England - London • Real estate

Mayer Brown International LLP

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Mayer Brown International LLP is distinguished for its comprehensive cradle-to-grave service, with a significant focus on the Middle Eastern market. The firm, which regularly defends insurers and policyholders against professional negligence claims, leverages expertise in numerous sectors such as energy, process engineering, transport, mining, waste management, and property. The team is led by Michael Regan, a respected authority in arbitrations involving large-scale infrastructure projects, and includes Sally Davies, noted for her proficiency in construction-related insurance issues, Kwadwo Sarkodie, lauded for his dispute resolution expertise in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Jonathan Stone, recognised for his counsel on professional indemnity claims. The team also features James Morris, who excels in dispute resolution for South Korean and Japanese clients, and Raid Abu-Manneh, who heads the team’s international arbitration group.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Good overall view of the team, notably Kwadwo Sarkodie.'
  • 'Pragmatic and quick acting.'
  • 'James Morris is proving an adept operator, and Peter Darby is coming up fast.'
  • 'Personal touch and availability of partners are notable strengths of the team.'
  • 'Sally Davies, James Morris and their team are fast in response, clear and precise in their analysis, and are unafraid to say what the client may not want to hear. Such objectivity is what I value when seeking advice from outside counsel.'
  • 'An impressive, highly professional construction practice.'
  • 'Michael Regan combines a razor sharp intellect with a commercial awareness in the field of construction insurance that is second to none; his relaxed and friendly approach is reflected in his colleagues, who are a pleasure to work with.'

Key clients

  • Alghanim International General Trading & Contracting LLC
  • British Land
  • Costain
  • Galliford Try
  • Gardiner & Theobald
  • Kier
  • Nesma & Partners Contracting Company Limited
  • QBE
  • Zurich
  • Shepherd Construction
  • SSE
  • St George and The Berkeley Group companies
  • Tide Construction
  • United Living
  • Wates Construction Limited

Work highlights

  • Advised Standard Life and assisted it in pursuing a substantial claim against its professional team and development manager following significant delay and cost overruns during the construction of a retail park in Newbury.
  • Acting as external litigation counsel to United Living, advising on the defence of this high-profile proceedings against the PFI development company and its supply chain seeking damages in excess of GBP 130 million, which was successfully concluded in 2022 on confidential terms.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Sally Davies

Hall of fameMayer Brown

Sally Davies is the Senior Partner in Mayer Brown's London office. She has extensive experience in the litigation, arbitration (domestic and international LCIA, ICC,UNCITRAL), mediation and adjudication of construction industry disputes. She advises owners, contractors, engineers and consultants, subcontractors and suppliers, as well as professionals and insurers, on all aspects of construction and engineering law. She has resolved such disputes involving airports, sports stadia, harbour facilities, nuclear facilities, waste water treatment plants, LNG plants, motorways, mines, roads, bridges, cranes and railways, dams, office facilities, distribution centres and water treatment facilities as well as traditional construction projects.

Michael Regan

Hall of fameMayer Brown

Michael Regan is recognised as one of the world's leading construction and engineering lawyers and is head of the Construction & Engineering Group in London. Michael has advised clients in relation to claims arising out of the construction of power stations, nuclear facilities, bridges, dams, process plant, refineries, buildings, roads, mining projects and infrastructure projects in many different countries and in every continent, and has conducted international arbitrations subject to the rules of all the major arbitral institutions including the LCIA, the ICC and ICSID. He has many years experience of conducting complicated technical disputes arising out of construction and engineering projects, including claims involving defects in design and workmanship, programming, delays and quantum. Michael also advises clients on risk allocation, and procurement strategies, and has extensive experience of all the major forms of construction and engineering contracts, particularly FIDIC.

Leading individuals

Kwadwo Sarkodie

Mayer Brown

Kwadwo Sarkodie is a partner in the Construction & Engineering group of the London office. He has substantial experience across a broad range of dispute resolution. He regularly advises employers, insurers, contractors, subcontractors and consultants in relation to disputes concerning such matters as defective works, final accounts, extension of time and loss and expense under a variety of forms of construction contract (both standard form and bespoke). He has extensive experience with regard to litigation, mediation and adjudication. Kwadwo has wide-ranging international experience, having advised in relation to projects and disputes in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, India, Russia and the Middle East. He regularly advises in relation to international arbitrations, including under the ICC, UNCITRAL and LCIA rules. Kwadwo has written extensively regarding dispute resolution and arbitration in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Next Generation Partners

James Morris

Mayer Brown

James Morris is a partner in the Construction & Engineering and International Arbitration practices of the London office. His practice includes a wide range of dispute resolution, advising employers, contractors, consultants and insurers in relation to all forms of construction related disputes and EU public procurement. He regularly advises on complicated technical disputes, including claims concerning defective design and workmanship, programming, delay, disruption and quantum, which arise out of the major forms of construction and engineering contracts. He is an experienced litigator who has represented clients in complex multi-party litigation in the High Court (Technology and Construction Court), mediations, adjudications and arbitrations (both domestic and international). James has advised on disputes regarding a wide variety of projects, including jetties, defence facilities, waste management facilities, mines, railways, utilities, office facilities and hospitals. He has represented clients in a number of different jurisdictions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. James also has experience of dealing with complex insurance issues and regularly advises insurers on professional indemnity cases.

Jonathan Stone

Mayer Brown

Jonathan Stone is a partner in the Construction & Engineering practice of the London office. He advises clients (including architects, engineers, consultants, contractors and suppliers) on all aspects of construction and engineering law. A significant part of his work involves advising insurers and professionals in the defence of professional indemnity claims. Jonathan also advises insurers on policy coverage issues arising out of various types of construction policy, including professional indemnity, public liability and CAR policies. Jonathan has a broad experience of contentious litigation matters, and acts on high value and multi-party disputes arising out of civil works, sport stadia, public transport systems, waste treatment facilities, hospital PFI projects, office buildings, public car parks, road networks and wind farms. Disputes include those relating to defective works, negligent design, delays, loss and expense, contract terminations and payment issues.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Michael Regan

Other key lawyers

Sally Davies, Jonathan Hosie, Raid Abu-Manneh, Kwadwo Sarkodie, Jonathan Stone, James Morris, Peter Darby