​Expertise

James is an Associate with ERI based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and has acted for international contractors, subcontractors and clients, specialising in Contract/Commercial Management, Contract Formation, Contract Advice, Contract Administration and Dispute Avoidance/Resolution on projects in the Construction and Civil Engineering sectors. These have included shopping malls, roads and bridges, airports, hotels, sewage treatment plants, landmark buildings and various other building and civil engineering projects in the Middle East Region. These have involved various standard forms of contract (such as FIDIC) as well as bespoke forms. Through his experience in the region, James has developed a good working knowledge of the applicable civil codes, in particular the UAE and Qatari Civil Codes, and their applicability to major international construction projects.

 

James has been involved in numerous forms of dispute resolution, including a successful mediation concerning a multi-million dollar claim on an airport maintenance hangar project and the review and rebuttal of a sub-contractor’s claim with a claimed value of €38m. James has also previously reviewed and provided legal opinions on the validity of several contractor claims for a government municipality’s Claims Committee and has attended a number of arbitrations and Dispute Adjudication Boards in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman.

 

In addition to James’ contentious experience, James has assisted with the negotiation, formation and risk analysis of contracts and the provision of legal opinions on a client’s contractual position.



​Career
Having graduated from the University of Nottingham and completed his training at BPP Holborn, James completed his training with an established legal practice in the Middle East before joining ERI in May 2013. James holds a qualification in law (LLB (Hons) and PG Dip Legal Practice), is a Member of the Law Society of England and Wales, a member of the Society of Construction Law (Gulf), a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and was admitted as a Solicitor of England and Wales in August 2012.