EDITORIAL

From 2 October 2000 the Human Rights Act came into force. The effect of the Act is to incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into English Law. It has been said that this represents the most radical overhaul of our legal system since the Magna Carta. It has also been said that the Act represents an open cheque book for lawyers and will lead to a mass of speculative and frivolous litigation. These comments may be somewhat extreme in the context of the construction industry, but certainly the Act is not something that can be ignored. There has been much speculation as to the likely impact of the Act upon the industry in general and, in particular, its dispute resolution processes.