Talks
We give talks and seminars on matters within our expertise which are of interest to our clients.
1. Managing the Client
This talk was originally given at seminars in Hampshire and Warwickshire organised by Local Surveyors Direct in 2011 and can be downloaded here.
The audience consisted of architects, engineers and surveyors. The first four scenarios provoked so many questions from the audience that it proved impossible to cover all the material inside the allotted hour. The author personally had conduct of all the cases described, and so was conversant with the technical issues as well as the legal ones.
Feedback on the talk was positive. One very experienced engineer thought the scenarios catalogued many of the common pitfalls for a professional engineer, and that young engineers would benefit from hearing it at the start of their careers. An experienced architect voiced similar sentiments.
The author is available to give the talk upon request to appropriate audiences.
An adaptation of the talk appeared in the Construction Law Journal (Vol. 29 No. 3) in May 2013.
2. Elements of a Civil Claim
This talk is adapted from an appendix to our engagement letter for construction clients. It is intended to help clients think through their claim and organise their documents before they start paying legal fees. A copy can be downloaded here.
The talk has been prepared with non-contentious lawyers, accountants, and directors in mind.
It is intended to give its audience the basics of preparing a claim to present in the civil courts, and to highlight alternative processes to the courts which are available.
The thrust of the talk is practical, and the context is mainly claims in the construction industry.
3. English Leasehold for French Buyers in London
This talk was given at the offices of Boulle International Estate Agents in Holland Park.
The aim was to provide the estate agents with a basic understanding of the English system of freehold and leasehold and how it differed from the system of property ownership in France.
The presentation was done jointly with an experienced chartered surveyor and valuer who explained the way different types of leasehold were valued.
A copy of the abstract which accompanied the legal part of the talk can be downloaded here.
4. Flood Risk and Financial Cost
This talk was originally given at seminars in Hampshire and Warwickshire organised by Local Surveyors Direct in 2014.
The presentation was done jointly with an experienced chartered surveyor and valuer who explained the challenges posed by flood risk to a variety of buildings. He gave advice both on technical solutions to provide resilience to properties against flooding, and on dealing with insurers and their loss adjusters in the aftermath of flood damage. Various case studies were included in the presentation.
We contributed one of the case studies. The property in question is a coastal property, and suffered flood damage both from large waves and from heavy rains in the winter of 2013/14. A copy of the paper accompanying the talk can be downloaded here.
5. When Will You Pay Me?
This talk will be of interest to (i) employers seeking to control payments where work has not been completed to time or specification, (ii) contractors seeking to maximise their stage payments or settle a final account, and (iii) professionals administering a construction contract.
The aim of the talk is to set out in three sections (i) the law governing payment in the UK construction industry, (ii) the processes available to apply the law, and (iii) the recurring types of payment disputes in the industry, illustrated by practical examples.
The talk was originally given at seminars in Hampshire and Warwickshire organised by Local Surveyors Direct in November 2016.
A copy of the paper accompanying the talk can be downloaded here.
