Construction & Engineering overview

Our Construction and Engineering team consists of nine partners and 17 associates, which makes it one of the largest and best known dedicated construction and engineering law firms in the United Kingdom. The team - which is based in London and Sheffield - is consistently ranked as one of the leading construction and engineering departments by Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners. According to the Legal 500 (2008) "Nabarro offers a cradle-to-grave service that leaves clients 'very impressed'".

Our solicitors have significant experience in all the aspects of construction and engineering projects in the United Kingdom and internationally particularly in the Far East, Middle East and in Continental Europe. This experience extends to development, development finance, drafting and negotiating bespoke contractual arrangements, guarantees and bonds, PFI and PPP, and urban regeneration. On the dispute side, we have significant experience of handling disputes relating to the design and construction of railways, airports, sports stadia, power stations, dredging, office, retail and leisure space as well as claims for professional negligence. Our solicitors regularly act for clients in expert determinations, mediations, adjudication, arbitrations and litigation (Technology and Construction Court and Commercial Court). Our associates are seconded regularly to clients to gain hands-on practical experience of how the industry operates.

We act for a broad range of clients across the industry, including: major developers; employers; contractors; consulting engineers and architects; financial institutions; government entities; power and utility companies; as well as property funds.

Our latest briefings & reports
Enforcement of Adjudicators' Decisions   Statutory adjudication of disputes over construction contracts was introduced to counter unacceptable delays and expense in traditional dispute resolution processes. The courts have in the last few days re-affirmed their determination to make sure that losing parties in these interim decisions cannot avoid paying up simply by complaining that an error in the decision amounts to a 'breach of natural justice'. View full briefing
Penfold Review of Non-Planning Consents: Call for Evidence by 10 February 2010 review   The Government-led Penfold Review was launched in December, with a deadline for industry to contribute by 10 February 2010. The review is examining how to streamline the process for obtaining consents which do not form part of the planning process. The time presently taken to obtain such consents is perceived to cause delay and uncertainty and impact upon investment. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, (BIS), has called for evidence, with a view to identifying barriers and delays in the consent process. They are seeking input from industry representatives, private sector developers, Local Authorities and regulatory bodies.  View full briefing
CPA Model Conditions fail to protect owner of construction plant   The Construction Plant Hire Association's Models Conditions for Plant Hire 2001 (CPA Model Conditions) are widely used throughout the construction industry. The CPA Model Conditions are rarely varied by parties. Often they are simply relied upon as being capable of covering all eventualities. Regularly, owners of plant hire out their plant, together with one of their employees to operate it. They often work under the illusion that if anything goes wrong (that results in a legal claim for damages), the CPA Model Conditions will successfully protect them from liability. This is simply not always the case, as the recent case of Jose -v- MacSalvors Plant Hire Ltd [2009] vividly illustrates.  View full briefing
Construction & Engineering Group newsletter - Autumn 2009   International Procurement - Recent Initiatives * The New Remedies Directive: New Sanctions for Public Procurement Abuses * Pre Construction Services Agreements: key provisions and the new JCT forms * Extension of time provisions - Origins and purpose and the distinctive approach taken by NEC3 * Mediation: a worrying trend undermining confidentiality * Statutory right to adjudicate extended as the TCC adopts a narrow approach to exclusions * Pre-Action Conduct: Sanctions for Failure to Comply Now and in the Future * Getting back to the cost of going to court - reforms are in the pipeline View full briefing
Construction newsletter - May 2009    Construction has always been a sound barometer of performance of the UK economy. After a sustained period of growth the domestic and global credit crunch has had a drastic effect upon the order books and potential for new business for players involved in domestic and international construction and engineering. Consistent with the appetite for maintaining existing customer relationships and seeking out new clients in existing and traditional areas of business there is increased awareness of issues relating to procurement and performance under building and engineering contracts and professional service appointments. This newsletter gives a snapshot of topics that may be of interest to those involved in the procurement industry whether in development, engineering, domestic or international business. I hope that the topics selected will be of interest and assist your awareness and management of some of the contractual challenges and opportunities which you may face in the construction and engineering world in the new order. View full briefing
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