Contentious Construction Lawyer

BCL Legal; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary + bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

Hybrid working from Birmingham

Career progression opportunities

Exposure to high-profile projects

Supportive team culture

Job summary

BCL Legal is assisting a leading national law firm to recruit a Senior/Principal Associate Contentious Construction Lawyer for the Birmingham office with hybrid working. The role focuses on advising public and private sector clients on high-value construction disputes and managing a varied caseload across NEC/JCT contracts and ADR processes.

The candidate will join a growing national team, work on major projects across healthcare, local government and infrastructure, and participate in business

Qualifications

• Strong background in contentious construction law, ideally from a leading private practice.
• Experience advising on NEC and JCT contracts.
• Experience with alternative dispute resolution, including adjudication.
• Experience managing disputes through litigation lifecycle, from pre-action to trial.
• Excellent drafting skills with practical, commercially focused advice.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills for client and team relationships.
• Proactive business development and generation of client opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Join a nationally recognised Construction practice and work with colleagues across the firm on complex disputes.
• Advise public and private sector clients on contentious construction and engineering matters from early issues to dispute resolution.
• Handle disputes from procurements, design/construction issues, to operational matters and terminations.
• Contribute on high-profile projects across health, local government, housing, emergency services and infrastructure.
• Advise on NEC and JCT forms of contract and provide strategic, commercially focused advice.
• Manage your own caseload whilst collaborating with partners and team members.
• Be involved in all stages of dispute resolution, including pre-action, adjudication, negotiation, mediation, disclosure, expert evidence and trial.
• Build strong client relationships and assist with business development to grow the team.

Skills

Contentious construction

Contractual awareness

Dispute resolution

Litigation management

Drafting clarity

Client relationship

Business development

Job description

Contentious Construction Lawyer (Senior/Principal Associate) | 5+ PQE | National Law Firm | Birmingham/Hybrid

BCL Legal is delighted to be assisting a leading national law firm in its recruitment for a Senior/Principal Associate Contentious Construction Lawyer to join its highly regarded Construction team in Birmingham.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a market-leading practice with a strong reputation for advising public and private sector clients on high-value and complex construction disputes. The successful candidate will work as part of a national team while being based from the Birmingham office, with flexible hybrid working available.

The successful candidate will join a growing team advising on major projects across sectors including healthcare, local government, education, emergency services, social housing and infrastructure, with the opportunity to work on some of the market's most significant construction disputes.

The Role

As a Senior/Principal Associate within this leading Construction team, you will:

• Join a nationally recognised Construction practice, working closely with colleagues across the wider firm on complex and commercially significant disputes.
• Advise public and private sector clients on a broad range of contentious construction and engineering matters, from early project issues through to formal dispute resolution.
• Handle disputes arising from procurements, design and construction issues, operational matters, payment disputes, fire safety issues and termination matters.
• Work on high-profile projects across the health, local government, housing, emergency services and infrastructure sectors.
• Advise on disputes involving NEC and JCT forms of contract, providing strategic and commercially focused advice.
• Manage your own caseload while working closely with partners and other team members.
• Be involved in all stages of dispute resolution, including pre-action correspondence, adjudication, negotiation, mediation, disclosure, expert evidence and litigation through to trial.
• Build strong client relationships and contribute to business development activities, supporting the continued growth and profile of the team.

About You

To be successful in your application for this Senior/Principal Associate Contentious Construction Lawyer role, you will have:

• A strong background in contentious construction law, ideally gained within a leading private practice environment.
• Experience advising on construction disputes involving NEC and JCT contracts.
• Experience of alternative dispute resolution, including adjudication.
• Experience managing disputes through the litigation process, including pre-action strategy, drafting correspondence, disclosure, witness evidence, expert evidence and trial preparation.
• The ability to analyse complex contractual arrangements and identify commercial risks for clients.
• Excellent drafting skills with the ability to provide clear, practical and commercially focused advice.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to develop trusted relationships with clients and colleagues.
• A proactive approach to business development and developing client opportunities.
• The ability to work independently while collaborating effectively as part of a wider team.

The Offering

The successful candidate will benefit from:

• A competitive salary plus bonus and comprehensive benefits package.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements based from the Birmingham office.
• The opportunity to work on high-quality, nationally significant construction disputes.
• Exposure to a varied client base across leading public and private sector organisations.
• A supportive and inclusive team culture with excellent career progression opportunities.
• The chance to work alongside experienced lawyers on complex and market-leading matters.

BCL Legal is an equal opportunities employer.