Global legal practice Squire Sanders has significantly expanded its engineering, procurement and construction practice with the hire of DLA Piper’s team of specialist lawyers from its Birmingham office, including Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) group head, Graeme Bradley.
Graeme Bradley and fellow partner Robert Norris join the legal practice in the UK with associates Richard Vaughan, Alex Johnson, Matthew Edwards and Matthew Crossley.
Graeme specialises in both engineering and construction project delivery ranging from private client developments to major process plant operations in various sectors, with particular emphasis in energy, oil and gas process and engineering projects. He has considerable experience in all aspects of heavyweight construction dispute resolution, including domestic and international arbitration, litigation and bespoke alternative dispute resolution. In addition, he is admitted to practice in Hong Kong and is a French Avocat as well as being an accredited mediator.
Robert advises on high-end engineering and construction projects, dealing with major infrastructure, rail and light rail, civil engineering, energy, process plant and building sectors in both the UK and internationally. He is also an expert in construction and engineering dispute resolution.
Graeme has recently advised a German Engineering, Procurement and Construction contractor in relation to a US$300 million issue regarding a Gas to Liquid Plant known as the Pearl GTL in Qatar, Middle East which is the largest plant in the world for conversion of Natural Gas to Diesel project; he is advising a French contractor regarding on-board ship re-liquefaction plant for a major Korean ship owner and is advising a UK fund in relation to one of its key portfolio assets, a £75 million entertainment development in the UK.
Robert has recently been involved with projects in both the private and public sectors, ranging from local projects such as New Street Station and the Bull Ring, to national projects such as Blackpool’s light rail scheme, the London 2012 Olympics and internationally such as advising on the redevelopment of Tbilisi Railway Station.
The team, which has worked together for several years, prides itself on extensive experience of UK and international engineering and construction projects and has been part of the core panel advisors for the delivery of the Olympics as well as:
- Advising the Carbon Energy Fund in relation to the circa £1.2 billion investment in the NHS estate in relation to the provision of greener energy services.
- Advising a Middle Eastern regional government on the construction of a new US$150 million heritage development.
- Acting for a major corporate institution in relation to the £200 million development of its strategically important data centre, one of the largest in Europe.
Graeme will take on a key leadership role in leading and building up the Squire Sanders global construction and engineering team, which comprises specialists from around the legal practice’s 37 offices in 18 countries, in a variety of industry sectors including energy & natural resources, hospitality & leisure, international dispute resolution, projects & infrastructure and transportation, shipping & logistics.
Commenting on his appointment, Graeme said: “We are excited to have joined such an ambitious and dynamic legal practice, which we believe presents us with a real opportunity to develop and grow a global engineering, procurement and construction team.”
Robert Norris added: “Global procurement is a key issue within the industry and multinational corporations are in greater need of co-ordinated advice across jurisdictions. We have advised on multi-million pound projects across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and in joining Squire Sanders, we believe we are ideally placed to provide the level of service that our clients require from what is a very well-established, integrated international platform.”
Peter Crossley, European Managing Partner of Squire Sanders, said: “I am pleased to welcome Graeme, Robert and their team to Squire Sanders. The team comes with a market leading reputation. Their knowledge, experience and commercial approach has made them the go-to lawyers in their field both domestically and on the international stage. The team’s impressive experience and credentials will help us develop our services for clients across the globe. We are fully committed to growing our capability in this field.”
Birmingham office managing partner, Nick Green, added: “We have been looking for some time to find the right lawyers to build our engineering, procurement and construction team. In Graeme and Robert we believe we have found two partners with exactly the right blend of ambition and experience to lead our team. We see their core skills will significantly improve our services to clients in this area.”