Tom Handley

Practice Areas

Tom joined Kennedys' Manchester team in 2017.

He has particular expertise in defending heavyweight construction claims against architects, engineers, surveyors, project managers, building inspectors and D&C Contractors. Tom has handled litigation in the County Court, High Court, Court of Appeal and Crown Court (HSE prosecutions). He regularly deals with Adjudication and Arbitration proceedings, and he commonly uses mediation as a form of dispute resolution.

He also has a growing practice in defending professionals before their regulatory bodies, including the ARB, RIBA, and RICS. Tom sits on RIBA’s disciplinary hearing panel and so is uniquely placed to advise on the disciplinary process.

Work Highlights

Defending a number of construction professionals and D&C Contractors in respect of significant cladding & fire safety litigation in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Defending the architects in a multi-million claim involving the design and construction of a training academy for a premiership football team.

Defending the structural engineers in a high profile HSE prosecution following a catastrophic crane collapse in Liverpool.

Acting for an expert witness in one of the first major cases to reach the Technology and Construction Court following the removal of the immunity for experts in litigation by the Supreme Court in Jones v Kaney.

Acting for the successful civil and structural engineers in the High Court decision in Co-operative Group Limited v John Allen Associates [2010] EWHC 2300 (TCC). The judgment is notable for findings on reliance by construction professionals on specialist advice and design.