Work Life
John is an expert in insurance-related dispute resolution, with 20 years’ experience of conducting litigation for insurers and their policyholders. John has significant experience of coverage and defence work in the professional indemnity insurance markets and specialises in insurance, professional indemnity and construction and engineering law. John specialises in representing professionals at the instruction of Insurers and brokers and has extensive experience of acting for solicitors, architects, engineers, surveyors, main contractors, specialist sub contractors and employers.
As well as being a specialist litigator, including Court of Appeal cases, John also has wide-ranging experience of mediation, arbitration and adjudication, as well as expert determination, early neutral evaluation and is a proponent of ADR.
John also runs the Contractors Legal Group, the main umbrella association for main contractors and sits on the main board of the Joint Contracts Tribunal (“JCT”) and Construction Industry Publications (“CIP”).
John is conversant with all the standard forms of professional appointments and building contracts including those produced by RICS, RIBA, ACE, JCT, NEC, ICC, CIP, etc. John also regularly advises on insurance policies, bespoke building contracts, performance bonds and collateral warranties.
Prior to qualifying as a solicitor, John spent 7 years as a Quantity Surveyor in private practice in London.
Letters and Memberships
- Solicitor and Member of the Law Society
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- Masters in Construction Law and Arbitration (MSc)
- Degree in Quantity Surveying (BSc)
- Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
- Member of the Society of Construction Law
- Member of British Insurance Law Association
Career
- Reynolds Colman Bradley LLP – Managing Partner, 2003 to-date
- Contractors Legal Group – Managing Director, 2010 to-date
- Construction Confederation – Head of Legal, 2001 to 2009
- Berrymans Lace Mawer – Solicitor, 1998 to 2001
- Denison Till – Trainee then Solicitor, 1994 to 1998
Reported Cases
- Irene Elaine King v (1) David John King (2) Christine Theresa King (3) Mark Ellis [2014] EWHC 2827 (Ch)
- David Frost v Wake Smith Tofields Solicitors [2013] EWCA Civ 772
Sample Caseload
Advising mechanical and electrical engineering consultants on Guys Hospital against a claim in excess
- Advising mechanical and electrical engineering consultants on Guys Hospital against a claim in excess of £22,000,000.
- Advising mechanical and electrical engineering consultants on Brompton Hospital against a claim in excess £12,000,000.
- Successfully defending a firm of international structural engineers on a complex supermarket case.
- Advising on £8,000,000 mediation settlement in relation to a fire at Heathrow Airport.
- Reviewing the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 in conjunction with H M Government.
- Acted for many firms of solicitors, architects, engineers, surveyors, main contractors and sub contractors both in a private capacity and on the instruction of their professional indemnity insurers.
- Successfully defending numerous firms of solicitors against professional indemnity claims ranging from small value claims to multi-million pound multi party disputes.
- Advising insurers on policy coverage issues arising under professional indemnity, public liability, property damage and CAR policies.
- Numerous adjudications on behalf of main contractors, sub contractors and construction professionals on outstanding interim and final accounts as well as defending claims or seeking fee recoveries.
Interests
- Reading
- Property development
- Football
