Calnan Cox’s construction and engineering team are specialists whose significant experience and expertise in this highly-technical field is recognised both by our clients and by personal recommendations in the Legal 500.

Not only do we know the law, but we have real experience of the industry from the coal-face. This combination helps us understand your business, and appreciate the issues on which you need legal advice, whether it is to resolve a dispute, put together a new project, or train your people in dealing with the issues they are facing.

Lawyers are often criticised for being too immersed in the legal process and insufficiently aware of the commercial needs of the client: to resolve the dispute and get the best result in the fastest and most economical way.

At Calnan Cox we pride ourselves on our commercial approach to construction and engineering disputes, always keeping focussed on your needs and your business drivers. We will advise, use and represent you in negotiation, mediation, adjudication, arbitration or litigation proceedings to get your problem sorted so that you can carry on with your business, and we will not be afraid to tell you when to walk away.

This approach means that the vast majority of disputes that we work on settle without the need for formal proceedings, but if the matter does go to court you can rest assured that we know our onions: the first reported case of one of our team was Henry Boot Building v Croydon Hotel & Leisure [1985] 36 BLR 41 (acting for the consulting engineer); the most recent was H G Construction Limited v Ashwell Homes (East Anglia) Limited [2007] BLR 175.

Typical disputes include final account disputes, recovery of professional fees, extension of time disputes, defective works claims, and recovery under bank security agreements.
Deal-making and contractual advice

At Calnan Cox we offer advice and representation on all types of construction and engineering documentation at all stages of the process from strategic procurement analysis onwards.
Our experience in other industries is brought to bear in innovative approaches to contractual structure and documentation to deal with specific projects or problems, whilst for more straightforward situations we appreciate the certainty of the well-known standard and model forms.
We can advise on development agreements, main and sub-contracts, collateral warranties, bonds, guarantees and other forms of security, and professional appointments.

We offer training, either at our premises or yours, on both general and specific issues involving construction law, in whatever format will meet your needs. We tailor our knowledge to whatever it is you’re facing, and we can train up to fifteen people at a time.

As examples, we have given training on subjects as wide-ranging as public procurement legislation, letters of intent, adjudication, and collateral warranties.

Environmental law in England and Wales is a large and complicated area, and we specialise in those parts of it within the food, construction and engineering sectors.

We advise developers in particular on contaminated land and its remediation and associated matters.