Job description

The Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution is looking to hire two Research Associates to work on international arbitration and dispute resolution in construction law where our work is having and is likely to have significant UK and transnational impact.

The Centre of Construction Law and Dispute Resolution was established 35 years ago and is now part of the Dickson Poon School of Law at King’s College London, one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised globally as one of the best law schools in the world. It is ranked 16th in the world and 5th in the UK in the QS World University Rankings for Law 2021.

The Centre is housed in the Old Watch House, a Grade Two listed building, on the College’s Strand Campus, no more than a couple of minutes’ walk from the Royal Courts of Justice and Inns of Court and midway between Westminster and the City of London. The Centre has an international reputation for teaching and research in construction law and dispute resolution and has excellent contacts with practitioners and policy-makers and a strong tradition of engagement with the legal profession and the construction industry.

The Dickson Poon School of Law has a long-standing reputation for excellence in the laws of England and Wales, European, International and Transnational Law. The School’s research interests cover all areas of public and private law and include the philosophy and sociology of law as well as doctrinal, empirical, historical, interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to the study of law. Its educational offering covers a broad range of legal disciplines and is home to a vibrant postgraduate research community.

The Dickson Poon School of Law has a duty and a commitment to champion equality, diversity and inclusion, and to eliminate discrimination in all its forms. We attract students and staff from across the world, from many different backgrounds, with a variety of ethnicities, religions, and sexual and gender identities. We celebrate this diversity in all that we do, and in this, we welcome and encourage applications from under-represented groups.

There are two posts which will be offered on an a fixed term contract for 5 years. These are full-time posts.

 

Key responsibilities 

• Researching and analysing issues relevant to dispute resolution in construction, including, in particular, international arbitration, statutory adjudication and dispute boards, and construction law more generally 
• Examining case law, practice and literature 
• Designing and administering questionnaires and surveys and collating and analysing data 
• Drafting reports and presentations and contributing to other Centre’s 
• publications 
• Preparing and submitting funding applications of behalf of the Centre and taking a role in the management and administration of funded projects 
• Undertaking comparisons of different approaches in different legal systems or under international law 
• Working with government agencies, funding institutions, professional bodies, arbitral institutions, lawyers, experts, clients and project participants to raise the profile of our ground-breaking work 
• Developing, organising and participating in seminars, conferences and vocational training 
• Writing and co-writing journal articles and other publications including on- line and social media activity 
• Contributing to research-led teaching of the MSc in Construction Law and Dispute Resolution 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Essential criteria

1.        Good Masters in Law (high merit or distinction) or equivalent experience 

2.        Proven experience in research 

3.        Knowledge of, and/or experience in, construction law and dispute resolution 

4.        Commitment to specializing in research in construction law and dispute resolution