Sharon specialises in domestic and international insurance claims relating to losses across the construction, engineering and onshore energy sectors (including renewables). She is co-head of our construction and engineering insurance practice.

Sharon’s experience includes working within the specialised construction and engineering market; advising on key issues such as damage and defects, to include the application of the DE and LEG clauses and resolving complex joint insurance points and issues involving main and sub-contractors.

Sharon provides assistance to the Safety, Health and Environment group when incidents on construction sites occur, advising on contractual issues for a number of well-known developers.

She has over 25 years’ experience advising clients across a range of sectors including; delay in start-up/advanced loss of profit claims, plant and machinery covers, as well as defending tradespeople, builders, contractors, and developers against third-party claims under their own PL cover.

Her key clients include a main contractor (for whom she acts under a delegated authority scheme as the nominated solicitor) as well as major London market insurers, including Lloyds members.

Sharon acts in adjudications, mediations and arbitrations as well as in court proceedings.

Relevant experience includes advising:

• A London market regarding a £200m coverage dispute concerning water ingress affecting Europe’s largest flat timber flat roof 
• A London market of Insurers in a successful arbitration following a contractor’s claim for damage within an underground car-park Insurers were initially presented with a large claim and pressed into a swift arbitration which required a forensic response 
• A market regarding a tunnel collapse in Scotland through to mediation thereby saving considerable costs and bringing a long running matter to a conclusion 
• A Housing Association and their Insurers in a large recovery claim following a fire which was both commercially sensitive and involved extension liaison with the Association as to precedent issues 
• A major insurer in defence of a specific Policy exclusion application including issues of Channel Island law 
• A large developer both in a civil action and subsequent HSE prosecution following a site incident – Sharon’s experience of both criminal and civil proceedings enabled her to provide advice in both actions 
• In relation to a number of separate claims at Energy from Waste plants for different parties but applying knowledge of both the operation of the plant and contractual matrix to ensure claims were resolved quickly, with the aid of appropriate experts 
• A USD $160m + CAR dispute in relation to ground settlement issues affecting services and utilities during the construction of an airport in the UAE 
• A Multi-million pound ad-hoc arbitration concerning a DSU coverage dispute following hurricane losses in the Caribbean