Biography
Formerly Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Bechtel Corporation, one of the world’s premier engineering and construction companies, Ms. Gurun’s experience spans both private industry and public service in engineering and construction, business, energy, project finance, joint ventures, and insurance and risk management. In addition to her extensive transactional background and business acumen, Ms. Gurun, in her capacity as counsel or a neutral, has led or participated in the resolution of over $5 billion of disputed matters both in the United States and internationally. As counsel she has represented both owners and contractors and built an outstanding track record of settling disputes through ADR, particularly mediation and arbitration. She is adept at resolving complex multi-party, multinational complex disputes as well as smaller projects and subcontract matters. As General Counsel she often served in a mediative or evaluative capacity. Her deep industry knowledge and commercial and business experience is invaluable to clients in structuring acceptable settlements.
Representative Matters
- Civil Infrastructure: disputes involving both commercial enterprises and government entities with respect to airports, bridges, railways, and motorways in the United States, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the People’s Republic of China
- Commercial Buildings and Real Estate: disputes relating to development agreements, leasing and landlord tenant relationships, financing and insurance matters with regard to office facilities, hotel and resort development, renovation, and leisure and amusement facilities
- Environmental: regulatory disputes related to air, noise and water standards
- Fossil Fired and Nuclear Power Plants: disputes involving such facilities and related financing, equipment supply, power purchase and fuel supply agreements in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, the Philippines, the People’s Republic of China, South Korea, Turkey, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Australia
- Government: disputes as to energy tariff calculation between private sector developers and foreign governments; disputes concerning alleged health and safety violations; disputes relating to project implementation and development agreements
- Insurance: issues involving project participants across numerous industries relating to coverage and other matters
- Mining and Metals Facilities: contract disputes in the United States, Canada, Peru, Chile, Bahrain, Oman, the United Kingdom, and Australia
- Oil, Gas, and Chemical Facilities: disputes relating to many aspects of these facilities, including cost overruns, delay and disruption, and compliance with performance specifications throughout the world’s regions, including the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa
- Outsourcing and Procurement: disputes related to information technology services, software licensing, temporary and outsourced personnel arrangements and contracts for the supply of goods and services
- Partnership/Joint Ventures: multinational dispute in oil field development; disputes among consortium partners in numerous water and power projects; public-private partnership disputes in rail, power and aviation
- Personal Injury: disputes concerning personal injury and property loss arising out of construction site accidents
- Project Financing: dispute related to project performance and completion criteria in complex limited/non-recourse project financing
- Telecoms: contract disputes in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Saudi Arabia
- Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS
- Recipient, Key Women in Energy Global Awards, 2002
- Fellow, American College of Construction Lawyers
- Fellow, American Society of International Law
- Director, Transparency International (USA)
- Director, Cypress Fund for Peace and Security
- Member, Dean’s Advisory Council, University of Oregon School of Law
- Member, State Bar of California
- Member, American Bar Association and International Bar Association
- Speaker internationally on a number of topics including:
- Co-chair, International Construction Superconference, 2005-2007
- Co-chair, “Building the Future: Transforming Global Engineering and Construction”, a Symposium sponsored by the American College of Construction Lawyers and Princeton University, 2006
- Moderator, “International Alternative Dispute Resolution—The Role of Dispute Resolution Boards, Project Neutrals, Adjudication and Mediation”, International Construction Superconference, 2007
- Panelist, “International Arbitration—Avoid it like the Plague”, International Construction Superconference, 2007
- Panelist, International Bar Association Plenary Panel “The State of International dispute Resolution”, 2006
- Keynote Speaker, Conference on Women in Construction, Washington D.C., 2006
- Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Bechtel Corporation, San Francisco, California, 2001-2006
- Ms. Gurun joined Bechtel in 1981 and, prior to becoming General Counsel, held a variety of increasingly responsible positions including Principal Vice President and Chief Counsel for Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Ms. Gurun was based in the People’s Republic of China from 1983-1986 and in London from 1989-1995 and 1998-2001.
- Principal Vice President, Bechtel Corporation, 2000-2001
- Ms. Gurun co-led (in a business role) the development of a $1 Billion Cost Overrun Protection Program to support the development and construction of Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link connecting St. Pancras Station in London to the Channel Tunnel (Project Value of $4 Billion)
- Senior Vice President and General Counsel, InterGen, a global independent power company, Boston, Massachusetts, 1995-1998
- Counsel, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria, 1978-1981
- Counsel, United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Washington, D.C., 1977-1978
- Associate, Bustamante y Crespo, a law firm, Quito, Ecuador, 1976-1977
- J.D., University of Oregon School of Law, 1975
- B.A., Mills College, 1972
- Languages: Working familiarity in Spanish, French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Turkish; Academic coursework in Arabic and Russian
- Lived and worked abroad in Europe, Meso and South America, Asia (three years residence in the People’s Republic of China), the Middle East, Turkey and Africa
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- Arbitration
- Business/Commercial
- Construction
- Engineering and Construction
- Insurance
- International & Cross-Border
- Surety
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This page is for general information purposes. JAMS makes no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy or completeness. Interested persons should conduct their own research regarding information on this website before deciding to use JAMS, including investigation and research of JAMS neutrals. See More