha Nadar
Runeland, Stockholm

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