Chris Hargreaves 
If your business dispute has hit the point of litigation, then you probably know you’re in for what could be a long and arduous journey. Of the many things to think about along the way, the topic of legal costs is a prominent issue. Of course, the initial concern is usually about the costs that … Read more
In the construction industry, typically provision of security flows upstream – that is, the subcontractor gives security to the head contractor who gives security to the principal. The principal, after all, has a legitimate interest in and concern about potential defects during the liability period, and wants to ensure it has some comfort about that. … Read more
The stark reality for the construction industry is that many construction businesses are entering different types of external administration. Whether it’s administrators, receivers or liquidators – construction companies are unfortunately suffering the effects of complex economic conditions over the last few years. But the woes don’t necessarily stop when a company goes into liquidation. Beyond … Read more
In a world of basically instant communication methods, one of the poorer decisions a construction company can make is to try and fire off an email terminating a contract when it doesn’t have lawful grounds to do so. Why? Because it’s digging yourself into a legal hole that will ultimately cause you loss, legal fees, … Read more
Unfortunately, the construction industry and the insolvency profession are close cousins. Despite attempts by regulators to monitor the financial wherewithal of licenced builders, the fact remains that there is a very real risk that a contractor you deal with could go into liquidation. And if that happens, the consequences for you can be significant. Most … Read more
Most, if not all, players in the building industry from suppliers all the way through to head contractors have their own terms and conditions. These have sometimes been plucked from a random online source, or carefully developed by their lawyers (guess which one we recommend?). But even the very best terms only have any value … Read more
For a construction contract to have a point beyond just the joy of paperwork, it needs to be enforceable. And of the many common issues that might affect enforceability, one seems to rear its unpleasant head fairly often: you don’t actually know who your contract is with. This is because contracts can only be enforced, … Read more
The thing that will make or break your case in the event of a disagreement is your ability to actually prove that something happened. A sadly common state of affairs is this: Steve the Subby gets told by a site manager to change from XYZ pipes to ABC pipes; Steve tells the manager that will … Read more