Market Report: Construction – Building a case

Market Report: Construction – Building a case

Despite efforts to minimise the level of construction disputes, adjudication, litigation and arbitration are all flourishing. Dominic Carman reports

While there are many relevant statutes and a significant body of case law, construction disputes benefit from having a single overarching piece of legislation: the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, commonly known as the Construction Act. In some recent decisions, judges have increasingly endeavoured to broaden the ambit of the act, which was last amended in 2011, to capture a wider range of construction activities as the sector continues to recover from a turbulent political period. Continue reading “Market Report: Construction – Building a case”

Market Report: Intellectual Property – A delicate balance

Market Report: Intellectual Property – A delicate balance

With global hubs fighting to attract big-ticket IP disputes, the London courts are facing a tougher challenge than they are used to. Dominic Carman reports

IP litigation continued apace in 2019 with a multiplicity of disputes. ‘Unlike everything else in relation to Brexit, certainly in the life sciences space and in patent litigation, things carried on pretty much as normal and we had quite a lot of cases,’ says Charlotte Weekes (pictured), contentious IP partner at Pinsent Masons. ‘People talk about some jurisdictions being pro-patentee or pro-challenger: the UK courts seem fairly well balanced.’ Continue reading “Market Report: Intellectual Property – A delicate balance”