Jim Delkousis is the Office Managing Partner of the Dubai office of DLA Piper and also heads up the firm's Litigation and Regulatory practice in the Middle East. Prior to joining DLA Piper in 2007, Jim had been a partner with a leading Australian law firm since 1999. For the past 20 years Jim has specialised in all forms of dispute resolution, with a particular focus on major infrastructure project disputes.

Jim has provided dispute resolution advice (including the implementation of strategies to avoid the traditional paths of litigation and arbitration) and has also conducted all forms of dispute resolution over a range of major infrastructure projects, throughout Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Having now spent four years in the UAE, Jim has acquired invaluable on the ground experience in conducting major disputes across multiple jurisdictions in the Middle East.

Jim has been named in the International Who’s Who of Construction Lawyers for the last six years (2005-2011), an independent research publication identifying leaders in the field of construction law. In 2009 Jim was also named one of the top ten Financial Times Innovative Lawyers in Europe for his work in improving transparency in the UAE by developing the UAE On-line Legislation Library, the leading source of legislation (both Arabic and English translations) in the UAE. The on-line library was acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2010 and is now being licenced to law firms and corporates throughout the UAE.

Key experience in the Middle East:

• Infrastructure - Dubai (acting for a Dubai Government entity in an adhoc capacity on a US$200 million construction dispute in relation to a significant infrastructure project
• Major construction project - Abu Dhabi (acting for an Abu Dhabi Government entities in disputes with a contractor over multiple high end residential projects 
•  DIFC Court and Court of Appeal (acting for a real estate developer in a dispute over a sale and purchase of a residential tower located within the DIFC, including allegations of conflicts of interest, breach of duties and breach of trust)
• DIFC Courts (acting for a Dubai and DIFC based company to defend allegations of share market manipulation) 
• QFC Court and Court of Appeal (acting for liquidators of a QFI registered bank in relation to various claims by former officers of the bank) 
• Dubai World Tribunal (acting for a real estate developer in a DIAC arbitration against a Dubai World subsidiary, including applications before the Dubai World Tribunal in its role as the supervisory court to the arbitration) 
• DIAC Arbitration (acting for a Dutch contractor in a construction dispute with an Abu Dhabi entity over the construction of an offshore accommodation facility) 
• Khalifa Port & Industrial Project (acting for an international dredging company against a main contractor in an ICC arbitration) 
• Fujairah F2 IWPP (acting for the contractor in relation to claims against the employer) 
• UAE real estate developments (acting for numerous developers throughout the UAE in relation to contractor and purchaser claims) 
• Thule Power/Thule Force/Thule Energy (multi-jurisdiction litigation in relation to construction delays and claims of fraud in relation to drilling rigs in Sharjah, UAE)

Key experience in Asia: 

• Sual Power Station, Philippines (ongoing role over a number of years in relation to construction delays, financial completion, a claim against the designer and a claim against the project insurers)
• Zhuhai Power Station, Guangdong Province, China (acting for turnkey contractor in relation to construction delays, completion issues and insurance claims) 
• Shajiao C Power Station, Guangdong Province, China (acting for the owner in its US$150 million claim for liquidated damages versus contractor’s counterclaim for US$500 million) 
• Hefei No 2 Power Plant, Anhui Province, China (acting for the owner in relation to completion issues, construction delay claims and EOTs)

Key experience in Australia: 

• Melbourne City Link Project (acting for the joint venture contractor in a large claim against designers/insurers concerning Burnley and Domain tunnels)
• Victorian Hospitals Cogeneration dispute (acting for the main supplier in a consolidated four-tiered arbitration concerning an A$100 million claim against it and a multitude of claims by the client against other parties) 
• ADATS Project, Australia (acting for Raytheon in relation to its delivery within Australia of an integrated Australian Defence Air Traffic System) 
• The Perth New Metrorail City Project (acting for Leighton Kumagai Joint Venture) in relation to multiple claims against The State of Western Australia 
• The Dampier Bulk Liquids Berthing Jetty (acting for Laing O'Rourke in relation to construction claims against the principal) 
• Pinjarra Co-generation Plant (acting for Alinta Power in relation to construction claims by the contractor)
• Westralia Airports Corporation (acting for WAC in relation to the development and upgrade of its domestic and international airports)
• Tallawarra Power Station, New South Wales (acting for Alstom Power in relation to claims against the employer) 
• Kwinana Power Station, Western Australia (acting for Alstom Power in relation to insurance and various construction claims)