International Construction Disputes

The international construction legal community is notably diverse, with men and women from many jurisdictions and cultures practising construction law at a senior level. The same is true for engineers, architects and other construction professionals, yet this diversity does not translate into diverse tribunals, dispute boards and adjudication panels, which are all too often restricted to a narrow portion of the wider community.

The international arbitration community has made great efforts in recent years to address diversity issues in arbitration, but anecdotal observations suggest that construction disputes – in arbitration, before dispute boards and in adjudication – are still decided by panels who do not reflect the diversity of those practising in this area.

3VB are coordinating a global survey of the users of construction arbitration, dispute boards and adjudications, to see if anecdotes match reality, and if so, to understand why we are falling behind, and what can be done to improve both gender and cultural diversity going forward.

The survey is supported by the CIArb, Global Arbitration Review, the ICP and Arbitration committees within the IBA, Arbitral Women, Women in Arbitration, several Societies of Construction Law, the DRBF and various institutions and other organisations.

Participants who complete the survey will be entered into a draw for one free registration to the next GAR Live Construction Disputes event, kindly donated by Global Arbitration Review.

Complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Construction_Disputes_Diversity.

For further information, please contact Jane Davies Evans at jde@3vb.com or Carlos de Carvalho at ccarvalho@3vb.com.