Construction disputes

Even with careful drafting of contracts, and the best will in the world, costly construction disputes still arise. The successful resolution of these is crucial to completing projects on time and to budget. 

Construction projects are highly complex due to the scope and nature of work that is carried out by companies in this sector. Disputes in construction can happen as there are multiple parties involved in each project and various contractual and legal factors at play that can affect how projects develop and, in turn, can lead to potential disputes.

We handle the full range of contentious construction issues, regularly undertaking work in diverse jurisdictions including Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

What do we do?

Our team bring and defend claims in all types of construction, engineering and technical disputes, including in the Technology and Construction Courts. These vary from simple claims on standard forms of contracts, to complex specialist technical claims and range from relatively low-value claims to multi-million-pound, multi-party disputes.

We advise on all types of disputes across construction and engineering projects, as well as more complex disputes arising from civil engineering issues, such as urban regeneration, roadways, bridges and tunnels. These include:

• time for completion and liability to pay liquidated damages; 
• property valuations; 
• specification issues;
• workmanship and material failures; 
• rent reviews; 
• land valuations; 
• interim valuations and final accounts for building works; 
• allegations of professional negligence.

With a team of qualified lawyers, surveyors, delay analysts, adjudicators, arbitrators, meditators and contract specialists, we provide a comprehensive range of cost-effective dispute resolution services, including arbitration, adjudication, mediation, litigation and more informal methods. We regularly utilise alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods where this is the best option for our clients and have the team of experts at hand to facilitate these procedures.

Construction dispute avoidance

Whilst disputes in construction are sometimes unavoidable, with a pro-active approach to risk, and a clear and concise commercial strategy for the execution of a project, such disputes can be significantly reduced.

Our specialist surveyors and lawyers are ideally placed to identify risk at any stage of a project and apply dispute avoidance practices to prevent the manifestation and escalation of unwanted issues; our in-depth understanding of construction law, commercial management and dispute resolution means that we can deliver an exceptionally focused and dedicated service for our clients. We have a range of technical disciplines, with in-depth experience in contracts, commercial management, quantum, planning, delay analysis, and construction law, and are therefore extremely adept at offering a wider range of support including:

• drafting bespoke forms of contract and subcontract;
• reviewing and negotiating contract terms; 
• reviewing and implementing commercial strategies;
• training;
• high level commercial management; and
• high level planning support.

Non-contentious construction work

Our construction team advise on all kinds of construction projects for contractors, developers and housebuilders and have experience in dealing with international construction projects.

Expert witness and reporting 

Our experts have in-depth experience in delivering both written and oral evidence in pre-action advice in an effort to avoid formal proceedings and within all forms of dispute proceedings including adjudication, arbitration, mediation and litigation. The combination of our expert technical knowledge, along with relevant legal qualifications, and vast experience within the industry makes our experts ideally placed to provide independent opinion when instructed. Find out more about our expert witness services.

Who do we help?

Our clients include housebuilders, local authorities and developers as well as contractors, sub contractors and professional consultants. We offer a tailored approach, providing clients across all sectors with valuable resolutions.