Articles
Our lawyers contribute regularly to industry and legal journals in addition to writing legal briefings, newsletters and case reports for clients and contacts. All of our articles are free to read and download here.
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Limitation Periods…. Today is the Day!
June 2022We have been providing regular updates and speaking at workshops and seminars over the last 12 months as the government sought to finalise the Building Safety Act 2022, which forms along with the Fire Safety Act, its main legislative response to the Grenfell Inquiry. The Building Safety Act finally received Royal Assent on the 28… Read More >
Collateral Warranties – Careful! They could be a construction contract. Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Limited v Simply Construct (UK) LLP [2022] EWCA Civ 823
June 2022On 21 June 2022, the Court of Appeal in a majority decision has decided that collateral warranties can be “construction contracts” for the purposes of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 (the “Construction Act”). This judgment has provided some much needed certainty on the contractual status of a collateral warranty. The important takeaway… Read More >
ARB PII update
June 2022A week ago was the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, a reminder for all in the construction industry of how important safety is to the design and build of a development. There has been significant reform in legislation to better govern building safety. Along with these changes, professional indemnity insurers are also reassessing… Read More >
reports from the courts
June 2022Our regular round up of recent court decisions of most interest to construction comes from Andrew Croft and Ben Spannuth who report on a rare example of the courts refusing enforcement of an adjudicator’s decision; and another that acts as a reminder to ensure that the basis of the pricing and the payment mechanism in… Read More >
The Building Safety Act: Changes to the Limitation Period Under The Defective Premises Act 1972
June 2022It has recently been announced that the Building Safety Bill is being brought into force as The Building Safety Act 2022 (the “Act”) and will extend the limitation period in respect of when a claim can be brought under Section 1 of the Defective Premises Act 1972 (the “DPA”). Section 1 of the DPA essentially… Read More >
Broker Remuneration – FCA intervention looking likely after government review of post-Grenfell property insurance sector
June 2022In January 2022, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, called on the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to assess the causes of the “crippling costs” of year-on-year price increases for insurance premiums and the marked restriction in coverage available for medium- and high-rise properties, after the Grenfell fire. Practical recommendations for… Read More >
Ignorance is no excuse: Strict liability introduced into UK sanctions enforcement
June 2022Introduction With effect from 15 June 2022, new changes will take effect in relation to the enforcement against breaches of UK trade sanctions legislation. This coincides with an ever-growing set of sanctions measures issued by the UK Government against the Putin regime, taken in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Office of Financial Sanctions… Read More >
The SEC Bares its Teeth on ESG
June 2022What is ESG? The focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (‘ESG’) compliance is a business practice which has quickly become commonplace in international and domestic business. Generally speaking, ESG policies should set out how an organisation intends to operate in the community, including its Corporate Social Responsibility (‘CSR’) aims, how it intends to uphold and… Read More >
Elizabeth Line Opens Today
May 2022As the long-awaited Elizabeth Line opens its doors to the public today, it is a momentous day for all those involved in the largest construction project in Europe. The infrastructure project has not been without its issues, least of all the delays and cost overruns, however after 13 years of construction, 42km of new tunnels… Read More >
The critical difference between being “right” or “wrong” and being negligent- Richards v Speechly Bircham LLP [2022] EWHC 935 (Comm)
May 2022Mr Richards and Mr Purves (“the Claimants”) owned a successful IP business. In early 2014 they decided to take on external investment to grow the business with them retaining both shares and management positions in the business, whilst at the same time reducing their risk exposure by realising some capital. They appointed a third-party company called Knight Corporate… Read More >