Vijay Bange – Page 3 – Duane Morris London

July 27, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

The reluctant party – failure to participate in final arbitration hearing because of inability to find QC

Adjudicators and Arbitrators are occasionally faced with a situation where one of the parties refuses to engage in the process. In such circumstances tribunals are left in a difficult position to ensure fairness and have regard to due process, whilst also giving careful consideration as to whether it is just and appropriate to continue the process. Ultimately, however, the reluctance of one party to engage should not deprive the other of their legal and contractual rights.

A peculiar position came before Mr. Justice Andrew Baker, in Shell Energy Europe Limited and Meta Energia SpA [2020] EWHC 1799. This case concerned the Defendant’s application to set aside a previous order made by Teare J, made under s. 66 of the Arbitration Act 1996, granting the Claimant leave to enforce an award of arbitration dated 4 December 2019. The award in favour of the Claimant was for EUR 19,712,077.20. The seat of the arbitration was London, and it was under the LCIA Rules. The Defendant participated with the arbitration fully until the final stages; however, on 19 September 2019, with a two-day final hearing set for 25-26 September 2019, the Defendant dismissed its solicitors and counsel, on the basis (according to the CEO) that it was not satisfied with the way the legal team had pursued or presented the defence. The next day, the Defendant retained new solicitors, and the arbitrators granted an adjournment of the final hearing to 8-9 October 2019. Continue reading “The reluctant party – failure to participate in final arbitration hearing because of inability to find QC”

June 30, 2020 by Duane Morris

Build, Build, Build…The New Deal: Boris Johnson Announces Plans to Rebuild Britain

By Vijay Bange

As the government eases the lockdown provisions around the country, the Prime Minister today made a speech in Dudley, the historical heart of the industrial revolution, setting out his £5 billion economic recovery plan for the country. This is the government’s plan to build our way out of the recession caused by the pandemic, and has been compared to the New Deal proposed during the Great Depression by US President Franklin D Roosevelt. Continue reading “Build, Build, Build…The New Deal: Boris Johnson Announces Plans to Rebuild Britain”

June 9, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

UK construction & Engineering: Practice and procedure: Pre-action disclosure

By Vijay Bange and Matthew Friedlander

Please Sir may I have some more…

Requests by a party for disclosure of further documents is often a vexed issue, and the motives may in some instances be tactical, and inevitably it’s a costly affair. Recently, its been reported that the insurers for HCC International Insurance Company, PLC in its dispute with Roc Nation LLC (Rapper Jay-Z’s management company), has sought a motion before a New York federal judge seeking disclosure of documents from a UK Broker, and which will entail the discovery requests to be ultimately pursued via the process in the UK courts. Roc Nation has alleged that this is an attempt to “kick the can farther down the road”[1], and is objecting to the motion. Continue reading “UK construction & Engineering: Practice and procedure: Pre-action disclosure”

May 15, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

Open All Hours – Greater flexibility with site opening hours for UK construction

By Vijay Bange

Throughout the lockdown in the UK, the construction industry has been allowed to remain open for business providing that compliance with the Public Health England measures is maintained. However, most national house builders at least had taken a decision to close sites. Boris Johnson on Sunday 10^th May, in his long awaited press briefing on the potential relaxation of social distancing road map, made clear that those in construction and manufacturing should go back to work, if they could.

The distancing restrictions will require those at sites to plan their works to ensure compliance with the still in force social distancing measures, and to also consider that other safety requirements also need to be put in place. Adherence to safety at work guidance remains paramount. Sites will be a different place to how they were before. The net effect will be that works may take longer, and potentially there will be risks of delays to delivery of projects. Contractors will need to do what they can to mitigate this risk. Continue reading “Open All Hours – Greater flexibility with site opening hours for UK construction”

May 13, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

UK Construction & Engineering: Lean Thinking Re-Visited

By Vijay Bange

“Lean Isn’t for Lockdown, It’s for Life” was a thought provoking treatise by my fellow partner at Duane Morris, Alexander Geisler (London office co-head, author, journalist and creator of the Lean Law Suite of lean practice methods). He discussed how our “New Norm” in the COVID-19 era is forcing industries to adopt Lean Thinking principles to work efficiently and effectively. This paper seeks to consider the extent to which these concepts are applicable to the UK construction & engineering industry.

