Description
Practical legal insights to help you navigate disputes and deal with defects
Building and construction disputes can be costly, time-consuming and highly disruptive — particularly where defects emerge during or after a project, payment is withheld, or the relationship between the parties has broken down. For lawyers and other advisers, the challenge is often identifying the client’s practical options quickly, preserving the right evidence, and choosing the most effective pathway to resolution.
This webinar provides practical legal insights into how building disputes commonly arise, how defects should be approached, and what advisers can do to help clients manage risk and achieve a commercially sensible outcome. Designed as an introductory to intermediate practical session, this webinar is ideal for professionals advising homeowners, contractors, principals, developers and others involved in residential or small-to-medium scale construction projects. The focus will be practical rather than theoretical, with guidance that is useful for advisers in small to mid-sized firms, as well as those who do not specialise exclusively in construction law.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- How and why building disputes commonly arise.
- The key legal and practical issues that emerge when defects are identified.
- What steps should be taken early to preserve rights, evidence and leverage.
- How to approach disputes while a project is still on foot, where timing and relationships remain important.
- The role of expert evidence, inspection reports and defect schedules.
- Options for resolving disputes, including negotiation, adjudication and court processes.
- Practical tips for advising clients on strategy, risk, cost and likely outcomes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
In this webinar, you will learn:
- How to identify the common causes of building and construction disputes.
- How to assess defect issues from both a legal and practical perspective.
- What evidence should be gathered early, and why timing matters.
- How to advise clients on their options when defects arise during or after a project.
- The practical differences between negotiation, adjudication and court proceedings.
- How to help clients make informed decisions about whether to pursue, defend or resolve a claim.
- Common mistakes that can weaken a client’s position in a building dispute.
By the end of the session, attendees will have greater confidence in navigating building and construction disputes, identifying the key issues when defects arise, and advising clients on practical steps to protect their position and move the dispute toward resolution.
SUITED TO
Lawyers, accountants, building advisors.
PRESENTER
James Hakaria, Partner, Sharp Tudhope Lawyers
James is a Partner at Sharp Tudhope Lawyers, specialising in civil litigation with a specific focus on building and construction disputes. For over 15 years, James has been advising home-owners, contractors, principals/ developers of their rights and obligations in the construction space, from when projects are still on foot and relationships and timeframes are delicate, to post completion and Adjudication or Court proceedings are contemplated.