What can I do for you?
I am a specialist in the non-contentious construction and engineering sector. I assist clients on the procurement and negotiation of a wide range of construction and engineering contracts, including building contracts, consultant appointments, collateral warranties and security documents. I also advise on the construction aspects of purchase, lease and finance agreements and frequently produce due diligence reports for corporate, banking and real estate clients.
Supporting my clients’ objectives
As head of our China Group, I assist UK clients in a number of ways. This includes helping with the establishment of foreign investment enterprises in China and negotiating English law contracts with Chinese counterparties. I also assist Chinese companies wishing to establish a presence in the UK. I work closely with a number of Chinese law firms, including Martin Hu & Partners from Shanghai and fellow members of the State Capital Group*.
Some of the most rewarding construction projects I have worked on recently involve the establishment of new university and further education campuses. These enhance the quality of teaching and student education and accommodation. It is also very rewarding to assist UK clients with their business objectives in China and to facilitate the commercial integration of Chinese clients here in the UK.
What do others say?
Our construction team is well recognised. The Legal 500 says that we are an “excellent team of lawyers who can cater for all problems large or small”. Chambers UK states that “from beginning to end and top to bottom, all the staff here are solid and reassuring – and, most importantly, they deliver”.
Our China Group is well known in the East of England through our legal work and sponsoring of commercial and legal events. We are invariably the first port of call in the region for local clients wishing to set up in China.
What else should you know?
I am a member of the Society of Construction Law, the Technology and Construction Solicitors’ Association, the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry, the China-Britain Business Council and the China Law Council. I also contribute to Mills & Reeve's construction and engineering blog, Practical Completion.
I am an Affiliated Lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Studies and at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, both at Cambridge University, specialising in Chinese politics, history and law. I am currently writing my fourth book on Chinese politics and I have published seven refereed journal articles on a range of China related subjects, including Chinese intellectual property law and Chinese human rights. I am proficient in speaking and reading Mandarin.
*Member firms of the State Capital Group practise independently and not in a relationship for the joint practice of law.