Covid lessons for force majeure and reasonable endeavours

Guest Editor Daniel Warren of DLA Piper UK LLP finds a key lesson learned from the Covid pandemic was the importance of properly negotiated and understood force majeure clauses. The pandemic proved the value of collaborative approaches. This story is only available to subscribers to the printed edition of Construction Law. If you have a … Read more

Legal terms explained: Force majeure

‘Force majeure’ has no standard definition in English law. However, it is generally understood to be a contractual term which excuses one or both parties from performing their contractual obligations, if the party seeking to rely on the clause is prevented from doing so by a specified event which is outside their control. This story … Read more

Force Majeure and causation – new guidance from the English courts

Emma Schaafsma and Emily Blanshard of Herbert Smith Freehills LLP analyse recent case law with implications for force majeure and consider its possible impact on construction contracts. Careful drafting will be needed to avoid ambiguity in force majeure clauses. This story is only available to subscribers to the printed edition of Construction Law. If you … Read more

Legal terms explained: Frustration and force majeure

The doctrine of frustration Lord Radcliffe stated in Davis Contractors v Fareham UDC [1956] AC 696 ‘Frustration occurs wherever the law recognises that without default of either party a contractual obligation has become incapable of being performed because the circumstances in which performance is called for would render it a thing radically different from that … Read more

Legal terms explained: Force majeure clauses

Force majeure clauses appear in standard form construction contracts. Th e JCT form, for example, uses this term as a relevant event but it is not defi ned. FIDIC provides a non-exhaustive list of examples and NEC uses the term prevention for what is eff ectively force majeure. To read more of this and every … Read more

Force majeure − the devil is in the detail

Ruth Wilkinson of Dundas & Wilson analyses what force majeure is, and the circumstances in which can it be relied upon in construction contracts. The courts take a narrow view of what a force majeure event is, she explains. This story is only available to subscribers to the printed edition of Construction Law. If you … Read more

It’s tough to make predictions – especially about the future

Guest Editor Jane Hughes of Trowers & Hamlins LLP looks back at some predictions she made in Construction Law 20 years ago, and makes some new ones. One area that she made a prediction about tragically proved to be prescient, although not in quite the way expected. This story is only available to subscribers to … Read more

Construction Law Guide to: EPC Contracts

The latest in our CL Guides series comes from Joanne Bennett and Daniel Warren of DLA Piper UK LLP who look at what EPC contracts involve. This story is only available to subscribers to the printed edition of Construction Law. If you have a subscription please log in to read the rest of the story.