Richard Jones - Barrister Profile

Richard Jones spent the first half of his working life as a Civil Engineer, initially with British Rail on design and contract supervision and then joined a contractor as a Contractors’ Manager in charge of motorway & trunk-road construction.  After 3 years he, together with a colleague civil engineer, set up a successful Contracting Company carrying out public works contracts and also specialist building works including the conversion of large houses into high quality flats in Central London. As the director responsible for “claims” he joined the Institute of Arbitrators and then took his Law Degree at Bristol.

Since he commenced practice at the bar in 1981, he has used his earlier experience to build his practice on cases generally having a technical background.  From this base his practice has expanded to all contract and most commercial work but in particular:

Construction and Engineering

  • Building, construction and other engineering disputes of any type whether the litigation is in court, arbitration, mediation or adjudication.
  • Local Authority Building Regulation and other Construction issues.

 

Commercial

  • Commercial Landlord and Tenant disputes, including easements of light and similar peripheral issues.
  • Planning issues acting both for both local authorities and private individuals including the Human Rights aspects thereof.
  • Easements, rights of way, boundary, property and conveyancing disputes in general.
  • Professional negligence cases involving the above types of dispute.

 

Practical Approach

Where necessary, Richard is able to approach disputes from a practical point of view and advise clients accordingly, as well as dealing with the legal issues.  He is also able to discuss the technical details and merits of claims with experts on either side on an equal footing.  In one case he had to arrange for bricks to be brought to court to prove the opposing expert incorrect when his client claimed that the expensive corner stones supplied for the work were suitable for their purpose and in another he arranged for large pipes and their fittings to be available to convince the judge that their diametric tolerances prevented them from being suitable for use in a high pressure system that had failed under test.

Qualifications

LL.B.(Hons), C.Eng., C.Arb., M.I.C.E, M.I.H.E., F.C.I.Arb.

Since coming to the Bar he has also qualified as a Chartered Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Accredited Mediator and, besides acting as a very effective mediator himself, he is thus able to give practical advice to clients in respect of these alternative methods of dispute resolution.