Adjudicator Profile

Paul has 20 years’ experience as a specialist construction law barrister in the UK (1993-2013), working almost exclusively in construction litigation, arbitration and adjudication, including many leading and high profile cases. The new Ontario adjudication provisions being based on those implemented in the UK in 1996, Paul offers some 17 years of extensive first-hand experience of the adjudication process, in disputes ranging from small residential projects dealt with in writing, to complex high value commercial claims with oral hearings, including:

- numerous hospital construction disputes over valuations, defects and delay;

- a series of adjudications arising out of the construction of the new London Wembley Stadium regarding monthly valuations and variations;

- an adjudication arising out of a fire during construction of a West End hotel, with voluminous witness, engineering and fire expert evidence, and an on-site re-enactment of the works that allegedly caused the fire, requiring the closure of a major London street.

With a Masters Degree in Applied Mathematics (Oxford University), Paul has a particular interest and expertise in complex technical cases. His ability to grasp difficult construction and engineering issues, and to rapidly assimilate and analyze voluminous documentation, led to him being consistently ranked as one of the leading construction law specialists in the UK.

Having now moved to Kingston, Ontario, Paul is principal of Sutherland Dispute Resolution, providing arbitration, adjudication and mediation services in construction disputes throughout Ontario, and is known for being approachable and flexible, and for his practical and commercial approach to dispute resolution. Paul has substantial experience in:

- Residential, retail and other commercial development disputes involving valuation, delay and defects, including numerous mall development disputes;

- Public buildings and works - including multiple hospital and school new-build, extension and renovation cases;

- Civil engineering, transportation and infrastructure cases – including highway works and treatment plants;

- Industrial and commercial projects – including food production and packaging facilities.

For more details of Paul’s experience and expertise see https://www.sutherlanddisputeresolution.ca