Publisher's Synopsis
Some industries manage to conduct their business with few contractual problems. The construction industry is not so fortunate. The whole field of building contracts is fraught with legal difficulties and construction personnel need to be particularly alert to the legal implications of their work. Not only must they be familiar with the standard forms of contract: they also need to be aware of decisions of the courts not an easy task, particularly at present when a number of long–standing decisions are being reversed by the judges, and new law is being made. Vincent Powell–Smith, as a practicing arbitrator and consultant in building contracts, and a regular writer and lecturer on the subject, is ideally placed to provide an overview of some of the key legal issues facing the industry. In his latest book he reviews a number of thorny areas in building contracts and discusses the practical problems related to some of the leading construction cases. The topics covered are the author s personal selection and the book is not intended to review the whole field of building contracts, which is already covered by the leading textbooks. Topics include such matters as: An architect s duty of care and the changing attitude of the courts The battle of the forms The contractual effect of programmes Liquidated damages and time at large Disruption and prolongation claims This highly readable book provides both a practical guide to some of the key problems in building contracts and a useful survey of many of the major construction cases of the last decade.
