Subscribe to Construction Law before 31 December and enjoy an exclusive to newsletter subscribers 10% discount on new subscriptions

Construction Law brings together the considered views of leading construction law specialist lawyers and barristers to make sure construction professionals are aware of the practical implications of developments, and the numerous pitfalls that can trap the unwary or under advised.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

New issue of Construction Law arriving with subscribers

The latest issue of Construction Law is arriving on subscriber’s desks about now, with the regular unique blend of news, reviews and insight from leading construction specialist lawyers and the journal’s own specialist journalists. Below, you can find details about how to join them with a personal subscription.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Falls from crane lead to fine

Heavy lifting company Osprey Heavy Lift Limited has been fined £24,000 for health and safety offences after two men fell from height during the assembly of a crane.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Views sought on Scottish housing remediation Bill

The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee has launched a public consultation on the Scottish government’s Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Bill.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Major transport projects may not be deliverable, says audit office

The National Audit Office’s (NAO) review of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) spending plans says it may not be able to pay for all of the projects planned under its £41 billion annual budget.

To read more of this and every other news story on this site, please log in with your Construction Law membership account details. If you don't have an account, you can get free access to the news on this site and receive a free newsletter on Fridays by creating a Newsletter account. See the panel to the right.

Subscribers to the printed magazine get access to the entire Construction law website.

Construction Law: November 2023

Editor’s comment
Public Procurement isn’t working
Editor Nick Barrett finds a report from think tank Reform saying that public procurement isn’t working as it should. Public confidence in the efficiency of the state as a whole is also weak, researchers found.

News
Our news round up reports on water companies in England and Wales who plan what is said to be the largest ever investment in the sector; whistleblowers alleging that HS2 Ltd deliberately covered up its escalating costs to prevent government from cancelling the project; and on government dropping legal action against five former Carillion non executive directors hours before what was being seen as a test case was due to start.

Legal terms explained
Isabel Picton-Turbervill of Herbert Smith Freehills LLP explains legal aspects of value engineering.

Guest editor
Letters of Intent – how to tame the beast
Guest Editor Laughlan Steer of Russell-Cooke LLP laments the all too common approach to letters of intent that is prevalent in the industry. They should be straightforward, but seldom are because best practice is often ignored.

Legislation state of play table
Our regular update of the progress of legislation and government procurement related developments compiled by Alignment Media.

Reports from the courts
Our regular round up of the court decisions of most interest to construction comes from Andrew Croft, Ben Spannuth and Daniela Miklova of Beale & Company Solicitors LLP who report on a case that warns parties to avoid linking final dates for payment to the submission of invoices/notices; and one that cautions parties about commencing a ‘true value’ adjudication until outstanding payment obligations have been complied with.

Analysis
Construction insurance: what to look out for
There were significant developments in the construction industry this year affecting the insurance outlook which Alan Stone, Tom Green, Zack Gould-Wilson and Rebecca Phipps of RPC examine for clues to what to expect in 2024.

CL guides
Performance security
Our regular guide to key aspects of construction law from DLA Piper has Jennifer Price-Thomas explain various types of performance security.

Building safety
Recent building safety cases: the courts are getting stuck in
Sarah Alexander of Dentons UK and Middle East LLP reviews recent court decisions relating to the growing number of building safety related cases since the Building Safety Act 2022 came into force. Developers face prosecution for failing to comply with improvement notice deadlines, one case confirms.

Adjudication
Serial Adjudication in 2023: some like it hot
Karen Gough of 39 Essex Chambers analyses why after over 25 years of the adjudication regime the courts are still kept busy with issues arising from serial adjudications. Claiming parties like them, but they are the bane of adjudicators and judges she says.

Adjudication in Ireland
Enhanced status helps keep the Irish adjudication bar high
Stephen McKenna and Nouman Qadir of Quigg Golden analyse two recent decisions in Irish construction law handed down by the High Court. Adjudicator’s decisions have ‘enhanced status’ in the Irish courts compared to the UK, they point out, and the courts have a track record of supporting the intentions of the legislation.

Party walls
Party walls – we are all affected
Dr Laura Lintott, Visiting Fellow at King’s College London and Supervisor for undergraduates in land and private law at the University of Cambridge, writes in her capacity as a recent PhD graduate from the University of Cambridge on the topic of her thesis: Party Wall Disputes: Legal Coherence and Dispute Management.

Insurance
Insurance and Consequential Loss
Insurance expert John D Wright of JD Risk Associates examines how insurers regard claims for consequential loss. Claims for economic loss give rise to many disputes, he warns.

Alternative dispute resolution
Time to mandate adjudication pupillage?
Caroline McDermott of Turner & Townsend and Kirsti Olson of Dentons UK and Middle East LLP suggest pupilage as one way to increase the supply of adjudicators.

Letters of Intent – how to tame the beast

Guest Editor Laughlan Steer of Russell-Cooke LLP laments the all too common approach to letters of intent that is prevalent in the industry. They should be straightforward, but seldom are because best practice is often ignored.

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.

Reports from the courts: November 2023

Our regular round up of the court decisions of most interest to construction comes from Andrew Croft, Ben Spannuth and Daniela Miklova of Beale & Company Solicitors LLP who report on a case that warns parties to avoid linking final dates for payment to the submission of invoices/notices; and one that cautions parties about commencing a ‘true value’ adjudication until outstanding payment obligations have been complied with.

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.

Construction insurance: what to look out for

There were significant developments in the construction industry this year affecting the insurance outlook which Alan Stone, Tom Green, Zack Gould-Wilson and Rebecca Phipps of RPC examine for clues to what to expect in 2024.

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.