For all public or private sector entities engaged in major infrastructure, exploration and extraction projects, exposure to potential disputation is inevitable.

Corporations, governments, financial institutions, insurers and legal practitioners can all benefit from advisory service provided by the CRRM. We place a particular emphasis in preventing and resolving disputes that involve commercial transactions between corporations of different nationalities and between sovereign states and foreign direct investors investing in major infrastructure, energy and mineral resources.

The CRRM provides a bespoke service, dedicated to the creative management and resolution of disputes, and the management and active mitigation of legal and political risk through due-diligence and conflict management. The CRRM team provides a unique combination of resource industry professionals complemented by the integrity of impartial and independent legal professionals in negotiation, expert determination, mediation, adjudication, arbitration, and the full range of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. The CRRM is the only organisation offering this unique service anywhere in the world today.

What do we offer?

The CRRM offers cost-effective services for commercial and investment disputes, covering all the main forms of private dispute resolution, including, but not limited to:

• negotiation
• expert determination
• mediation
• adjudication, and
• arbitration.

Investment demands a risk. However, the evaluation of that risk is governed by many factors. Not least – political or sovereign risk.

Governments both experienced or new to foreign direct investment in resources and infrastructure, are sometimes unaware of the terms and conditions to be negotiated; terms that ensure that the investor is adequately rewarded, whilst achieving a fair return for the host populace.

The CRRM advises sovereign states and their ministries in foreign direct investment policy drafting; thus, ensuring that the State maintains its attraction as a host State of foreign direct investment without compromising its sovereign rights.

The CRRM provides training and education to governments, industry, law firms and interested parties. These courses are delivered globally, in-house, at universities, institutions, at public forums or wherever and whenever they are required.

The courses can be taken for professional development or for accreditation towards a relevant degree (LLM, MSc, MBA) awarded by the prestigious Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee.

Currently, the courses offered are:

• International Arbitration
• International Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Shari’a Law, Finance & Economics
• Fundamentals of Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources and Law in the Developing World, and
• Advocacy & Expert Witness Skills.

They can be the standard course or tailor-made to suit any special needs and requirements of the individual or institution.

Parties normally require a neutral venue in which to have their dispute heard. The CRRM has a well-located venue in Perth, Western Australia. However, the CRRM has the availability of appropriate venues in convenient locations around the world: London, Paris, Kuala Lumpur, New York, Dubai, Islamabad, Johannesburg, Accra, Lima and others. The venues are well appointed with spacious hearing rooms for both caucus and plenary sessions which are complemented by comfortable retiring rooms with all office amenities to hand.

The CRRM takes care of catering needs and can help plan and execute any form of alternative dispute resolution mechanism with care and professionalism to ensure that it is completely successful and confidential.

Colin Roberts has association with and qualifications and accreditations from:

• Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee
• Queen Mary College, University of London
• Western Australian School of Mines, Curtin University of Technology
• Association of International Petroleum Negotiators
• Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• London Court of International Arbitration
• Dubai International Arbitration Centre
• Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration
• Energy Institute
• International Bar Association
• Human Rights Institute
• Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining
• Australasian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy
• American Arbitration Association Panel of Neutrals, Energy Arbitrator’s List
• Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum
• Society for Mining Metallurgy and Exploration
• South African Institute for Mining & Metallurgy
• Institute of Engineers Australia
• Society of Petroleum Engineers
• Australian Mineral & Petroleum Law Association
• Science Council, and
• Fédération Européenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingénieurs.

It is this experience that enables the CRRM to get to the heart of requirements demanded by foreign direct investors and the States hosting natural resources.