When things go wrong-an arbitrator's view of how to minimise conflict

Inevitably, some contracts will go wrong. It does not seem to matter whether we look at standard form contracts or at contracts drawn up specifically for a particular piece of work. There will be occasions when the interests of the two parties diverge and there will be times when each will understand the contract in a different way. The arbitrator's task is to minimise conflict in such a situation. The author discusses how the arbitrator seeks to achieve this goal and some of the techniques used.