Peter Davies

Expertise

Peter is an experienced dispute resolution lawyer in the firm’s Construction unit and a member of the Strategic and Operations Boards.

Peter has considerable experience in construction disputes, acting for developers, contractors, sub-contractors and construction professionals. He is familiar with all standard industry documentation and has considerable experience of all types of dispute resolution.

Peter is particularly well known for his work in the housebuilding sector. He regularly advises many of the UK’s leading housebuilders.

How do you help clients?

While other members of the team deal with disputes on a day-to-day basis, I add additional value by helping them “see the wood for the trees” and to devise the strategy for the particular matter. 

My considerable experience also means that I add gravitas at meetings.

Experience

1. Defending a claim by a land owner for a quasi-overage payment of over £10m. The case involved detailed consideration of highways law issues. The dispute was settled on favourable terms part way through the trial.
2. Pursuing a professional negligence claim against a quantity surveyor and an employer’s agent following alleged over-certification under a JCT contract relating to a new block of flats in London. The contractor was in administration and therefore the only avenue for recovery was against the negligent professionals. The claim was settled on favourable terms following mediation.
3. Advising a developer on whether a condition in a conditional contract had been satisfied. Having the matter determined by expert determination in the developer’s favour. Devising a strategy which enabled the developer to terminate the contract.
4. Acting for an owner/ occupier of a site, suffering from serious settlement issues requiring costly remedial action. Claims were brought against the architect and contractor as there were allegations of defective design and poor workmanship. The claim was settled on favourable terms shortly before trial.
5. Acting for a national housebuilder in a claim against a design and build contractor arising from defects in the cladding at six mixed use tower blocks. Initially defects related principally to water ingress but, as a result of opening up works, inadequacies in fire protection works were discovered. Extensive remediation is required. The claim against the contractor involves consideration of complex technical evidence as well as causation and loss arguments.