We have a large team of lawyers who spend either all or the majority of their time devoted to construction, engineering, and process engineering matters. Our highly regarded construction group advises on both contentious and non-contentious matters.
Our UK group works out of our offices in London, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield but has both a national and international reach. Many of us have professional qualifications gained outside the legal profession, and also hold external positions on industry-related groups, such as the Chartered Institute of Building, the Society of Construction Law and the Dispute Board Federation (DBF).
We understand the issues, the industry and its trends, as the commercial imperatives.
We work closely with our international colleagues, especially those in Dubai, Hong Kong, Madrid, Sydney, and Singapore, and also with lawyers and other professionals based in many jurisdictions, including the law firm in India established by one of our former partners, Tuli & Co.
Contentious matters
We advise insurers and insureds, funders, employers, contractors, developers and consultants on contractual issues and disputes on diverse projects, including:
- Property development
- Public private partnerships (PPPs)/Private finance initiatives (PFIs)
- Offices and retail premises
- Healthcare facilities, schools, universities and other specialised and iconic buildings
- Harbours, tunnels and dams
- Oil and gas facilities, and pipelines
- Sports and public sector facilities
- Large housing schemes
- Power stations and energy projects
- Industrial and process plants
- Bridges, roads and railways
We are experienced in all of the principal forms of dispute resolution. This includes litigation before the courts, arbitration (domestic and international), mediation, expert determination, and adjudication. We are experienced in arbitration under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) arbitration rules, and in conducting ad hoc international arbitrations throughout the world.
We naturally evaluate matters from the outset. We understand the direction these highly specialised matters will take, particularly when disputes or differences arise. Our early case assessment, combined with our expertise, reduces unnecessary expenditure of time and cost, and will frequently create early opportunities to resolve matters on a sensible commercial basis.
We have unrivalled expertise in advising insureds and insurers on the application of policies, including coverage issues.
Non-contentious matters
We are experienced in developing procurement strategies, analysing and allocating construction risk, and drafting and negotiating the resulting documentation.
Our lawyers advise funders, employers, contractors, sureties and consultants on:
- Methods of procurement
- Drafting and negotiating construction contracts
- Development and finance agreements
- Performance bonds
- Consultant appointments and related documentation
- Environmental and insolvency issues relating to the construction sector
The types of projects we are involved in include:
- Power plants and major infrastructure developments
- Office developments
- NHS projects, including hospitals and surgeries
- Oil and gas facilities
- Nuclear facilities
- Schools and universities
- Retail and housing
Work highlights
- Advising on high-profile insurance matters (ChepLap Kok airport, Tsing Ma Bridge, the Heathrow tunnel collapse and the Tereso Dam collapse) and involvement in projects including the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, White City and the re-development of Stratford.
- Acting for a numerous international contractors in a series of ICC arbitrations conducted against an Eastern European government.
- Acting for a construction group in a $200 million ICC arbitration relating to an UAE power generation and water purification facility.
- Acting on First Central’s project in London’s West End, which included a business park, roads, bridges and a new underground railway station.
- Acting for an international consortium contractor on complex disputes arising on the A13 DBFO ‘shadow toll’ road, the first of its kind in the UK.