From the Co-Chairs – Construction Law International – June 2024

Dear ICP Committee Members,

As Co-Chairs of the IBA International Construction Projects (ICP) Committee, we are excited to share some updates and upcoming opportunities for our members. The past year has presented unique challenges and significant transformations in the global construction industry, and we are proud of the resilience and innovation displayed by our members.

Some of these challenges were discussed during the ICP Working Weekend, which was held this year in Oxford (UK) in April 2024. The Oxford Working Weekend was organised by Tony Dymond, Roberta Downey and their colleagues. The participants were provided with an excellent opportunity to engage with each other in smaller groups to encourage an exchange of views and opinions on various legal issues. Tony and Roberta are to be praised for their work and the multiple tour visits in London and Oxford. It was beautiful to learn punting while enjoying the view of the lovely parks of Oxford. At dinner, we had the pleasure of listening a presentation by Tony’s brother, Jonny Dymond, who shared insight about his career as a journalist.

Our next ICP Working Weekend will take place in the first quarter of 2025. We have received several proposals for possible locations. A decision will be made in the coming weeks, which will be communicated in advance to ensure that all ICP members can have sufficient time to express their intention to participate. The ICP Working Weekend is conceived only for a limited number of participants, which traditionally is not supposed to exceed 60 members. The list of participants is defined on a ‘first ask first serve’ basis following the ICP Business Meeting held at the IBA Annual Conference of each year.

We invite all members to actively participate in our Committee’s activities. Your insights, experiences, and contributions are what make our Committee a dynamic and resourceful body. Whether through attending events, contributing to publications, or joining our working groups, your involvement is crucial to our collective success. We are therefore reminding the ICP members of the upcoming events and conferences, which represent an opportunity to get to know other members and establish collaborations and friendships.

The IBA Annual Conference will take place in Mexico City on 15–20 September 2024. The ICP Committee will host five panels at the conference. The speakers for these panels have been finalised and communicated to the IBA. As in past years, a considerable number of speakers have been selected on the basis of expressions of interest we received from ICP members following the ICP call for interest to speak, which was published by the IBA on 22 May 2024. If you are able to attend the coming IBA Annual Conference, please make sure you register to our ICP dinner and excursion.

Our ICP members are also working on the publication of a construction law book. If you are interested in drafting a chapter of the book, please feel free to contact directly the editors: Professor Mauro Rubino Sammartano (mauro.rubino.brsa@lawfed.com) or Professor Troy Harris (troy.harris@harrisarbitration.com).

Our Committee is also organising an ICP Conference, which will take place in Milan on 27–29 March 2025. The programme will be published in July 2024. We look forward to seeing you all there.

For shorter articles, we encourage you to submit your drafts to the editors of Construction Law International (CLInt). Sharing your knowledge and experience helps to enrich our community and advance our field. Submission of draft articles may be done following the indications provided in the following link: https://www.ibanet.org/clint-april-2024.

Our Committee has created a Whatsapp Group to keep in touch and share relevant information. If you want to be part of it, please send us a message and your cellular phone number. We will make sure you will be included in the group. We also have a LinkedIn page dedicated to the ICP Committee. You are welcome to join it as well.

Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement.

Best wishes,

Júlio César Bueno
Pinheiro Neto Advogados, São Paulo
jbueno@pn.com.br

Virginie Colaiuta
LMS Legal, London
virginie.colaiuta@lmslex.com

Co-Chairs,
International Construction
Projects Committee