Jamie Kellick

Kennedys

Muscat www.kennedyslaw.com

jamie.kellick@kennedyslaw.com Tel: +968 9066 0290

Biography

Jamie is a partner in the Muscat office and a contentious and non-contentious construction specialist. His practice covers Oman, GCC, wider Middle East and Africa region. His clients include international engineering and construction contractors, international joint venture project companies, funders, local developers and government entities. He has extensive project support experience and extensive knowledge of FIDIC and government standard forms contracts. Jamie is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and an accredited mediator.

My first case which was a class action in Jersey, Channel Islands on the part of the occupiers of a prestigious residential development in St Helier against the developer for a number of structural failings in the construction. The sheer quantity and extent of the expert evidence required to prove the claims, from geologists to structural engineers, claims consultants to forensic accounts, and the strategies required to be adopted to pursue them, really intrigued me and got me interested in getting involved in construction related claims and defences; hence my move to the Middle East in 2009.

What do you enjoy most about working in the construction sector?

The human element. Dealing with, and in a way, managing, the numerous personnel involved, all with differing specialties and interests.

How has the market changed since you first started practising?

Immeasurably. The gulf of differing opinion as to who is to blame and who carries the risk in any given circumstance has become far more contentious and, in numerous examples, far more incredible.

How do you establish a detailed understanding of a client’s business to advise them effectively?

Get to know them: their passion; interests and, above all, their concerns.

To what extent is arbitration now the preferred method of dispute resolution for construction disputes and why?

I’m not entirely convinced that it is, particularly in Oman where it is a price market and the perceived costs of arbitration are always raised as a cause for concern. That said, when all other avenues have been exhausted (ie, settlement), the parties know that arbitration is the only way in which to obtain a (hopefully) reasoned and just decision.

Do you think Coronavirus and its consequences will inform parties’ behaviour when entering into construction and engineering contracts in the future?

Yes, to the extent that the parties are now better informed or aware of the reality of such potential threats or issues, which has changed the way in which they now consider and manage risk.

As a partner of Kennedys Law, what are your main priorities for the firm’s development over the next couple of years?

To grow the Oman office and to become the ‘go-to’ firm in the Sultanate for construction related matters – both contentious and non-contentious.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

For all big decision moments, once you have considered them fully, sleep. You will invariably make the better choice tomorrow.

Peers and clients say: “Jamie is an excellent advocate” “He is well-known in the market for his comprehensive litigation practice” “He knows construction disputes in Oman inside-out”