Few books provide a short but concise introduction to the many forms of dispute resolution that now exist in the construction industry. The Engineer's Dispute Resolution Handbook, edited by Dr Robert Gaitskell QC, does just that. It provides a short, concise and user-friendly overview of the many dispute resolution procedures that are encountered in the industry. It covers litigation in the Technology and Construction Court, arbitration, of course, adjudication as well as mediation and expert determination, and the relatively little-used early neutral evaluation technique. However, the book does not simply deal with these dispute resolution processes.
The avoidance of disputes is helpfully considered first before going on to consider what action might be taken when a dispute arises. A final section on ‘immediate help’ provides a general introduction to the law and identifies some very useful reference sources that any reader would find useful. Professor John Uff provides the foreword.
The Engineer's Dispute Resolution Handbook is not limited to UK disputes. A very useful chapter by the editor deals with international dispute resolution, which predominantly focuses on arbitration and dispute boards.
The chapters have been written by barristers from the specialist team of Keating Chambers. This gives the reader the benefit of the expertise of a number of specialists. However, the book is written in a coherent, chronological manner; it does not appear at all to be a collection of individual papers.
The book is a very useful handbook for not just engineers, but also construction professionals.
