DISPUTE MANAGEMENT
The costs of disputes, claims and counter-claims arising from construction contracts can be substantial, yet with appropriate professional advice the consequences of a dispute can often be reduced significantly.
In many cases, sound initial advice will often reduce the need for costly legal action. Negotiation, mediation and expert determination may, in many cases, lead to the avoidance of arbitration or litigation and a detailed knowledge of these procedures together with sound negotiating skills will often avoid or reduce many of the pitfalls that arise in construction disputes.
The skills involved in analysing problems in general coupled with the sorts of problems that arise with regularity in the construction industry enable conflicts to be examined dispassionately. Solutions can often be reached which were below the horizons of those who were, previously at loggerheads. Often those in dispute will be shackled with can helpfully be thought of as emotional hand cuffs and the removal of these can very often lead to a more realistic assessment of the causes and consequences of the dispute. This process can provide a realistic and objective assessment and outcomes can be reached which achieve economic good sense.