Shoosmiths LLP

Real Estate, Construction

Jody is a partner in Shoosmiths' national construction and engineering team.

Since qualifying as a solicitor in 2007, Jody has specialised in adjudication, arbitration, litigation and the mediation of construction, engineering, infrastructure, energy and related professional negligence disputes. In addition to specialising in the resolution of disputes, Jody also provides strategic and risk management advice throughout the life cycle of projects and transactions, guides clients through difficult contracts and distressed projects and helps clients with avoiding disputes in the first place.

From payment, delay/disruption, defect/design liability, termination and insolvency-related issues, to projects involving the construction of buildings, roads, rail, ports, gas/oil pipelines, energy plants and water treatment facilities, Jody has advised and represented all components of the construction and engineering industries’ supply chains across a broad range of sectors.

In addition to advising a wide range of employer, developer, contractor and specialist sub-contractor clients from national and international law firm bases during the first 11 years of his career, Jody also spent nearly 8 years in-house acting as a ‘business protector’ at director and head of legal level for the Dandara Group. As well as playing an integral role in helping Dandara develop the private rented sector and offering on-going risk management and dispute resolution advice and representation, Jody also led and managed Dandara's non-contentious construction function (which serviced close to 60 live projects at any one time) and represented the housebuilder and build-to-rent specialist in some of the UK's largest forward-funded real estate transactions. Since 2017 (and whilst at Dandara), Jody has advised extensively in relation to cladding, fire-safety and other building safety-related matters and have guided clients through their dealings with interested third parties, including the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Jody works closely with boards of directors and project teams alike to ensure that changes are successfully managed, risks are minimised, entitlements are maximised and disputes are resolved effectively and efficiently to help clients deliver on their wider objectives. Jody’s unique experience and understanding of helping develop and protect a national real estate developer and contractor during a key period of its growth enables incisive thinking, strategic planning and a deep commercial understanding that extends beyond providing a pure legal service or just ‘doing the job’.