Simon is a Partner in our Litigation and Dispute Management group and heads the Construction and Engineering team in the North.
Based in Manchester, with 30 years of experience in ensuring that the legal documentation for construction and engineering projects appropriately apportions risks and is delivered within client's program and budgets, he specializes in drafting, negotiating, and advising on construction and engineering contracts of all types, procurement strategies, framework contracts, call-off contracts, security documents, consultants' appointments, warranties, and all other construction agreements from the perspective of both the public and private sectors and ensuring they properly interface with development and funding agreements.
Simon also advises clients on strategies for resolving complex construction and engineering disputes —whether through litigation, arbitration, adjudication, mediation and other forms of ADR. He has particular specialism in the energy, transport, education and nuclear sectors.
He is regarded by The Legal 500 and Chambers legal directories as a leading individual recommended for providing "a first-class service across a range of complex projects, and has excellent knowledge."
Simon's recent experience includes advising:
- an Irish utility company on its NEC4-based contract for the provision of programming, planning and cost consultancy services for a nationally significant long-term £3bn+ water supply project
- Manchester City Council on the construction contracts for its £350 million refurbishment of the iconic Grade 1 listed Manchester Town Hall and Albert Square using a management contracting procurement approach
- the owner of several UK gas distribution networks on the drafting and negotiation of its works delivery frameworks and £600m incentivized construction management long-term contracts to manage the planning and delivery of its mains replacement program
- an award-winning property developer on all construction aspects of its 10-year regeneration of New Bailey, Salford, including contracts for a hotel, two MSCPs, four offices, four apartment blocks and public realm
- a publicly funded client in the transport sector on the construction and funding agreements for the development of a new transport interchange with a park on the roof and adjoining apartment block
- a nuclear decommissioning, reprocessing and waste management company on the construction contracts for various of its nuclear waste encapsulation projects
- on the building contract, consultants' appointments, collateral warranties, security and ancillary documents for the design and construciton of 10 blocks of student accommodations at a university
- Ranked as a leading individual in Chambers UK since 2012
- Ranked as a leading individual in Legal 500 UK since 2012
- Team leader of the Band 2 ranked construction and engineering team for North West (UK) in both
Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 - Ranked in Chambers UK 2018, 2019
- Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Member, International Nuclear Lawyers Association
- Masters degree, with distinction, in Construction Law and Arbitration from Leeds Metropolitan (now Beckett) University, 1998-2000
- Law Society Finals, 1993
- BA (Hons) History, 1988-1991