About

James Reader is a solicitor with more than 20 years of experience in dispute resolution. He has acted as counsel in a number of international arbitration proceedings under the ICC and SIAC rules.

James has acted in disputes arising from the construction of a major airport, the refurbishment of a luxury hotel, several major road projects, a port development project and a railway rehabilitation project. These have been across various jurisdictions in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia and have involved FIDIC and other forms of contract.

He has acted for employers, consultants and government agencies. He spent more than ten years as a specialist lawyer defending complex industrial disease (particularly regarding mesothelioma) and personal injury litigation claims.

James qualified in 2006. Before that he gained several years of experience as a paralegal in the shipping and construction disputes teams. He worked on a number of large and complex arbitrations including in relation to a ship conversion and two power plants.

He is a contributing author to the Corbett & Co. publication FIDIC 2017 A Practical Legal Guide [2020] and is a member of the Society of Construction Law (SCL), and the International Bar Association (IBA).

Recent work
  • Europe / Hotel: Acting for a contractor in an arbitration in relation to the termination of a contract and associated claims. The contract related to a major refurbishment project in Europe and was based on the FIDIC 1999 Red Book.
  • South Asia / Airport: Acting for the employer in SIAC arbitration proceedings. The contract was based on the FIDIC Pink Book and claims related to termination of the contract in an amount in excess of US$ 100 million.
  • Middle East / Port: Acting for an Employer in a dispute arising from a port development project. The contract was based on the FIDIC Pink Book 2010. The contract value was approximately US$ 100 Million.
  • Eastern Europe / Railway: Acting for the contractor in ICC arbitrations in respect of two high-speed railway projects based on the FIDIC Red Book. The total contract values were in excess of €160 million.
  • Africa / Roads: Acting for the Employer in two ICC arbitrations relating to the termination of contracts for the construction of major roads. The contract sums were approximately US$17 Million and US$25.5 Million.
Did you know

James has a fascination for history and art, likes to travel and can give a good walking tour of the City of London.

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