Robert Fenwick Elliott

fenwickelliott@bigbutton.com.au
 

Consultant

General experience

Throughout his career, Robert has focused on dispute resolution in the construction and engineering fields, acting in many multi-million pound disputes both domestically and in ICC arbitration. Robert, who was consistently recognised by The Legal 500 and Chambers as “one of the industry’s leading practitioners” and “a dominant force”, was one of the first construction specialist solicitors to appear in an English High Court trial. He also drafted a number of bespoke construction contracts, characteristically short in length, that have been used in substantial construction projects, including the Norwich Union standard contract.

Robert was the principal draughtsman of the ORSA (now Technology and Construction Solicitors Association) IT protocol, the TeCSA adjudication rules, and the Construction and Engineering pre-action protocol brought into force by the Vice Chancellor in 2000. Robert is a Centre for Dispute Resolution accredited mediator. He is also a TeCSA trained adjudicator.

Career

Robert was educated at Eastbourne College and the University of Kent, Canterbury where he gained degrees in Natural Sciences and English and American Literature. Robert qualified as a solicitor in 1977 and worked for Masons. In 1980 he launched Fenwick Elliott and was senior partner until 2002. He is now a consultant to the firm from Adelaide, Australia, based at Fenwick Elliott Grace (www.feg.com.au) with Jeanie Elliott (his wife and also a former partner of the firm) and Tom Grace, a local Adelaide lawyer.

Memberships

Robert was a founding member and past chairman of the Technology and Construction Solicitors Association.

Other activities

Robert wrote a software programme for retrospective delay analysis and other purposes. He has written several books, including ‘Building Contract Disputes: Practice and Precedents’ which he updates annually with Jeremy Glover. Robert has chaired and spoken at many construction law conferences in the UK and internationally, and has appeared on a number of television and video programmes.

He says that his chief professional concern for many years has been to ensure the health and success of the firm as a whole. He says that the achievement of which he is most proud is to leave a firm that is a happy ship, in good shape, and going from strength to strength.

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