Martin Wood

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

Background

Martin has specialised in construction and engineering matters for over 30 years and has advised clients across a range of construction and engineering fields.  His clients include contractors, employers, consultants, funders, insurers, public authorities and sub-contractors.

Martin’s work has taken him across the world from visiting an off-shore platform in the North Sea to travelling to a process plant near Perth, Western Australia. He has been involved in a wide range of projects including hospitals, bridges, railways, process plants, power generation, leisure developments, water treatment and sewerage plants, gas platforms, waste recycling, wind and solar power, food production, storage and distribution, offices, housing developments and brownfield & contaminated land remediation schemes.

Martin read Law at Nottingham University and is a partner of Sloan Plumb Wood. He was a partner at Greenwoods and prior to that a solicitor in the construction team at Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills) in London.

Martin is the author of ‘The Construction Act – A Practical Guide’, foreword by Sir Michael Latham (published in 1999).  He has also been a contributor to the leading legal online resource Westlaw Insight who published his papers “Delay Damages” and “The Interpretation of Contacts”.

Martin is also a member of the Technology and Construction Solicitors Association (TeCSA) and is a TeCSA Adjudicator.  Martin has been appointed as an adjudicator by TeCSA in respect of many disputes over the last 20 years which have included assessment of extensive documentation, jurisdiction challenges, control of compressed timetables, hearing management and assessment of oral and written evidence from witnesses and experts.

Martin is also a Solicitor Advocate with Higher Rights of Audience in the civil courts and a member of the Solicitors Association of Higher Court Advocates. Martin has conducted hearings and presented cases in various tribunals including in courts, arbitrations and adjudications.

Martin is also a CEDR accredited mediator and has assisted many clients to successfully resolve disputes through mediation.  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 and by Legal Business as an expert in construction law.  Martin is also a member of the Society of Construction Law.

Dispute Resolution

Martin has considerable experience advising on the resolution of disputes in various tribunals including in the English Courts, arbitration, and adjudication. Martin has been involved in several reported judgments concerning enforcement of adjudicator’s decisions.  Martin has acted in numerous adjudications and in several high-profile disputes in the TCC and the Court of Appeal in respect of construction and engineering projects and adjudication.  He has long-standing relationships with Leading Counsel and Expert Witnesses who are experienced in construction and engineering disputes.

His dispute resolution matters include: -

• acting for a design consultant in respect of multimillion-pound claims arising from the design of a high profile new PFI Hospital including claims in respect of alleged delay, defects and outstanding fee claims;

• advising a contractor in relation to multimillion-pound claims for alleged defects in relation to a mixed-use development and leisure facility complex involving multi-party High Court (TCC) proceedings and mediations;

• acting for a design consultant in multimillion-pound claims in respect of alleged claims for defects and costs overruns including High Court (TCC) proceedings and mediation in relation to a landmark bridge and associated highway works;

• acting for a contractor in respect of a final account claim, extension of time claims and loss and expense claims including adjudication, High Court (TCC) adjudication enforcement proceedings, an arbitration and proceedings in the Court of Appeal;

• acting for an employer in multiple adjudications relating to complex claims for extensions of time, loss and expense, LADs and final account claim on an award-winning refurbishment project in Central London;

• acting for a sub-contractor in respect of substantial claims for variations, extensions of time, loss and expense and other claims in respect of several related new waste to energy facilities;

• acting for an independent education body in respect of the resolution of a dispute relating to defects in newly constructed school buildings;

• acting for a major contractor in respect of a complex extension of time and loss and expense claims in respect of a prestigious new development in Cambridge;

• acting for leading Oxford College in respect of various fee claims relating to refurbishment of college buildings;

• acting for a major contractor in respect of a technically complex claim for defects in construction materials including proceedings in the High Court (TCC) up to and including trial;

• acting for major utility company in complex dispute for additional costs and defects claims in relation to large sewerage treatment works serving East London;

• acting for a major national sub-contractor in respect of a number of disputes relating to alleged defects at various locations across the UK;

The reported cases in respect of which Martin was involved include the following;

• Trafalgar House v Railtrack plc  (Multiple Arbitrations under the JCT Standard Form of Building Contract);

• Cape Durasteel v Rosser & Russell  (Definition of Adjudication);

• Edmund Nuttall v R G Carter  (Meaning of dispute in adjudication proceedings);

• R G Carter v Edmund Nuttall  (Appointment/Impartiality of an Adjudicator);

• IDE Contracting Ltd v R G Carter Ltd (Procedure for appointment of an Adjudicator);

• Speymill Contracts Limited v Baskind  (Court of Appeal) (Enforcement of Adjudicator’s Decision).

Advisory

Martin has considerable experience advising and negotiating engineering and construction contracts, consultants’ appointments, guarantees, performance bonds and associated financing documents and some of his projects include: -

• advising design consultant and negotiation of an appointment for a new hospital development in the UK including issues relating to BIM and BSRIA;

• advising the owner in respect of the construction documents for a multimillion-pound refurbishment of a residential tower block and related buildings near the Olympic Park, Stratford including drafting and negotiation of the building contract and associated documents; 

• advising contractor, drafting and negotiation of package of documents with landowners and developers in respect of large-scale mineral extraction, restoration and development project in a prime Midlands location;

• advising the owner in relation to construction documents for a large prestigious office development on the south coast including drafting and negotiation of the building contract and consultant appointments;

• drafting a range of bespoke package of construction documents (including contracts, orders, warranties, guarantees and security documents) for a major national contractor and packages of bespoke documents for sub-contractors and suppliers;

• advising the owner on and preparing construction and associated documents based on NEC3 in relation to one of the largest brownfield remediation projects in the UK;

• advising a contractor on several contracts for replacement of cladding panels for offices and residential developments in London;

• advising various owners on construction documents in respect of several prestigious bespoke new build houses and refurbishments of historic properties in Central London and the Home Counties and other new build residential schemes;

• advising major national suppliers of construction materials on sale and purchase agreements and long-term framework supply contracts in relation to the supply of construction materials to major UK contractors;

• advising a contractor on a multimillion-pound materials supply contract for the delivery of construction materials over several years for major national infrastructure road development;

• advising a funder in respect of a package of standard documents for development projects in London;

• advising the owner in respect of construction related issues including procurement of a substantial development of flats on a complex site in South West London;

Martin also presents seminars and writes articles in respect of legal developments relating to construction and engineering projects.