This post was originally published on this site

The International Construction Arbitrators Association – the ICAA – has been launched to help those in a cross-border dispute know where to turn.

The ICAA runs a list of arbitrators who are specialists from the international  construction industry;  a mix of construction judges, construction lawyers and engineers.

The ICAA list includes many names well known in international construction, including Sir Robert Akenhead, a former judge of the Technology & Construction Court in London, and Mohamed S Abdel Wahab, global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

The founders of ICAA believe that parties to a dispute, their lawyers, party-nominated arbitrators and institutions making appointments need a reliable list of suitable specialist international construction arbitrators. But no such list exists any more. FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, used to publish a list of international construction arbitrators until 1999 when its focus shifted to dispute adjudication. ICAA is intended to fill that long-standing gap.

The ICAA is modelled on the London Maritime Arbitrators Association, which lists shipping specialists for maritime disputes.

Founder Edward Corbett said: “Construction is a very specialist field: it needs specialist arbitrators. Our list will have 30 to 40 arbitrators. In our view, they represent the sort of arbitrators who should be deciding international construction disputes.”

Jim Perry, a US construction lawyer and arbitrator based in Paris since 1988, added: “As a former user of arbitration services and as a practitioner, I am convinced that ICAA arbitrators will inspire contractors’ and employers’ confidence that their disputes are in the sure hands of seasoned professionals who share a personal grounding in their industry.”

Aarta Alkarimi, one of the Middle East’s busiest construction arbitrators and an ICAA cofounder, agrees: “these specialist construction arbitrators really can cut through the complexity. It takes more than just knowing the arbitration rules, you need someone who understands how the construction industry works. That mix of procedural know-how and industry insight is what helps an arbitrator untangle tough issues, keeps the process on track, and shapes it into a fair, efficient, and enforceable award. This list is a great starting point for anyone looking for those qualities in an arbitrator”.

ICAA is also building a Next Generation membership to encourage and bring on younger

arbitrators.

Engineer arbitrator Gwyn Owen commented: “The prime motive of the ICAA is to provide the industry with a much-needed list of arbitration specialists who have hands-on experience with the resolution of the complex issues which arise in major construction and infrastructure projects.”

The list is available on the ICAA website at www.intcaa.org.

Got a story? Email [email protected]