Practical Law

It’s that time of year again when we all start looking forward and wondering what the next 12 months will hold.

For the last few years, my looking forward piece seems to have focused on West Ham‘s adventures in the Premier League. At the start of last year, I was pleased to see they had secured the lease of the Olympic stadium and hoped they wouldn’t get relegated. As we start 2015, not only has big Sam managed to keep them in the top flight, but we are pressing for a place in Europe. It remains to be seen whether he can get us there, but at least it means relegation is but a distant thought this season (fingers crossed).

As with other lists I have done, the following are in no particular order:

• The enforcement of an adjudicator’s decision in Ireland.
• Continued regeneration and/or investment around the new Crossrail stations in London.
• Continued integration and support of adjudication within the overall dispute resolution framework for construction industry disputes.
• Clarification of the payment provisions in the Construction Act 1996.
• The introduction of an effective cycling infrastructure in London and a corresponding reduction in fatalities.
• Increased use of dispute boards within the UK.
• Increased opportunities for newly qualified adjudicators to get appointments.
• Mentoring schemes for new adjudicators.
• Adequate pension arrangements to enable the mad, bad and battle weary adjudicators to retire gracefully.
• West Ham to qualify for European football (I quite fancy a jolly with the kids to support them!).

Happy new year.