Cold Shell
A stage in building works when a building (or a part of a building) contains only a basic functioning core and services and an incomplete interior. Fitout works such as air conditioning, lighting and electrical, ceilings, walls, fixtures, fittings and completion of services are required to complete the interior.
Claims-made policy
An insurance policy providing coverage for claims made during the period of insurance, regardless of when the event which gave rise to the claim occurred. Most professional indemnity insurance policies are claims-made policies.
Chambers
The office of a barrister or judge.
Cost-Plus Contract
A Contract where the Contractor is paid the actual cost of work undertaken, plus a percentage over and above those costs on account of margin and preliminaries. These contracts can be used when the total amount payable to the Contractor cannot be determined at the time of entering into the Contract, or the scope of work is unknown, and the Principal takes the risk of that cost. The use of Cost-Plus contracts is regulated by domestic building legislation in many States.
Costs Order
A court order against the unsuccessful party in litigation to pay all costs incurred in the proceedings by the successful party. What is to be included in the costs is at the discretion of the court but will generally include the successful party's legal expenses and other related costs.
Costs to complete
An analysis of acquisition costs, construction costs, finance costs and other costs on a periodic basis (usually monthly and against the project budget) to ascertain how much has been spent on works and how much remains to be spent before a project achieves practical completion.
Counter-Claim
A claim by a Defendant against a Plaintiff, raised in response to, but not in defence of the Plaintiff's primary claim.
Critical Path
In programming a construction project or any inter-related set of activities, required tasks are linked together in chains of 'dependencies' which reflect the sequence in which they must be done (such as first laying foundations, then building the walls, then painting). The sequential chain which will take longest to finish is the critical path and is used to estimate the time within which Practical Completion can be achieved.
Cross liability
A cross liability clause in an insurance policy requires the insurer to accept the term 'insured' as applying to each insured person as if a separate policy of insurance has been issued to each insured person so that the policy responds to liability from one insured to another. Cross liability clauses can also be important where one insured causes his/her policy to become void (but not the whole policy).
Cross-Claim
A Defendant may bring a cross-claim against a Plaintiff or third parties in an action before the court. A cross-claim should be pleaded in the existing action if it arises out of the same facts or transactions as the Plaintiff's claims. A Defendant's cross-claim against a third party need not be related to the subject matter of the Plaintiff's claim. A third party to the proceedings can also bring a further cross-claim against the original Defendant and/or the original Plaintiff. (See also Counter-claim)