Dispute resolution
The barristers at 4 New Square Chambers are praised for being ‘knowledgeable and experienced’ in all aspects of construction related disputes, including domestic and international litigation, arbitration, and adjudications. Domestically, the set has been active across disputes arising out of the Grenfell tragedy and subsequent Building Safety Act 2022, with Roger Stewart KC leading George McDonald in defending cladding manufacturer Arconic in the Grenfell Tower civil litigation and Ben Patten KC acting for the cladding consultant in the major fire-safety claim in Shepherd Construction Limited v Kingspan and Others. Cyril Chern handled a steady stream of International Arbitrations on large-scale infrastructure projects across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Hugh Saunders appeared in the High Court of Trinidad over a disputed contract termination in relation to a high-value highway project.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Profile
Work Department
Domestic and International construction litigation, dispute boards, arbitration, and mediation
Career
Dr Chern in addition to being a Barrister is a Chartered Architect, Chartered Arbitrator, Accredited Mediator, and Adjudicator and holds the degrees of BArch in Architecture & Engineering and Juris Doctor (Law). He is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Dispute Board Federation (DBF) (Geneva, Australia, London, Lisbon). He is secretary of the DBF and is on both the FIDIC President’s List of Adjudicators and is an adjudicator and dispute board trainer for FIDIC, the DBF, the World Bank, and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
His expertise is in construction matters with complex construction issues in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle-East, South America, China, Singapore, and internationally with emphasis on major infrastructure development, dispute prevention, as well as related financing and delay analysis. In addition, he is an adjudicator and arbitrator of construction and engineering claims, chairs dispute boards, and acts as mediator and/or dispute resolver, specifically on complex construction/engineering projects. These include hydro-electric and nuclear power facilities, airports, facility and processing development, water treatment facilities, rail and roads projects, bridges, and tunnels. Current Dispute Adjudication Boards include the Marmaray Light Rail System for Istanbul, the Muscat Airport in Oman, The Port of Tema and Harbour in Ghana, and the Chernobyl Encasement in Ukraine.
Dr Chern is also the author of numerous leading books relating to adjudication and construction including: Chern on Dispute Boards – now in its 4th Edition (Informa), International Commercial Mediation, The Commercial Mediator’s Handbook, and The Law of Construction Disputes now in its 3rd Edition (Informa). His newest book on Nuclear Infrastructure Development was just published by Informa Law from Routledge.
Languages
English, French, German, Spanish, Russian
Memberships
The Dispute Board Federation, The Civil Mediation Council, TECBAR, RIBA, ACE
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Excellent and always pragmatic clerking, which shows good knowledge of what Insurer clients need. Dennis Peck is great to deal with.'
- 'Nick Angliss is very responsive, courteous, and user-friendly.'
- 'The clerks are always supportive and quick to step in and help. Christopher Ebdon deserves praise for his good work supporting Rick.'
- 'Clerks provide a good service and are easy to deal with. Andrew Call is particularly good.'
- '4 New Square has a number of very talented barristers and are able to offer someone suitable for most professional negligence or insurance cases. They're always happy to offer training sessions on recent cases and legal developments to keep others up to date.'
- '4 New Square have always been incredibly flexible, professional and helpful; always gong that extra mile to accommodate last minute changes, clients' unforeseen needs and providing solutions to problems.'
- '4 New Square Chambers is rightly recognised as one of the leading Commercial sets, with particular strength in construction and insurance matters.'
- '4 New Square has a strong and growing presence in construction-related litigation. The set offers depth at both junior and senior levels, providing excellent support across complex, multi-defendant claims.'