Phillip capper has succeeded john uff to the Nash Chair for Construction Law and Management at King's College, London. To mark the occasion he gave a lecture. It was a very interesting lecture - you may recall I previewed it on 11 June. It was called The Construction Act: Are We - or the Judges - Taking Wrong Turns? A lot of people came to listen. If we and the judges had listened more carefully to what the act says there would have been fewer wrong decisions in the High Court, fewer wrong decisions by adjudicators and less wrong preparation, practice and procedure by parties' representatives. That was Professor Capper's argument and he explained it by way of his latest girlfriend. She's called Iris, and she navigates when he drives. He still goes wrong, but that's because he doesn't always listen to what she says and do as he is told. If only the judges would do as they are told they would stop making wrong turns. If only adjudicators would do as they are told they would stop making wrong turns. If only the parties and their representatives would do as they are told, they would stop making wrong turns. We, and the judges, need our own Iris.
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