This webinar deals with the nature of limitation periods and their potential implications on the viability of various species of claims typically pursued in
construction disputes

James Howells QC and Shourav Lahiri of the world renowned construction set Atkin Chambers will discuss issues such as:

1. When various limitation periods begin;
2. When such periods stop running
3. Whether limitation periods are suspended when parties invoke (sometimes lengthy) pre-arbitration dispute resolution processes; and
4. Strategies for avoiding problems with limitation.

Webinar participants will be able to watch and listen to (via computer audio, recommended for security reasons, or telephone line) the video presentation and Q&A discussion on their screens, as well as participate in the Q&A discussion by sending in their questions to the moderator via text using the built-in Q&A function.

James Howells QC specialises in international commercial arbitration with particular expertise in infrastructure, construction, engineering, shipbuilding and IT disputes. His experience in energy-related cases includes oil and gas production platforms and rigs, FPSOs, gas storage caverns, desalination plants, power stations and renewables. He has extensive experience of international infrastructure projects. His IT experience includes commercial and technical disputes in projects ranging from commercial systems to major government projects. Much of his work is international in nature and throughout his career he has advised on disputes in jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, India, Russia, UAE, Oman, Continental Europe, Tanzania, South Africa, Channel Islands and Caribbean. James is consistently recognised by legal directories as a leading practitioner, clients comment he is “a phenomenal Silk” who is "very user-friendly, hands-on barrister with formidable advocacy skills". Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific describe him as a “"very clever and extremely able" advocate, noted for the jurisdictional diversity of his Asian arbitration practice, which embraces the handling of energy and engineering disputes originating in such widely separated locations as Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. Interviewees also value him for his cross-examination skills and as a "very approachable" colleague who gives "direct answers."”

Shourav is a specialist construction and international arbitration lawyer with over 20 years of experience advising on energy and infrastructure disputes. He represents clients in the onshore and offshore oil & gas, petrochemicals, power, infrastructure and building sectors on the procurement, design, engineering and construction of major projects. He has also represented companies in mainland China in investigations and sanctions proceedings brought by the World Bank. Shourav has practised in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Dubai and Beijing. He has appeared as counsel in court, arbitrations and mediations across Asia-Pacific, the Gulf and Europe. He is qualified to practice in England and Wales, Singapore and Hong Kong, and has full rights of audience in the DIFC. Shourav is routinely rated as a leading individual in Chambers and Partners and is described as “a very experienced construction disputes lawyer”, whose “advice is comprehensive, practical and tailored to the circumstances of the case at hand”, while also being “creative in his approach to the legal dispute… attributed to his vast knowledge and experience in handling complex construction disputes”. He is noted for “his ability to get to the crux of the problem” and his “sharp mind”.

About the Chairperson:

A seasoned litigator, Chen Han has been described by Legal 500 as ‘very methodical’, ‘forceful and relentless in his cross-examination' and ‘a go-to individual for complex delay claims’, who is ‘unafraid to dive into details’. He acts as Counsel in international arbitrations, and in Singapore's High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings and has acted on major infrastructure projects e.g. the construction of power plants in Borneo, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa, international airports in India and Vietnam, the Red Line Commuter Train Project in Thailand, an iron-ore processing plant in Russia, and numerous large-scale projects in Singapore including the iconic Marine One development, Changi Airport, Sports Hub, Tuas Desalination Plant 3, Deep Tunnel Sewerage System Phase II, Lower Seletar Water Works, Changi Water Reclamation Plant Phase 2, Biopolis, Fusionopolis, Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway, the Thomson, Eastern Region, and Jurong Region mass rapid transit lines. Chen Han is the Immediate Past Chair of the Society of Construction Law (Singapore), a Fellow of the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators, a Contributing Editor for Singapore’s leading construction law textbook, Law and Practice of Construction Contracts (Chow Kok Fong, 2018), and a Contributing Editor for the Singapore Journal of Construction Law.