The arbitration process in civil engineering

Perhaps one of the lesser-known aspects of the practice of engineering in general, and civil engineering in particular in Spain, concerns the work done by engineers in the field of the administration of justice. Within this area, because of its specific characteristics and importance, the authors highlight the preparation of arbitration reports, where the engineer has to act within a framework of competence in which strictly technical criteria are combined with the typical concepts, approaches and formalities of the legal environment. In spite of being a type of work of the utmost importance and responsibility, in reality the world of university teachers and of professional colleges and associations, at least in Spain, ignore its existence. As a result, civil engineers working in what might generically be called ‘legal engineering’, or rather engineering applied to legal processes, have gaps in their training and a certain degree of professional isolation. This article seeks, albeit briefly, to look more closely at some of the most important aspects of this professional field of engineering, showing the unique features involved in its practice, and setting out the most pressing problems besetting the sector.