Directors

• Edward Corbett
• Stephen Mangan
• Andrew Tweeddale

Consultants

• George Rosenberg
• Nigel Cornwell

Other lawyers

• Victoria Tyson
• Taner Dedezade
• Natalie Matharu

Directors

Edward Corbett is the managing director of Corbett & Co, a practice specialising in international construction law.

After studying law at Oxford University, he qualified as a barrister and practised for a short while before joining Masons in the City of London as a specialist construction lawyer. After joining Masons in 1984, he worked exclusively in construction law. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1988.

His experience includes contract drafting and procurement strategy as well as ICC arbitration, litigation and ADR. He has worked for contractors as well as for employers, funders and consultants. He has advised the World Bank on its Standard Bidding Documents for smaller contracts and numbers amongst his clients the European Investment Bank.

He regularly advises some of the world's major contractors and his current caseload involves projects in Europe, Africa, South-East Asia, the Indian Sub-continent and the Middle East.

He has an MSC in construction law and arbitration from Kings College and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

He has experience as an adjudicator on both UK and international disputes. He is an accredited mediator. He is on FIDIC's lists of mediators and adjudicators and is trained as a TeCSA adjudicator.

Edward is the author of FIDIC 4th - A Practical Legal Guide and many articles and papers dealing with aspects of international construction contracts.

He has lectured extensively on construction law and in particular on FIDIC's standard forms of contract.

He is co-chair of the International Bar Association's international construction projects committee and is currently a member of a Working Group of FIDIC that drafted the 1999 Short Form of Contract and the Dredging Contract. Corbett & Co is an affiliate member of FIDIC.

STEPHEN MANGAN - Director
BA, MSc (Construction Law and Arbitration), FCIArb

Stephen Mangan is a solicitor at Corbett & Co.

Following a career in public housing, he trained with Warner Cranston, joining its Construction Litigation department upon qualification.

During four years and a half years with Warner Cranston, Steve worked on a variety of large-value construction disputes and professional indemnity claims against construction professionals.

Since joining Corbett & CO in 2000, he has dealt with UK disputes in the Technology and Construction Court, and with international disputes both in arbitration and in Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB) proceedings.  Steve has advised on a variety of international construction and civil engineering disputes in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.  These include a mineral ore processing plant in Uganda, several large hotel and commercial developments in Egypt and the Sudan, and road and infrastructure projects in Uganda and Bulgaria.  Steve has also advised clients on project procurement and the negotiation and drafting of major construction contracts.

He has an MSc in Construction Law and Arbitration from King's College, London, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Stephen is a Spanish speaker.

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ANDREW TWEEDDALE - Director
MSc (Prop), LLB (Hons), Dip Int Com Arb, Dip Arb, FCI Arb

Andrew Tweeddale is a solicitor-advocate and chartered arbitrator specialising in international construction law.

He qualified as a barrister in 1992 and practised for a short while in London before joining Corbett & Co in 1995. He has since worked exclusively in construction an engineering law. In 1999 he moved to top city law firm Norton Rose before returning to Corbett & Co in 2005.

Andrew has dealt with most of the standard form contracts for building and civil engineering works. He has been involved with drafting construction contracts, warranties and stepped dispute resolution provisions. He has acted in major international and domestic arbitration, litigation, adjudication, mediation and expert determination. He has worked for architects, engineers, contractors, sub-contractors, employers and government bodies.

He has an MSc in construction and property law and Diplomas in international commercial arbitration and domestic arbitration.

Andrew is the author of A Practical Approach to Arbitration Law and Arbitration of Commercial Disputes - International and English Law and Practice.

He has lectured on construction law at South Bank University and given seminars on arbitration, adjudication and other forms of ADR.

He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Society of Construction Lawyers.

Consultants

GEORGE ROSENBERG (Consultant)
LLB Hons FCI Arb Solicitor Advocate All Higher Courts

George Rosenberg was born in New Zealand and has dual New Zealand and German nationality.

He qualified as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand and practiced there mainly as a barrister for 10 years before leaving New Zealand to join the Hong Kong Government’s legal department.  He spent 6 years with the Government and eventually specialized in construction law, becoming head of the construction law division in the Department and then being appointed head of the special legal office established to support the new Chek Lap Kok airport project – at that time the largest airport project in the World.  He left the Government to become head of the construction department in the Hong Kong office of a leading City law firm.  In 1996 he came to the UK and joined Shadbolt & Co., a leading construction law firm where he remained until 2006.  He established the firm’s Athens office and worked in Greece for 2 years.

His experience includes drafting and negotiating contracts for civil engineering and construction projects, acting as advocate in domestic, ICC and EDF arbitration as well as litigation and ADR.  He acts as advocate as well as solicitor.  He has acted for governments, developers, service providers, contractors and consultants.  He has experience in PFI in the UK. Hong Kong and in Greece.  He has been appointed as arbitrator in international disputes.

George has acted for clients throughout Europe, in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.

He holds the still rare qualification of Solicitor-Advocate All Higher Courts which gives him the same rights of audience in the English Courts as a barrister. 

George is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Member of the London International Court of Arbitration.  He is admitted as a lawyer in New Zealand, Hong Kong, England and Wales and is a member of the Athens Bar in Greece.

NIGEL CORNWELL
BA (Hons), Solicitor

Nigel Cornwell is a solicitor, admitted to practice in England and Wales and for the past 25 years has been involved with domestic and international construction and engineering projects and disputes on behalf of Employers, contractors and sub-contractors, both in the UK and overseas.

After training with a niche shipping, insurance and international trade practice in the City, Nigel joined the construction law department of London firm Bristows, first as assistant then as partner. After 12 years he left to head up the dispute section within the legal department in the UK of major international contractor, Skanska and since 2007 has acted as a Consultant on a number of large domestic and international contracts and  disputes.

