Deborah is a Legal Director specialising in complex construction and engineering disputes. She has extensive experience in representing both public and private sector clients, including public bodies, developers, employers, contractors and consultants. She has represented clients in high value, complex disputes involving all forms of dispute resolution, including adjudication and litigation as well as less adversarial resolution processes such as mediation and expert determination. She also has extensive knowledge of a range of industry standard forms including JCT, NEC, IChemE, ICE and LOGIC (both bespoke and unamended).
Deborah has previously worked in house providing legal advice to a subsidiary of a muti-national company specialising in providing design, engineering, project management, construction and installation services to the oil and gas industry. She has also previously worked in Australia and has experience of both transactional and dispute work relating to projects in Queensland. Deborah is a member of the Society of Construction Law.
Experience
Relevant experience includes advising:
- An engineering consultant in relation to a high value claim concerning defects and delay on a guided busway. Successfully defended the client at adjudication
- Acting on behalf of a local authority in relation to its right to terminate a contractor for failure to fulfil its contractual obligations. Successfully assisting the client through the navigation of the termination process
- A developer client in relation to a dispute involving a high value central London commercial property constructed using JCT D&B 2016 (as amended). Defending the developer through the adjudication process against a claim by a contractor for non-payment of monies involving issues of contra-charge and defects. Successfully resolved on behalf of the client
- Advising a civil engineering client in relation to defective roof cladding at a property in North East England. A non-adversarial remedial works scheme was agreed between the parties
- A joint venture company in relation to a £4million final account dispute under an IChemE form of contract relating to a waste to energy facility. The matter was taken through the arbitration process with issues to be resolved including technical disputes as to the quality and functionality of the works, responsibility for project overruns and the assessment of variations.
