Martin Wood

Direct Tel: 01733 302415
Email: martin.wood@spw-law.co.uk

Martin has specialised in construction and engineering matters for over 20 years and has acted for clients across a range of construction and engineering fields.  These include companies involved in contracting, consulting, developing, power generation, water, process engineering, oil and gas – as well as acting for insurers and local authorities.

His work has taken him across the world, from an offshore platform in the North Sea to Western Australia, and he has been involved in a wide range of projects, including offices, highways, bridges, leisure, food production, industrial facilities, storage and distribution, gas platforms, railways, process plant, housing developments, power generation, recycling and green energy technologies.

Martin read Law at Nottingham University and is a founder partner of Sloan Plumb Wood LLP. He was previously an equity partner at Greenwoods and prior to that worked in the construction team at Herbert Smith in the City of London. 

Martin is the author of ‘The Construction Act – A Practical Guide’, with a foreword by Sir Michael Latham, published by Chandos (Oxford) in February 1999. 

His practice includes the resolution of disputes in the courts, arbitration, adjudication and adjudication enforcement proceedings. Martin is a Solicitor Advocate with Higher Rights of Audience in the civil courts. He is also a CEDR-accredited mediator and has assisted many clients in resolving disputes through mediation. 

Martin is a TeCSA adjudicator and has been appointed Adjudicator in respect of various disputes.  He frequently acts for clients in adjudications and in respect of enforcement proceedings in the High Court. He has also acted on appeals to the Court of Appeal in respect of the enforcement of Adjudicator decisions. 

He has considerable experience in drafting and advising on bespoke engineering and construction contracts, financing and supporting documentation, consultants’ appointments, guarantees and performance bonds.  He also advises on standard form of construction and engineering contracts, sub contracts and associated documents. 

Martin lectures on matters relating to construction and engineering contracts,  adjudication, arbitration and on the latest developments in law and procedure relating to construction and engineering projects. 

He has been recommended by the Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession as one of the leading individuals in the construction field in his region. He has also been recommended by Legal Business as an expert in construction.

Martin has acted in several well known cases, including several reported decisions in respect of construction and engineering projects and adjudication including; 

• Trafalgar House v. Railtrack plc (1995) (Multiple Arbitrations under the JCT Standard Form of Building Contract)
• Cape Durasteel v. Rosser & Russell (1995) (Definition of “Adjudication”) 
• Edmund Nuttall  v. RG Carter [2002] (Meaning of “dispute” in the context of adjudication proceedings)
• RG Carter  v. Edmund Nuttall [2002] (Appointment/Impartiality of an Adjudicator)
• IDE Contracting Ltd v. RG Carter Ltd (2004) (Procedure relating to the appointment of an Adjudicator) 

He is a member of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates, The Technology and Construction Solicitors Association and The Society of Construction Law.