13 February 2011
The Bahrain practice of international law firm Trowers & Hamlins, recently held its first in a series of tailored seminars scheduled for February. Robert Horne and Paula Boast of the firm's international construction and dispute resolution team hosted 'Old dogs, new tricks: Claims under FIDIC contracts.'

Designed to address topical issues relevant to its clients from the real estate and development sectors, this seminar explored the various procedural mechanisms under FIDIC Contracts for bringing claims, the substantiation required for successful claims and the engineer's key role in making determinations on those claims.

"Unexpected situations are a feature of every construction project, and none more so than in the current economic climate. Delays and additional costs can result from these situations leading to claims by the Employer against the Contractor, and likewise by the Contractor against the Employer. The key is efficient and effective claims management," commented Paula Boast.

"The recurring theme that came out of our discussions during the seminar was 'how can we deal with claims more efficiently?'. What is clear is that the claims that we are seeing emerge from Bahrain projects are becoming more frequent and more complex as the difficult economic situation continues." stated Robert Horne.

Trowers & Hamlins recommended focusing on practical steps to allow for proper record keeping and early determination of claims with a view to avoiding claims escalating into formal disputes.    

-Ends-

About Trowers & Hamlins
Trowers & Hamlins is an international law firm.  It has five offices across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Cairo, Dubai and Oman, as well as a co-operation agreement with a well established local law firm in Saudi Arabia and formal associations with law firms in Jordan and Syria.  Its principal office is in the City of London.

Trowers & Hamlins was recently awarded the 'Excellence in Exporting Legal Services Award 2009' by the Law Society, in addition to receiving the 'Top Tier Firm 2010' ranking in the latest edition of the IFLR (International Financial Law Review).

Press enquiries:
For further information and a briefing note on this matter, please contact:
Alex Lynch
Regional Head of Marketing, Dubai
Trowers & Hamlins (Dubai)
Tel: +971 (0)4 3519201

Mattison Public Relations (UK)
Nick Mattison
Tel: +44 20 7645 3636

© Press Release 2011