Jon is a Construction and Engineering specialist, handling both contentious and non-contentious legal work. His practice focuses on acting for employers and their design teams, as well as contractors and engineers.
Jon has particular expertise in energy-related issues, infrastructure, precision engineering and cybersecurity installations whilst most of his casework is concentrated on the drafting of contracts, providing procurement advice and advising on disputes both within the UK and internationally.
In addition, Jon can assist with payment and liability issues on current projects, as well as advise on an effective strategy to resolve any issues.
Jon is also an ADR accredited mediator, which sees him advising clients on alternative ways to resolve disputes, avoiding the litigation process. He is, however, a TeCSA solicitor and well-seasoned in litigious matters, whenever the need arises for clients to engage him in a more formal dispute resolution arena.
Areas of Expertise:
- Procurement strategy
- Interpretation and drafting of construction and related contracts
- Drafting of a number of standard-form and bespoke construction documents
- Public and private sector organisations
- Technology and Construction Court litigation
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
Author of 'A Comparative Guide to Construction and Engineering Contracts', September 2017, available at:
Property Development:
- Provided procurement advice and drafted contracts for the Cell Therapy Catapult (Innovate UK) on its £6m clean-room fit-out contract for research and development at Guy’s Hospital.
- Drafted contracts relating to a £9m car automotive testing plant in West Sussex for high-performance vehicles (race and road) – FIDIC Silver book and Yellow Book procured for Horiba UK.
- Negotiated with Wasserman in the US on the retractable roofing contract at the Katara Fan Zone, Doha, ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and other sites in the Middle East for the same UK tensile fabric designer and installer.
- Advised councils in the South West of England on the procurement of an outdoor sports complex and associated facilities pursuant to JCT D&B 2016 and Minor Works with Contractor’s Design 2016, roofing remedial works and funding for a brewery and canalside regeneration scheme.
- Drafted suites of construction contracts for UK house-builders on multi-million-pound housing schemes including Cotswold Oak (Bloor Homes) and RES Homes. Average value per site is £3m-5.7m.
- Negotiated the retractable roofing contract for installation at the Katara Fan Zone, Doha, ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar for British tensile fabric specialist contractor, Fabric Architecture.
- Successfully resolved a £4m dispute relating to the renovation of a Grade 1 listed property in the Cotswolds.
- Advised on structuring considerations for the National Star College in Cheltenham, in relation to new boarding houses with OJEU considerations.
Hotels, Hospitality and Leisure:
- Drafted and negotiated the UK roll-out of construction documents in the UK for Pure Gym across over 70 sites including the first at Spinningfields, Manchester.
- Advised and drafted the contract suite based on JCT D&B 2016 with further considerations for phase 1 (£60m) proposed hotel development in Cornwall, acting for Kingfisher UNA Resort Ltd and St James’ Construction Ltd.
- Drafted contracts (JCT, ICC based plus consultants’ appointments, assignments and novations) for a number of hotel groups including Holiday Inn Express, Luxury Family Hotels Group and Cotswolds-based boutique hotel group Dunkerton Properties LLP with a build value each site of between £450,000 – £4.2m.
- Acted for the successful contractor for recovery of sums due in both SG South Ltd v (1) Kings Head Cirencester LLP (2) Cornhall Arcade Ltd [2009] and SG South Ltd v Swan Yard (Cirencester) Ltd [2010] in relation to a shopping centre development and a high-end hotel.
- Advised on various contractual issues arising from works at hotels at Moonfleet Manor, Dorset and Thornbury Castle.
- Acted for Dowdeswell Estates (Building Contractors) Ltd in relation to contractual issues with their supply chain and fund-raising in relation to a number of their hotel renovation sites including a £55m city centre re-development in Gloucester.
Energy:
- Advised on the proposed UK roll-out of grass-fed only AD farms for an energy company, Ecotricity Group (procurement via IChemE red book).
- Drafted supply, installation and commissioning contracts for anaerobic digestion plants for an Austrian engineer – bespoke contracts, IChemE Red Book and MF/1 procured across England and Scotland (140kwp-2.4mwp schemes with Downing funding considerations) including specialist plant and civil engineering.
- Drafted EPC contracts for commercial solar schemes including the largest rooftop solar PV installation in Europe in 2014 (6.1 MW with an array the size of 11 football pitches) at Marks & Spencers’ distribution hub at Castle Donnington, Leicestershire. Advising further on the rights disposal to Amber Infrastructure.
- Various piling and O&M contracts relating to wind farms (ICE/ICC based).
- Advised UK Power Solutions (Infracapital) on various contractual issues (including successfully bringing adjudications) based on its multi-utility connection works for universities, solar sites and contracts with statutory undertakers such as British Gas.
- Acted for Ecotricity Group on the procurement of a number of projects and related contract advice relating to MF/1, JCT and bespoke appointments with engineers based in Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.
- Advised US-based Infracapital on various contractual issues based on its multi-utility connection works for universities for gas connections with statutory undertakers such as British Gas in the UK.
- Acted for biogas generator on the procurement of a number of projects and related contract advice relating to MF/1, JCT and bespoke appointments with engineers based in Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.
- Advised on the proposed UK roll-out of grass-fed-only AD farms for an energy company (procurement via IChemE red book).
- Drafted supply, installation and commissioning contracts for anaerobic digestion plants for an Austrian engineer – bespoke contracts, IChemE Red Book and MF/1 procured across England and Scotland (140kwp-24mwp schemes with Downing funding considerations) including specialist plant and civil engineering.
Other:
- Advised on a £30m insurance dredging dispute in relation to a professional negligence claim at a dry dock in Felixstowe.
- Defended a Midlands based mechanical & electrical engineer on a £1.1m claim in the TCC relating to alleged defects in ventilation extraction. Advised throughout this tripartite litigation, having drafted the defence and heavily involved in drafting witness statements and steering multiple experts.
Practice areas
Construction LawLitigation