Nigel’s experience covers advice on and negotiation of the full range of bespoke and standard form contracts (JCT, ICE, FIDIC), bonds, warranties and guarantees. He has been involved in many arbitrations in the UK and abroad, TCC cases and mediations and has handled over 60 statutory adjudications in the UK. The value of such cases ranges from £1m to over £100m

Different types of contracts that have engaged Nigel include (in the UK): a micro chip factory in Cornwall, a hospital in Cumbria, a cements works in Northants, a chip board manufacturing plant in Scotland, a shopping complex and fertiliser plant in the North East, and (internationally): a bridge in Hong Kong, an hydro-electric dam in Malaysia, an LNG plant in India, a plastics manufacturing facility in Indonesia, a metals production factory in Saudi Arabia and a commercial development in Cairo.

Nigel has lectured widely and given talks and seminars on dispute resolution and management and has a  particular interest in the cost effective disposal of  claims through mediation and the control of risk through effective record keeping and contract administration.

Nigel has a working knowledge of German and French.

Other Lawyers

VICTORIA TYSON
BSc (Hons), CIOB

Victoria joined Corbett & Co. in 2003, and is a solicitor qualified to practise in England and Wales and Hong Kong.  She has 12 years experience in construction and engineering disputes.

Victoria obtained a BSc (Hons) in Building Management before embarking on her legal training which she completed with Masons in London and Hong Kong.  She spent a total of four years with Masons before joining the Construction Group of Herbert Smith’s Litigation and Arbitration Department in Hong Kong where she spent two further years. 

Victoria will complete an MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution from King's College, London later this year, and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Building and the Society of Construction Law.

Since joining Corbett & Co, Victoria has worked mainly on international disputes, including the following: 

• Acting for the claimant contractors (the successful party) in an ICC arbitration to settle disputes arising from a US$14.6 million contract (based on the FIDIC Yellow Book) for the design, supply and erection of the steel structure for a steel manufacturing plant in Egypt.
• Acting for the claimant contractors (the successful party) in an UNCITRAL arbitration to settle delay and defect disputes arising from contracts totalling €28.5 million for the construction of a four star hotel in Ukraine.  
• Acting for the claimant joint venture contractor in an ongoing ICC arbitration to settle delay and disruption disputes arising from a US$35.8 million contract for the construction of a new unleaded gasoline/low sulphur gas oil plant in Abu Dhabi.

• Acting for the respondent employer in an ongoing ICC arbitration in relation to disputes arising out of a €3.1 million FIDIC Blue Book dredging contract in Albania.

• Advising a design team in relation to an insurance dispute arising out of damage to a concrete lined headrace tunnel for a hydroelectric power project in Indonesia built under an amended FIDIC Red Book contract.
• Advising one partner of a joint venture in respect of price adjustment disputes with the employer arising from a contract for engineering and consultancy services on a US$1,140 million water supply project in Turkey.
• Advising various employers in Gibraltar in respect of amended JCT contracts where the contractor had gone into receivership.
• Advising a claimant contractor in respect of Dispute Adjudication Board proceedings to settle disputes over additional works arising from a €2.5 million contract (based on the FIDIC Yellow Book) for the decommissioning, decontamination and demolition of a chemical plant in Cyprus.

TANER DEDEZADE
MSc, LLB (Hons), Dip Int Com Arb, FCI Arb

Taner Dedezade joined Corbett & Co in 2007 and specialises in international construction law.

He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1996 and was in independent practice as a barrister for just over ten years. From 2003 he practised from Tanfield Chambers, London. He was appointed as Junior Counsel to the Crown's Civil Litigation Panel from 2000-2007 and was instructed by the Treasury Solicitor acting for various government departments particularly in commercial, employment and directors disqualification matters. He also practiced in Local Government/Housing work acting for numerous local authorities. He made regular appearances in the County and High Courts and Court of Appeal

Taner has an MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution from Kings College, London. He was also awarded the Bickerdike Allen prize for the best performance in the MSc first-year taught modules. Taner has a diploma in International Commercial Arbitration from Queen Mary College, London and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

He is a member of the Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR), Society of Construction Law (SCL), King's College Construction Law Association (KCCLA) and the Young LCIA International Arbitration Group.

Taner is the co-author (the chapter on ADR) of 'Service Charges and Management: Law and Practice', Sweet & Maxwell 2006 and has an article published in the International Arbitration Law Review: "Are you in? or Are you out? An analysis of section 69 of the English Arbitration Act 1996: Appeals on a Question of Law" International Arbitration Law Review Vol 9 Issue 2, April 2006. He is a regular contributor of case summaries to the International Arbitration Law Review.

NATALIE MATHARU
BSc (Hons), PgDL

Natalie Matharu is an assistant solicitor at Corbett & Co.

She has a BSc honours degree in Biomedical Science from King’s College London and a Diploma in Law from The College of Law.

Natalie trained at a niche London firm in the property, insurance and construction group and was admitted as a solicitor in 2007.  

Natalie has experience of contentious construction acting for the commercial sector and an energy utility in dealing with technical claims of up to multi million claim values. Natalie has acted for building owners, contractors and sub-contractors and she has both claimant and defendant experience.

Her practice includes latent defect disputes arising by way of defective commercial building design and installation of fixtures.

Natalie’s construction disputes experience includes mediation and litigation in the Technology and Construction Court.

Natalie has also dealt with property damage matters with an engineering element and insurance policy business disputes. She has experience of claims in the Mercantile Court, Chancery Division of the High Courts of Justice and the Court of Appeal.