ABSTRACT

A dispute board is an independent and impartial person or panel of three or more persons appointed by the parties to a contract to avoid and resolve disagreements that may arise in the course of the contract as quickly and sensibly as possible. Common law has developed by custom and practice before there were any written laws. During the reign of Henry II in 1154, a unified system of law was introduced, which was 'common' to England. The civil law is the predominant legal system in the world today in force in various forms in about 150 countries. Local compilations of legal principles and customary law were codified over time in order to achieve certainty of law and uniformity. Dispute review boards originate in the construction industry in the USA, and are still found predominantly in the USA. Claim avoidance is clearly one of the positive attributes of dispute boards. Disputes are costly in time, money and reputation.