Herbert Smith’s litigators and arbitrators are amongst the best in the world. The contentious construction and engineering practice is ranked first in the top tier this year by Chambers and Partners legal directory. The skill and specialist experience of our contentious construction and engineering team, added to the comprehensive understanding of industry practices, enables us to specialise in complex, high-value, high-profile disputes both nationally and internationally.
We advise on all forms of the resolution and avoidance of construction and engineering related disputes. Our lawyers have in-depth knowledge of international and domestic arbitrations, and conduct arbitrations under the rules of all of the major international arbitration institutions, as well as under “ad hoc” procedures in venues ranging from Europe to the Middle East and the Far East. We also carry out High Court litigation and adjudication, and utilise all forms of ADR procedures where appropriate.
Types of claims on which we advise include:
- defects claims
- performance-related disputes
- cost overrun claims
- loss and expense and damages claims
Our lawyers are committed to providing our clients with the best legal advice, working with a full understanding of clients commercial requirements.
We act for blue-chip clients ranging from multinational corporates and financial institutions to governments and state-owned entitities. Significant clients of the team include AGIP, Bechtel, GE, Halliburton, Hammerson and Lockheed Martin.
We work closely with our international offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Brussels, Hong Kong, Moscow, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo, providing a truly global service to our clients, who also benefit from our alliance with Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe.
The firm's “aggressive” litigators are “… commensurately brilliant” Chambers 2004 -2005
The firm “receives repeat instructions from heavyweight multinational clients, including Kellogg Brown & Root” and “international arbitrations are an expanding discipline”
Legal 500 2004 -2005
“Smooth operator” Michael Davis is described as “not just a lawyer - he has a good feel for the commercial aspects and thinks all round the problem, predicting the future with uncanny accuracy”
Chambers 2004 -2005