Expertise

If you need help with a construction, engineering, or property-related legal issue, then you need a lawyer that really specialises in these areas of law. 

Lots of law firms will tell you that they practise construction law, but their websites show that they also take other - often unrelated - cases. They are generalists, not specialists.

Hamshaw’s lawyers only practise construction, engineering, and property-related law. 

Experience

Aside from expertise, another consideration is experience.  You don’t want an inexperienced lawyer that can’t help you efficiently navigate common problems because they’ve not come across them before. 

Lots of law firms will tell you that an experienced lawyer will be looking after your case, but behind the scenes it will be the very junior lawyers in their team doing the day-to-day work. This is because it’s cheaper for the law firm to employ more junior people than experienced people. 

The core Hamshaw team only comprises senior lawyers, and - very importantly - those lawyers will be the ones working on your case. Any lawyers that are added to the team to assist with your case will be chosen specifically because their expertise and experience is appropriate for the tasks they are given.

Of course, experience is not just about how many years you have under your belt.  It’s also about what you’ve been doing during those years. 

Even senior construction lawyers might only have experience of relatively small, low value, and straightforward cases.  Some websites do not even describe the experience their lawyers have, except in the vaguest of ways.

Hamshaw’s lawyers have worked on some of the largest, most complex, and highest-value construction disputes in the world.  They have represented governments, royal families, and international oil companies, including what was (at the time) the most valuable listed company in the world.  They have dealt with disputes worth hundreds of millions, and even billions, of pounds. 

Value for Money

Finally, there’s cost.  All lawyers are expensive, but it’s not always the case that you get what you pay for.  Some law firms in the City of London will charge thousand of pounds per hour for their senior construction lawyers. 

Hamshaw’s core team of lawyers used to work at those firms, but our low-overhead structure means our clients get the same City-level quality without asking clients to pay for the marble receptions, high-rise offices, and expensive art in the meeting rooms.