10
Apr
2019
Arbitration Centre Appointments for Brandon Malone
Commercial disputes: time consuming, costly and a drain on energy that no one wants to have to deal with. But clashes over contracts – or rather failure to abide by their terms – is a daily reality for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
HFI legal specialist Brandon Malone – founder of niche dispute resolution legal practice Brandon Malone & Company – knows that many SMEs operating in the Middle East come up against specific challenges when attempting to resolve disputes.
Already qualified as a solicitor in both Scotland, and in England and Wales, Brandon has extensive experience in the field of arbitration across a variety of sectors from energy to engineering, both in the UK and internationally.
That experience is now going to extend even further with the news that Brandon, who also lectures on the subject of domestic and international arbitration, has been appointed to two arbitration organisations.
He has been admitted to both the panel of arbitrators of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.
Mr Malone said: “Most often, disputes occur because of mismatched expectations but other factors are often at play too. In a sector like the oil and gas industry, where the price of oil fluctuates significantly, factors such as finance are a consideration.
“It may be that, in time, a contract becomes less profitable than it was at the start of the agreement because the price of oil falls. It’s not uncommon, therefore, for one party to attempt to wriggle out of their liabilities if they find they do not have the cash to pay for the obligations that were set out as part of that contract.
“Regardless of the reasons why, it’s important to resolve disputes before going down the expensive and time-consuming route of legal action. It may be that route will lead to a court ruling a contract must be paid in full, but the firm pursuing that claim often has to spend huge amounts of money – and go to equally significant effort – to get those funds.”
HFI offers its clients in the Middle East – and other territories - a conflict resolution service, which takes an alternative approach both in the framing of resolution mechanisms in contracts and in managing disputes when they arise.
“Although there are legal considerations to dispute resolution, there are also cultural considerations. I think its important for any lawyer acting on behalf of a firm with a contract dispute issue in the Middle East to be aware of these and to understand the overall landscape,” added Mr Malone.