Neave Maguire

Neave advises on drafting and negotiating bespoke construction contracts, NEC/JCT agreements, development documents, and construction due diligence, guiding clients through procurement, risk allocation, and project delivery across major UK and international developments.

• Advised on a fire safety review of a UK pension fund’s property portfolio with estimated remedial works of £111 million, including negotiation of MHCLG-compliant construction documents for 37 developments, review of fire engineer reports, and drafting tenant correspondence.
• Advised a large UK pension fund and international property fund on the terms of grant funding agreements.
• Advised a specialist groundworks, basement, and RC frames contractor on its bespoke precedent subcontract.
• Advised various funds on construction due diligence for complex property transactions.
• Advised on the negotiation and use of various NEC forms of contract for a broad client base.

Neave acts in high-value disputes involving defects, delay, and wrongful termination. She represents developers, contractors, and housing associations in adjudications, mediations, and court proceedings, offering dispute resolution strategies and insolvency-related advice.

• Advised and successfully defended a G12 housing association in a loss and expense claim, then pursued a wider defects claim through successful tri-party mediation and a further £2 million cladding claim.
• Advised a housing association on a complex water ingress defect claim, including issuing referral documents, defending expert determination, and negotiating a settlement agreement.
• Advised and successfully defended a subcontractor in a Court of Appeal case involving a £22,000 dispute, securing a final award of approximately £100,000.
• Advised a high-net-worth client on an engineering claim involving four defendants for basement-related damage to neighbouring properties, including insolvency-related issues.
• Advised specialist subcontractors on multiple smash-and-grab adjudications.
• Advised a high-net-worth client on terminating an agreement with an insolvent contractor, onboarding a new contractor, and pursuing recovery against the original contractor.
• Advised a Tier 2 subcontractor in a final account dispute involving construction works at Old Street Station.
• Advised on the negotiation of HS2 contracts for Thales’ Ground Transportation Solutions, covering third-party and operational communications and security arrangements.
• Advised a British train operating company on a full suite of bespoke documents for development, design, and maintenance works, including delivery of a client workshop.
• Advised a Spanish railway and bus manufacturer on a bespoke contract for the installation of specialist equipment to support rolling stock maintenance operations.
• Advised a British train operating company on NEC contracts relating to emergency remedial works and GRIP stages 1–3.

Neave advises pension funds, housing associations, and property owners on fire safety compliance, portfolio reviews, and remediation claims, including Court of Appeal litigation, settlement negotiations, and Section 20 processes for large-scale residential assets.

• Advised a housing association on the Court of Appeal case Martlet Homes Ltd v Mulalley & Co Ltd and acted on associated substantive claims.
• Advised various housing associations on fire safety property portfolio reviews and managed subsequent claims, including on-site support and drafting of contractor submissions.
• Advised several mid-size funds on Section 20 processes and service charge liabilities related to remedial works on external wall systems.
• Advised on and managed adjudications for a range of fire safety defects claims.

Neave advises on construction contracts for retail and mixed-used developments, supporting clients with development agreements, tenant coordination, and construction risk management in a commercial property context.

• Drafted and negotiated construction documents for various clients in relation to the development of commercial/retail units, including the King William Street mixed development.
• Advised an Italian contractor on fit-out contracts for a high-end fashion brand, including design, procurement and execution matters.
• Advised a pension fund on a development due diligence basis in connection with the purchase of multiple retail stores operated by a high street fashion brand.
• Drafted and negotiated construction documents for various clients in relation to the development of commercial/retail units, in central London.
• Advised a European contractor on fit-out contracts for a luxury retailer, including design, procurement, and execution matters.
• Supported a pension fund purchaser with construction due diligence in connection with the purchase of retail stores operated by a high-street fashion brand.
• Acted for a developer on the construction aspects of an agreement for lease with an international supermarket and office tenant, including negotiation of the associated fit-out construction package.
• Represented a national storage provider in multiple defects claims against its property and construction contractors, relating to maintenance obligations and latent defects across customer-facing sites.

Neave supports property developers and funds on construction contracts, fire safety and due diligence for large residential, commercial, student and care home developments, including bespoke agreements and multi-million-pound portfolio and development projects.

• Advised on contract negotiation and execution for a £16 million mixed-use development in Hammersmith for a subcontractor.
• Advised on drafting and negotiating construction documents for the development of various commercial and retail units, including the King William Street mixed development.
• Advised a joint venture on contractual liability for significant latent M&E defects at a private educational facility in North London.
• Advised boutique façade and balustrade specialists on dispute avoidance strategies and the preparation of delay claims.
• Advised on the negotiation of complex settlement agreements addressing time, money claims, and defects, successfully increasing one housing association’s recovery from £250,000 to over £3.3 million plus a £200,000 lump sum payment.