A practical guide to avoiding disputes and the adjudication process

Blacks are hosting a practical construction seminar at The Terrace on Thursday 22 October, aimed at non-legal professionals who work with construction contracts. It's split into two halves, each led by a practising barrister, so you get two different angles on the same problem: how to keep a project from sliding into a dispute, and what to do if it does anyway.

The first half is led by Harriet Butterfield, a consultant at Blacks and a practising barrister. Her session, Avoiding disputes in construction: It's all in the set up, focuses on the front end of a project. She'll be talking through practical steps to stop common problems from developing into full-blown disputes in the first place, so the emphasis is on getting the setup right before things go wrong.

From there, Adam Beaumont, a barrister at Kings Chambers, takes over with Adjudication and enforcement: Problems, pitfalls, and progress. He'll be walking you through the adjudication process itself and how to handle the issues that tend to crop up along the way. Between the two, you get the full arc: how to avoid the mess, and how to navigate it if you find yourself in it regardless.

The whole thing runs from 09:00 to 10:30, with networking from 09:00 to 09:30, so there's a half-hour for breakfast and coffee before the sessions start. Entry is free, but places are limited, so it's worth getting your name down early if you're planning to go. You'll find it at The Terrace, 3 Wellington Place, Leeds LS1 4AP.