Construction

To see a construction project through to successful conclusion, many legal issues have to dealt with, including contracts, warranties, agreements and appointments. And if things go wrong, issues such as insolvencies and disputes need to be handled effectively.

At Thorntons, we have all the expertise and knowledge of this vast industry that you need, including an Accredited Specialist in Construction Law on our dedicated team, helping you take projects to completion smoothly and successfully.

We have extensive experience in construction projects, in both the public and private sectors, advising on issues including contracts, professional appointments and collateral warranties. We also deal with insolvencies and disputes arising out of construction projects, such as payment, defects, time or health and safety issues, through mediation, adjudication, arbitration or the courts.

We advise employers (the people having the property built) whether developers or one-off clients, as well as construction professionals, such as builders, contractors, sub-contractors, surveyors, quantity surveyors, engineers and architects.

Depending on who we are acting for, we can provide advice on consultant appointments, the contractual matrix for the contract of the works, procurement regulations, neighbour approvals, building and engineering contracts and sub-contracts, funding agreements, development agreements and ancillary documentations such as collateral warranties, bonds and guarantees.

While the housing market is still challenged, there are signs of a recovery. We have acted for some very successful recent developers who have shown there continues to be underlying strong demand for new houses to be built. And with our sector experience and local knowledge, we are well placed to assist developers and investors in this potential growth area.

We also act for funders – banks, financial institutions, non-traditional banks, private funders, joint ventures, consortiums, insurance companies as investors and more.

We have also worked on a number of projects in response to increasing demand resulting from the growth of public funding. In particular, we have helped and continue to assist various universities and colleges in planning and managing campus developments.

We also advise on the actions that can be taken to protect your business in adverse economic conditions.

Our expert team can advise on and deal with every stage of the construction process, including:

• Procurement
• Contracts - including building contracts, sub-contracts, consultant appointments, collateral warranties and bonds
• Dispute resolution, including adjudication
• Health and safety issues
• Contractor insolvency
• Defects liability