Job Description

Contentious Construction Principal Associate

The Firm:

A global, full-service law firm with over 5,000 legal professionals across more than 30 countries, seeking a Senior Contentious Construction Lawyer to join its highly regarded Construction & Engineering Disputes team within its market-leading Litigation and Dispute Management practice. The team ranks among the world’s top ten largest litigation practices and is recognised in many legal awards.

The Team & Work:

The Construction & Engineering disputes team operates alongside the transactional practice, advising on large-scale projects, dispute avoidance and management and where necessary, navigating adjudication, litigation and arbitration with commercial efficacy. Clients include governments, public bodies, multinationals and major contractors and the matters handled are high-value, complex and strategic.

Role Overview & Key Responsibilities:

You will:

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• Act for sophisticated national and international clients, particularly within the Energy, Infrastructure and traditional Built Environment sectors
• Provide strategic, commercially minded legal advice on large-scale development projects and on avoiding or resolving disputes
• Own and manage high-profile matters confidently and lead, develop and support more junior lawyers
• Play a proactive role in business development and contribute to the team’s strategic direction
• Collaborate with colleagues across national and international practice and product teams to explore and develop growth areas

Skills & Experience Required

You should have:

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• At least 5 years’ PQE focused on contentious construction law, or a balanced mix of contentious and non-contentious work
• Strong technical proficiency across a broad spectrum of construction and engineering projects and disputes, including:\n
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  • Interpreting and applying complex contracts
  • Identifying nuanced legal distinctions and delivering clear, persuasive explanations
  • Strategically devising and executing dispute avoidance and resolution frameworks aligned with clients’ project goals
  • Guiding disputes efficiently through adjudication, litigation and arbitration processes
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• Excellent communication skills and an ability to foster strong client relationships and strong internal service
• A collaborative mindset with a proactive, solutions-focused “can do” attitude, organisation and resilience under pressure

Why This Role?

This senior position offers:

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• A platform for significant career progression, with structured support toward partnership for those who demonstrate the ambition and capability.
• Access to high-impact, technically challenging work within a supportive and high-performing team.
• Advanced professional development recognised firm-wide rewards, flexible and hybrid working policies and comprehensive health and wellbeing support.

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