Addleshaws swoops on DWF team
Law firm Addleshaw Goddard’s head of construction Nancy McGuire has welcomed the arrival of eight staff from DWF’s construction team, headed by industry heavyweights Paul O’Kane and Paul Barge.
O’Kane, the outgoing national head of construction at DWF, will join Addleshaws in the autumn, with Barge, who headed the Manchester construction team, arriving in June. Six other construction lawyers will also switch from DWF to Addleshaws, now based at One St Peter’s Square, starting in March.
McGuire said: “This latest investment is very much part of our significant commitment to our construction and engineering practice. The type of work we do is becoming increasingly complex and high profile and we already have one of the largest multidisciplinary teams in the UK who are working on some of the largest development schemes both nationally and locally.
“The arrival of Paul O’ Kane, Paul Barge and the six associates is massively complementary to our existing offering, as well as bringing new opportunities, as we focus on growing market share, and we are delighted to be welcoming them to our team.”
Last year, Addleshaws hired DWF’s national head of planning Glenn Sharpe, who joined the Leeds office.
O’Kane works in all areas of construction and engineering law, in particular procurement strategy and project structures, development, disputes in construction, PFI and PPP; as well as adjudication and arbitration, which he supplies to employers, developers and contractors from the public and private sectors.
Barge worked as part of DWF’s national sector team, overseeing matters relating to construction contracts, engineering contracts, construction disputes and engineering disputes, working collaboratively to resolve litigation through the courts, arbitration, adjudication or mediation. He specialises in drafting and advising on construction and engineering contracts and associated documentation.