Introduction

ICAA, the International Construction Arbitrators Association, has been launched. ICAA is the brainchild of Edward Corbett, consultant to Howard Kennedy’s international construction team. Jo Clarke is Honorary Secretary to ICAA and Victoria Tyson is another founder member.

ICAA lists arbitrators who are specialists from the international construction industry, whether lawyers or other construction professionals.

The ICAA list includes many names well known in international construction, such as Sir Robert Akenhead, a former judge of the TCC, Professor Doug Jones AO and 8 King’s Counsel from the British construction bar. The list is multi-national and multi-lingual and includes Prof. Dr. Mohamed S. Abdel Wahab, the current Global President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Purpose

Edward and the other founders believe that international construction disputes need specialist international construction arbitrators. But no such list currently exists. So ICAA is modelled on the London Maritime Arbitrators Association which lists shipping specialists for maritime disputes.

Parties, their lawyers, party-nominated arbitrators and institutions making appointments need a reliable list of suitable specialists. The arbitrators listed will be long-time specialists in construction, will have expertise in FIDIC-type contracts and will be experienced in international arbitration. In short, the right choice for international construction disputes.

Edward said:

“Construction is a very specialist field: it needs specialist arbitrators. Our list has over 38 arbitrators listed so far. In our view, they represent the sort of arbitrators who should be deciding international construction disputes.”

Jo added:

“ICAA represents an important opportunity to ensure that international construction disputes are resolved by true specialists. As Honorary Secretary, I am proud to support this initiative which promotes excellence and diversity in the field of construction arbitration.”

Members

The list is a mix of construction lawyers and engineers. They come from common and civil law countries.

One of ICAA’s objectives is to bring on the next generation of international construction arbitrators. So ICAA has also set up its Next Generation Membership (NGM) list and is inviting 20 men and 20 women in their 40s or 50s to join. They will be construction professionals working with FIDIC-type contracts, experienced in international construction arbitration, and available to accept nominations as international construction arbitrators.

Victoria commented:

“ICAA fills a critical gap by providing parties with access to arbitrators who truly understand the complexities of international construction projects. This initiative will help ensure fair, efficient and expert resolution of disputes in a sector that demands specialist knowledge.”

The lists (which currently show 38 senior members and 32 NGMs) are available on the ICAA website at www.intcaa.org. ICAA will nominate arbitrators on request.

We would be interested to hear what you think. Please get in touch at edward.corbett@howardkennedy.com or joanne.clarke@howardkennedy.com  with your thoughts or to discuss any concerns.