The second International Construction Law Conference was held on 15 September, drawing a global audience.
Now in its second year, the International Construction Law Conference, organised by the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution and the Academy of Experts, is an opportunity for academic and professional experts from across all fields of construction law to share and discuss key challenges and build their professional networks.
After last year's online conference, this year's hybrid event saw 90 delegates gather at Bush House in London with an additional 900 construction law specialists joining the various sessions online. Twenty-nine leading law firms, barristers' chambers and consultancies actively participated in the event.
Professor Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, said: "The hybrid format of this year's conference worked well, allowing those who wished to attend in-person to do so, while at the same time ensuring that a far larger, global group could join us online. With expert panels and a great keynote from Paula Hodges, this year's conference saw a number of lively debates with our online attendees asking many questions and playing their part in these discussions.
Our International Construction Law Conference has now become a fixture of the London and global construction law landscape and I look forward to continuing working with the law firms, chambers and consultancies that have made the conference such a success for two consecutive years.– Professor Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution
Key debates this year were around the evolution in FIDIC forms, widely used standard forms for construction contracts; investment arbitration and environmental and Covid-19-related claims; disruption claims and the myth that they are difficult or even impossible to win; ways to streamline document production; and joint-venture disputes.
Professor Nazzini opened and closed the conference and chaired a panel on investment arbitration. James Pickavance, partner at Jones Day and Visiting Fellow at the Centre, chaired the conference. Paula Hodges, partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and President of the LCIA Court, gave the keynote speech.
The Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, based at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London, is at the forefront of construction law worldwide. The Centre engages with all the professions involved in construction projects: lawyers, engineers, architects, quantity surveyors, arbitrators, adjudicators and experts.
The Centre's teaching focuses on the two-year MSc Construction Law & Dispute Resolution, which brings together professionals from around the world.
