Tony Francis

LLB (Hons), Solicitor, Registered Adjudicator, Registered Mediator

Partner

Tony is ranked among the top construction solicitors in both the Chambers UK Guide and Legal 500. They say Tony is a construction lawyer who ‘really knows his stuff’ and he is ‘an extremely commercially minded lawyer with a talent for strategy’.

Contract experience

Tony has extensive experience of all the principal contracts, both domestic and international, including JCT, ICE, New Engineering Contract, GC/Works 1, IChemE, FIDIC, FCEC and numerous bespoke forms of international and domestic construction and energy contracts including bespoke EPC and EPCM contracts.

General experience

Tony specialises exclusively in construction and energy law and related matters and advises in relation to dispute avoidance (including strategic contract advice during the course of a project), dispute resolution and procurement for a broad range of both domestic and international clients. Recent procurement advice has concerned a high-profile Olympic venue and a Premier League football club stadium.

In relation to dispute avoidance and dispute resolution, Tony deals with all aspects of complex multi-million pound claims handling and management and gives advice as to claims resolution strategies including where necessary, negotiation, mediation, expert determination, other forms of alternative dispute resolution, adjudication, arbitration and High Court proceedings. Recent disputes have concerned multi-million pound issues concerning a major international airport, a high-profile oil pipeline, several high-profile millennium and lottery funded projects and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. Tony regularly advises on PFI disputes and large scale civil and process engineering projects including rail, road, water, waste to energy and wind farms.

Tony is a trained adjudicator, is on several industry panels and regularly advises on all aspects of adjudication. He is also a Centre for Dispute Resolution trained mediator and has used mediation to resolve many disputes, including multi-party, multi-million pound cases.

Career

Tony has an honours law degree from Sheffield University. Trained at Beale & Company, he qualified in 1987. He joined Fenwick Elliott in October 1990 becoming a partner in 1992.

Other activities

Tony has been instrumental in developing Fenwick Elliott’s domestic practice, particularly amongst main contractors, and expanding Fenwick Elliott’s international practice, establishing links and contacts in the construction industry in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the United States. Tony edits the Construction Industry Law Letter. He also contributes articles to the Building Magazine website and various trade periodicals. Tony regularly lectures on various subjects to both clients and conferences.

Memberships

Tony is a member of the Technology & Construction Solicitors Association, the Society of Construction Law, the Adjudication Society, the London Court of International Arbitration and the Dispute Resolution Board Foundation.

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