Construction Lawyers

Our lawyers take a highly commercial and collaborative approach to provide end-to-end support for complex construction projects.

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Our experienced construction lawyers use decades of expertise to provide proactive, commercially focused support across all aspects of construction services to protect your interests and mitigate risk throughout the lifecycle of a project.

Amid rising costs, increasing regulation and ever more commercial challenges, the construction industry is becoming complex to navigate. Carefully considered legal advice and support is needed at every stage to consider the appropriate allocation of risk and next steps.

Our dedicated team partners closely with you to understand your business and projects inside-out before helping your projects to run as smoothly as possible. Where issues arise, we advise on how to best navigate and overcome them in the most commercially advantageous way possible.

As part of our award-winning regeneration team, we’re proud to be the backbone of many successful regeneration projects, where we collaborate with all parties involved to see that developments progress from plans on the page to shovels in the ground. We specialise in translating complex legal frameworks into practical, deliverable contracts — working within the inevitable, complex, multi-party framework to see that our clients’ interests are protected and make places work.

With specialists in public procurement, building safety, dispute resolution, housing and more, we’re here to guide you through even the largest and most complex construction projects. We have vast experience in projects relating to mixed-use residential developments, student developments, retail developments, distribution centres, large infrastructure, sports stadia, energy and major housing developments.

We’re proud to act for a broad range of national and international contractors and sub-contractors as well as household name retailers, large commercial developers, registered providers of social housing and landowners.

Our real estate team is proud to have won the Legal Team of the Year award at the EG Awards 2024 and Legal/Professional Team of the Year for commercial property at the Property Week Awards 2023.

Drafting construction contracts & development agreements

In the earlier stages of construction projects, typical challenges and considerations can include assessing construction and demolition risks, issues relating to building safety, appropriately allocating cost and time responsibilities and risks as well as developing the most positive ways of working with building contractors and professional teams.

That’s why our wide scope of non-contentious legal services range from advice on procurement through to the drafting of main contract and sub-contract terms, consultants’ appointments, development agreements, warranties, guarantees, novations and bonds.

Our experts are familiar with all standard form construction contracts such as JCT, NEC, IChemE, FIDIC, MF1 and ICC. We’ll work with you every step of the way to help manage the legal implications of any variations to works up to completion.

Resolving construction disputes

We provide strong commercial advice if difficulties arise during the course of your construction project under all forms of contract, including — if needed — adjudication, arbitration, litigation or mediation.

We have a deep understanding of the issues faced on construction and engineering projects, from delay and extension of time claims and loss and expense through to issues of termination and professional negligence.

Our dispute resolution experience includes acting on large, multi-party, multi-million-pound cladding disputes before the Technology and Construction Court and advising in relation to other diverse projects, ranging from infrastructure to housing.

In-house training & secondments

Our team regularly speaks at conferences and carries out tailored in-house training programmes that can deal with whatever matters most to you — such as legislation updates, the practical application of contracts or commercial negotiations — to pass on our knowledge and experience.

We’re always happy to deliver training in-person at your offices or host your team at our own offices based in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Lancashire.

We’re also able to undertake secondments and reverse secondments. We can provide lawyers to supplement your in-house team either in-person or as part of a tailored, ‘banked’ resource to fit the needs of your business.

Support for in-house lawyers

Award-winning, specialist construction lawyers

Our construction team is headed up by dual-qualified Quantity Surveyor and Solicitor Barry Goodall, who has a strong track record in this area including advising on major projects like the Mersey Gateway Bridge, one of the largest infrastructure programmes in the UK. Recognised by The Legal 500 for his “really good leadership and oversight”, Barry is commended for “empower[ing] his team to carry out the day-to-day work to a high standard”.

Experienced construction lawyer Elspeth Christie brings a strong background in non-contentious construction law and has served as an adviser on major UK-wide developments. She has particular experience in the student accommodation, residential development, office and retail sectors and is a key member of our regeneration team.

Eleanor Stirrett is experienced in projects that involve diverse assets. She’s actively involved with the Forum for the Built Environment and handles issues such as drafting development and security documents, creating and amending contracts along with warranties, assignments and novations.

Jennie Jones has over 15 years of experience in the construction sector, with a strong background in dispute management. Recognised and recommended by The Legal 500, she acts for developers, contractors, local authorities and employers in complex, multi-party, high-profile disputes with a particular focus on building safety, infrastructure and energy projects. She represents clients in adjudication, litigation, arbitration and mediation. Jennie provides specialist training in construction law and founded Building Links, our networking group for construction professionals that's on a mission to drive innovation and education through the sector.

Meet the team

Jennie Jones at Brabners Building Links event with roller banner

Join the Building Links network

Building Links is quarterly, invite-only networking group of professionals who share real passion for what they do. Our events provide a platform to collaborate and share best practice — helping us all to learn and grow while establishing valuable connections and genuine relationships.

After establishing its roots in Lancashire, we’ve recently expanded into Manchester to provide even more opportunities for leaders to connect and thrive.

If you’d like to get involved, reach out to Jennie Jones.

Discover Building Links

Building Safety Bill Management Safety and Construction Regulation

Navigating the building safety regime

The Building Safety Act 2022 (alongside a raft of secondary legislation) introduced a wave of groundbreaking reforms known as the ‘building safety regime’.

With this comes greater dutyholder responsibilities — such as updated competency, supervision and cooperation requirements as well as revised roles and responsibilities — alongside enhanced oversight, with three new regulating bodies.

Navigating the regime requires designers, developers, contractors and those dealing with higher risk buildings to partner closely with legal experts to ensure compliance.

By bringing together a team of dedicated experts, we provide a one-stop-shop for all your building safety needs.

Find out more about building safety and your legal obligations.