Lean Thinking as a concept has its roots in Toyota’s production system. One of the primary tenets of this concept is to aim to perfect process, as continuous improvements address root causes of quality issues, and the elimination of waste. Continue reading “UK Construction & Engineering: Lean Thinking Re-Visited”

May 6, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

Adjudication during the COVID-19 lockdown – breach of natural justice?

By Vijay Bange and Tanya Chadha

In the UK, adjudication remains one of the quickest and most cost effective methods of resolving construction disputes. As most people adjust to the “new normal” of working from home, an away from the usual office environment, adjudication may not be at the top of everyone’s agenda. That is somewhat ironic given that the current COVID-19 situation is fast becoming a potential breeding ground for construction disputes. Projects are in delay, labour and materials supply may be an issue and cashflow may become and inevitable effect of the lockdown.

The courts have shown a resolve to carry on with court business where there are live proceedings. There was however some uncertainty as to what approach the TCC would take in relation to adjudications during the period of lockdown, particularly given the fast and furious nature of the process. Would breach of natural justice arguments hold strong in adjudications pursued during this restrictive period of lockdown? What would be the position where some relevant participants are self-isolating? Can the adjudication process be conducted fairly, and with proper regard to the rules of natural justice? Continue reading “Adjudication during the COVID-19 lockdown – breach of natural justice?”

April 28, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

Post-lockdown and the new world order: Construction & Engineering UK

By Vijay Bange and Tanya Chadha

Social distancing measures and lockdowns have been replicated across the globe and have brought world economies to all time lows. Understandably, there is now a degree of anxiety to getting back to work. The longer the lockdown goes on for, the harder the bounce back may be. Unsurprisingly murmurings of getting the country back to work are beginning to surface. Some manufacturers and building firms that shut down are now slowly preparing to return to work from a state of hibernation.

Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover have set out plans to re-open their factories early next month with strict safety measures in place. Taylor Wimpey, like some other national house builders, is planning to resume work on multiple sites. HS2 is also now resuming works on Phase one, opening 75% of its sites, with a notice to commence being approved by the government. These companies have spent time planning how they can re-start, whilst ensuring adherence with the government’s social distancing guidelines. Continue reading “Post-lockdown and the new world order: Construction & Engineering UK”

April 28, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

Expert witnesses owe a fiduciary duty of loyalty to clients

By Vijay Bange

A Company v XYZ [2020] EWHC 809 (TCC)

Overview

The expert witness owed a fiduciary duty of loyalty, arising out of an engagement to provide expert witness services, advice and support in connection with an arbitration.
The court allowed the continuation of an existing interim injunction refraining the defendant consultancy expert practice from providing expert services to another party in the arbitration.

Continue reading “Expert witnesses owe a fiduciary duty of loyalty to clients”

April 9, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

Exit Strategies: Construction & Engineering UK

By Vijay Bange and Tanya Chadha

It was announced on Sunday 5 April that Keir Starmer was selected as leader of the Labour Party. Whilst the current Covid-19 outbreak has no basis for political jostling, he raised a very important question, namely, what is the government’s “Exit Strategy” to eventually get us back to a sense of normality.

The point raised by Keir Starmer is of wider economic relevance. Save for key workers, most other business sector activities have come to a halt. This is largely (but not exclusively) the case for construction and engineering projects. Continue reading “Exit Strategies: Construction & Engineering UK”

April 3, 2020April 6, 2023 by Duane Morris London

Challenging Times: Construction and Engineering in the UK

By Vijay Bange and Tanya Chadha

The COVID -19 pandemic has already had a massive effect on global economies. Its impact has been unprecedented and there is a degree of uncertainty on almost every facet of daily life.

This article seeks to touch upon issues that may affect those in the UK construction industry specifically, but certain elements will no doubt equally apply across other sectors. Continue reading “Challenging Times: Construction and Engineering in the UK”