In March 2021, the Construction Leadership Council published its findings of a recent pan-industry survey of over 1,000 firms, which confirmed a widespread problem experienced by many construction and architecture firms in obtaining professional indemnity insurance (PII) cover.[1] The survey found that companies were being prevented from taking on projects, and even having to change … Read more

It’s sometimes hard to remember that amongst all of the Covid-19 and Brexit related work that the government is contending with there is still other business to be undertaken. In July of this year, the government released a draft “Building Safety Bill” which aims to introduce a “new era of accountability … for the design, … Read more

This week, offices, schools and public places are being closed in response to COVID-19. Herbert Smith Freehills continues to provide a full client service, with our teams mostly working remotely but, as with all businesses, those involved in planning are trying to work out the best ways to continue with projects and what accommodations need … Read more

This article was first published on 11 December 2019 in Real Estate. Reconsidered. Our love affair with man-made plastics really began in the 19th century with a material derived from cellulose called Parkesine after its British inventor Alexander Parkes. Now there are around 45 unique types of plastics, each with dozens of variations. The key … Read more

This article was first published on 11 December 2019 in Real Estate. Reconsidered. In real estate development everything comes down to managing an (un)holy trinity of risks; namely cost, time, and quality. Take a building contract between a developer and a contractor: if the developer wants a high quality building delivered quickly, it will pay … Read more

Yesterday the HSF Real Estate team launched Real Estate. Reconsidered, a collection of our thoughts on some of the key issues that are impacting the real estate sector and our opinions on what the future may hold for the real estate market and its legal landscape. To read Real Estate. Reconsidered click here. Please contact us … Read more

The success of large-scale development projects depends greatly on the parties maintaining a good commercial relationship. Whilst claims and disputes are often inevitable in relation to construction works, early and amicable settlement can be instrumental in sustaining those relationships and ensuring the successful delivery of a project. So when should a party start to think … Read more

Readers of this blog may be interested to know that the Herbert Smith Freehills construction and infrastructure team has launched a new blog of its own – Construction Notes. Construction Notes will include articles and updates on the latest developments in the construction sector, from both a contentious and non-contentious perspective, from HSF’s industry experts … Read more