Market Report: Construction – Building a case

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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

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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”

Disputes perspectives: Craig Pollack

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Disputes perspectives: Craig Pollack

I was supposed to study economics and realised I was not a very good economist. Then I went to study law in Israel and almost from the first lecture it all made sense. It explained the rule of law means we’re all treated equally and there’s due process if you get arrested. I come from Africa where in Zimbabwe and in South Africa there was no rule of law for black people.

I was hooked early on, but wasn’t hooked as a litigator. I thought I’d be a corporate lawyer, come to England, get involved in all this big M&A and it would be a fantastic, go-go, rock ‘n’ roll thing. Continue reading “Disputes perspectives: Craig Pollack”

Disputes perspectives: Geraldine Elliott

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Disputes perspectives: Geraldine Elliott

I wanted a professional career. My father was a doctor but very keen I didn’t do medicine. I had a scientific background and law is a very analytical process. I’d watched a few television programmes about criminal lawyers.

Law was the right career for me. The life of doctors is very tough and there’s effectively one employer, whereas in law it’s easier for you to create a career because it’s constantly changing and there’s always something that can grab your interest. New people coming onto the market and changes in the competition make a massive difference. Continue reading “Disputes perspectives: Geraldine Elliott”