Emma Beynon

Emma brings a strong background in building relationships, project managing complex disputes, and excellent communication and client support to her role as legal director. She is an experienced commercial disputes lawyer working in the projects team. She has an excellent track record and over ten years of experience helping clients with outsourcing contract issues. Emma has a strong interest in PFI/PPP contract management, expiry/handback disputes, contentious construction and other commercial/outsourcing disputes.

Emma delivers pragmatic legal advice, regularly dealing with all forms of dispute resolution and dispute avoidance. This includes adjudication, expert determination, mediation and court proceedings. Emma has worked on several reported and ongoing High Court cases. She has previously worked with clients from a variety of sectors and markets including local authorities, central government bodies, healthcare bodies, blue light services, private contractors and subcontractors.

Work highlights include:

Project managing complex PFI terminations in the Technology and Construction Court.
Acting for a local authority partnership in relation to numerous claims arising from the construction and operation of their PFI waste to energy plant – repudiating claims and reaching a favourable settlement at mediation.
Advising on a number of other substantial PFI/PPP disputes across several sectors including waste management, highways and health.
Various successful adjudication outcomes, summary judgment applications and favourable settlements at mediation or otherwise.
Portsmouth City Council – Acting for the successful party in the reported case Portsmouth City Council v Ensign Highways Ltd [2015] EWHC, successful establishing that there was no implied duty on a public body to act in good faith and in mutual co-operation when exercising a discretion under the service point regime in a long-term PFI contract. There was instead to be an implied term was that the local authority act honestly and on proper grounds and not in a manner that was arbitrary, irrational or capricious.