Arbitration enables parties to an engineering/construction dispute to present their differences for binding adjudication to a person both skilled in issue determination and experienced in the practices, norms, and law unique to the construction industry.
I have served as both a neutral and party-appointed arbitrator in many complex engineering and construction disputes. I have also served as counsel for parties in scores of major arbitrations. I have seen first hand that arbitration when properly managed is preferable to the delay, enormous cost, and uncertain quality of court litigation.
My 40 years experience litigating all aspects of the controversies that arise in the construction industry makes me well-suited to hear and decide these complex cases. I have represented all the major participants in construction projects and understand, and have sympathy for, their divergent perspectives and interests. With experience on all sides, I come with no built-in bias or point of view.
I am a hard-working arbitrator. I take pains to understand the details of the parties’ positions and the issues presented. While making certain that each side has a full and fair opportunity to present its case, I search for effective strategies to expedite the process and reduce its cost.
I am also available to be named in a construction contract as the designated arbitrator to hear and decide matured disputes while the project is in progress. This can be an effective mechanism not only to resolve disputes in a timely fashion, but to give crucial guidance to the parties when it is most useful – while the job is still underway. Often the presence of a provision calling for prompt adjudication of disputes promotes jobsite cooperation and a willingness to resolve issues amicably before they mature into full-blown disputes.