Dubai—Leading global law firm Dentons, in collaboration with international construction consulting firm Hill International and the Association of Corporate Counsel Middle East (ACCME), assembled industry practitioners in Dubai this month to discuss key challenges facing construction projects in the Middle East.

The importance of maintaining good commercial relationships and knowing your business partners is a core theme of the popular Construction Essentials series, with more specific topics including the benefits and challenges of joint venture agreements, critical steps to maintaining positive clash flow across the partnership matrix as well as key steps to preparing loss and expense claims.

Speakers at the seminar included Dentons senior consultant Peter Shaw and senior associates Beau McLaren and Patrick Tweedale, as well as Senior Vice President at Hill International, Ben Highfield.

Andrew Jones, partner and Head of Construction in the Middle East at Dentons, commented: "There are many potential issues associated with commercial relationships which are faced on construction projects. Understanding and preparing for these is an important step in keeping those relationships on track."

Concurring with Jones, Highfield added "Being prepared is essential. Having a better awareness and understanding of the potential issues means you can take steps to finding practical solutions and successfully meet challenges head on."

Dentons' top-rated Middle East construction team has an in-depth understanding of the nuances of each local market, stemming from more than 50 years of experience advising on major projects in the region. The team advises across the full industry spectrum from initial entry and establishment for foreign bidders, licensing, procurement planning, contract negotiation and drafting to strategic advice during construction, claims settlement and dispute resolution.

A global leader in managing construction risk, Hill International understands what it takes to avoid expensive schedule delays and cost overruns and deliver a successful project. The firm has developed a thorough understanding of what can go wrong on a construction project or program based on nearly four decades of helping clients avoid or resolve problems in almost every market sector.

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