This annual conference, now in its fifth edition, brings together leading practitioners in construction law dealing with new and most pressing issues that have emerged over the past 12 months and are likely to be topical going forward, providing an international and practical perspective on arbitration and dispute resolution. Each session will be followed by a Q&A.

The event is free to attend online. In-person attendance costs £80. The conference will include a networking lunch and will be followed by a drinks reception.

Programme

9.00am – Registration, tea & coffee

9.30am – Welcome

Conference Chairs:

• Professor Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, King’s College London
• James Pickavance, Visiting Professor at King’s College London

9.40am – The Role of Mediation in International Construction Arbitration

Chair: Caroline Pope, Partner at Addleshaw Goddard

• Victoria Peckett, Partner at Clyde & Co
• David Robertson, Partner at White & Case
• Nicholas Alexander Brown, Partner at Pinsent Masons
• Alain Farhad, Arbitrator at Farhad Arbitration

10.30am – ESG Impacts, Contractual Trends and Legal Developments in the Construction Landscape

Chair: David Nitek, Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills

• Simon Tolson, Senior Partner at Fenwick Elliott
• Marion Smith KC, Barrister at 39 Essex Chambers
• Matthew Walker, Partner at K&L Gates

11.20am – Coffee break

11.40am – There’s a Claim There Somewhere

Chair: Steven Walker KC, Barrister at Atkin Chambers

• Scott Stiegler, Partner at Vinson & Elkins
• Crispin Winser KC, Barrister at Crown Office Chambers
• Shareena Edmonds, Partner at King & Spalding

12.30pm – How to Present and Defend Disruption Claims Effectively in International Construction Arbitration

Chair: Tom Owen KC, Barrister at Keating Chambers

• Wendy MacLaughlin, Partner at GBsqd
• Erin Miller Rankin, Partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
• Julian Bailey, Visiting Professor at King’s College London

1.20pm – Lunch break

2.20pm – Keynote Lecture: Construction projects in investor-State arbitration: Crunching the numbers and looking at the future

Professor Renato Nazzini, Director of the Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution, King’s College London

2.50pm – Investor-State Dispute Settlement in Construction, Infrastructure, Energy and Mining Sectors

Chair: Jeff Sullivan KC, Partner at Debevoise & Plimpton

• Michelle Bradfield, Partner at Jones Day
• Kamal Shah, Partner at Stephenson Harwood

3.40pm – Coffee break

4.00pm – Cashflow is the Lifeblood of the Construction Industry – and not just in the UK

Chair: Mark Grasso, Partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan

• Joanne Prior, Managing Director at Kroll
• Kwadwo Sarkodie, Partner at Mayer Brown

4.50pm – Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution Annual Debate
Debate Motion: Lawyers Will Save the Planet

Chair: Sir Rupert Jackson, Arbitrator at 4 New Square Chambers

• For the motion: Sean Brannigan KC, Barrister at 4 Pump Court Chambers
• Against the motion: Anneliese Day KC, Barrister at Fountain Court Chambers

5.40pm – Concluding Remarks

5.50pm – Drinks Reception and Networking