March 2026

Welcome

Firstly, I would like to thank all of our volunteers. Your energy and commitment are helping to give the Coalition greater structure, momentum and visibility. It is making a real difference.

We are continuing to host monthly webinars that bring together senior voices from across the industry. These conversations offer a valuable, cross-sector perspective on the challenges we face and how we respond to them. That breadth is reflected in our next session on the 7th of April. The key Speakers this month represent organisations that are also sponsors for our conference and/or are very involved in the work of the Coalition.

This month, for our spotlight, we are pleased to welcome Anthony Armitage, General Counsel at Thirdway and an Officer of the Coalition. Anthony will share his insights on Building Safety legislation and its implications for contracts.

Finally, we now have a way for anyone to subscribe to this newsletter without needing to sign the Conflict Avoidance Pledge. This responds to feedback that, while one person may sign on behalf of a large organisation, many others across that organisation would still value receiving updates directly. It also recognises that some people may want to follow the coalition’s work and learn more about what we are doing, even where signing the Pledge is not yet appropriate.

Richard Bayfield, Chair

Contents

As mentioned in our last newsletter, we are pleased to be joined by another two insightful guest speakers for our upcoming webinar on the 7th of April.

The session will feature Edward Moore of ResoLex and Mike Ward of ASFP. We’ve decided to broaden the panel and will also be joined by Jessica Lyons of Laing O’Rourke and Anthony Armitage, General Counsel at Thirdway. Together, they offer perspectives from across the industry on how we approach risk, responsibility and early resolution in practice.

Edward will be interviewed by Julie Forsyth of LexisNexis, and Mike by Martin Burns of RICS, helping to draw out practical insight and lived experience from both discussions.

Find out more about our speakers below:

Edward Moore, ResoLex

Edward is the Chief Executive of ResoLex and an industry leader in operationalising collaborative delivery environments on complex projects, with a particular focus on building effective foundations for strong, lasting relationships. He has supported outcome delivery through collaboration on multiple nationally significant programmes across the UK, including HS2, Crossrail, the New Hospital Programme, and the London 2012 Olympics. Alongside his work in major projects, Ed serves as Chair of Trustees for Concordis International, a peacebuilding charity which helps facilitate dialogue in some of the world’s most challenging humanitarian environments. While far removed from infrastructure delivery, there is a consistent theme between the two roles: sustainable outcomes depend on trust, alignment, and shared purpose.

During the webinar, Ed will be reflecting ResoLex’s commitment to advancing conflict avoidance across the industry. He advocates for a proactive, relationship led approach, where early alignment and shared ways of working help prevent disputes and support better outcomes throughout the project lifecycle.

Jessica Lyons, Laing O’Rourke

Jessica is a senior lawyer at Laing O’Rourke an international engineering and construction company delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure and buildings projects for clients in the UK, Middle East and Australia. Jessica has worked with a range of clients, in a variety of sectors both in private practice and in house.

In her current role, in addition to advising on all aspects of construction procurement, Jessica closely supports the work that Laing O’Rourke are doing to transform and simplify contractual arrangements both up and downstream to ensure that contracts reflect a fair risk profile and allow for issues to be resolved quickly.

Anthony Armitage, Thirdway

Anthony Armitage began his career at Allen & Overy and has practiced law in the City of London since then. He is now General Counsel at Thirdway, a market-leading commercial interior design and fit-out contractor based in the heart of London’s historic Clerkenwell.

His passion is intelligent design and simplification of contracts and in upholding ethical legal practice in the construction industry. As Chair of the Coalition Contract Group, he leads a team of lawyers and other sector professionals promoting the benefits of contract standardisation as a core element of conflict avoidance.

Building safety legislation is driving contract amendments, but excessive drafting risks undermining standardisation. This article in the Solicitors Journal written by Anthony Armitage, Chair of the Coalition’s Contract Group, analyses the intersection of contract terms and legislation in the context of construction contracts, with a focus on building and product safety.

‘Evaluating a schedule of amendments in isolation is like inspecting a load-bearing beam without looking at the building it supports’

Read the full article here: https://www.solicitorsjournal.com/sjarticle/building-safety-and-the-limits-of-contract-amendments?pass=rgsnkdabvn

To find out more about the coalition and to sign the pledge, visit our website:  https://conflictavoidance.org/

As mentioned, as well as signing the pledge, you can also subscribe to news to receive our monthly newsletter and event updates.  

Please forward this newsletter to colleagues and friends who may be interested.  

Sign the Pledge here: www.conflictavoidance.org