This book has been structured following years of debates and lectures promoted by the International Construction Law Committee of the International Bar Association (ICP), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), the Society of Construction Law (SCL), the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF) and the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry (ABA). Some important issues recently discussed during the annual meeting of the International Academy of Construction Lawyers (IACL) have also been included for a broader debate. All of these institutions and associations have dedicated themselves to promoting an in-depth analysis of the most important issues related to projects and construction law practice.
Project financing and construction law are relatively young, highly specialised areas of legal practice. They are intrinsically functional and pragmatic and require the combination of a varied group of professionals – owners, contractors, bankers, insurers, brokers, architects, engineers, geologists, surveyors, public authorities and lawyers – each bringing their own knowledge and perspective to the table.
Although there is an increased perception that project financing and construction law are global issues, the local flavour offered by leading experts in 30 jurisdictions has shown us that in order to understand the world we must first make sense of what happens locally; to further advance our understanding of the law, we must resist the modern view (and vice?) that all that matters is global and what is regional is of no importance.
