Callum Monro Morrison

Oral

• Two-day trial in the County Court at Cambridge. The case concerned the termination of a residential building contract; a claim for unpaid invoices; and a counterclaim in respect of defective and incomplete building work. Successfully obtained (draft) judgment in favour of the defendant on the counterclaim and substantial dismissal of the claim. The case settled at the conclusion of the hearing, before the judgment was formally handed down.

• CCMC (High Court, TCC). Successfully obtained relief from sanctions in respect of the late filing of the claimant’s costs budget – see [2023] Costs LR 1025.

• Application for an extension of time for service of the Claim Form (High Court, TCC). Successfully resisted the application on behalf of the defendant, securing a tactical victory for the client – see [2021] EWHC 972 (TCC).

• Application for specific disclosure (High Court, TCC). Successfully resisted the application, which was dismissed.

• Application for a stay of proceedings pursuant to section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (High Court, Commercial Court). Successfully obtained the order sought, together with a costs order in favour of the client.

• CCMC (County Court at Central London). Appeared on behalf of the claimant homeowners in a building defects case. Successfully resisted the defendants’ application for permission to rely on the expert evidence of a building surveyor and obtained significant reductions in the defendants’ costs budgets (c. 40% in respect of some phases).

• Appeared on behalf of the defendant insurer in a series of fast- and multi-track trials concerning claims by highway repair contractors for the costs of repairing damaged highway assets (County Court, various hearing centres). The trials included cross-examination of expert witnesses in the field of quantity surveying. Successfully obtained significant reductions in the quantum of damages awarded in each case (liability had been admitted, such that the only issues were quantum-related).

• Dispute Resolution Hearing (County Court at Southend). Appeared on behalf of the defendant supplier of building materials. The claim concerned allegedly defective paint supplied by the defendant. Successfully obtained a strike-out of the claim.

• Disposal hearing (County Court at Canterbury). Appeared on behalf of the claimants in a claim against a landlord for the cost of building repairs. Successfully obtained all monetary relief sought, together with a substantial costs award.

• Strike-out application (County Court at Watford). Successfully obtained dismissal of the claim on the basis of a contractual exclusion clause and limitation.

• Application to set aside default judgment (County Court at Leicester). Successfully resisted the application and associated interim charging order, further obtaining an order that the defendant pay a substantial part of the claimant’s costs.

• CCMC (County Court at Central London). Successfully obtained substantial approval of the claimant’s costs budget and several reductions in the defendant’s costs budget.

• Final hearing (County Court at Kingston-Upon-Thames). Appeared on behalf of the defendant and successfully obtained dismissal of the claim, which concerned business interruption losses.

• Application to reinstate a Defence (County Court at Slough). Appeared on behalf of the Applicant and successfully obtained an order granting relief from sanctions, thus reinstating a Defence which had been struck out for failure to serve a directions questionnaire on time.

• Application for a stay for arbitration (County Court at Northampton). Appeared on behalf of the Applicant and successfully obtained a stay of the proceedings pursuant to section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996.

Written

• Drafted written and oral submissions on behalf of the respondent in a legally significant appeal concerning the use of sampling and extrapolation in professional negligence claims (led by Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully obtained dismissal of the appeal – see [2022] 1 WLR 878.

• Drafted written and oral submissions to resist an application in the High Court (TCC) to strike out large parts of the Particulars of Claim which advanced a claim based on sampling and extrapolation (led by Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully obtained dismissal of the application – see [2021] BLR 126.

• CMC (international arbitration). Assisted in drafting the claimant’s skeleton argument and oral submissions (led by Adam Constable KC, now Constable J). The procedural orders sought were successfully obtained.

• Drafted the claimant’s response to a defendants’ note on a draft judgment, in which the defendants had sought to re-argue substantial parts of an application which the judge had dismissed (led by Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully obtained a refusal by the judge to amend the relevant parts of his judgment.

• Drafted the Grounds of Appeal and accompanying skeleton argument for an appeal against a judgment on quantum where the judge had erred in law.

• Drafted the mediation position paper (and attended the mediation) on behalf of two claimant homeowners in a dispute with a well-known defendant housebuilder. The claim concerned widespread defects in a new-build residential property. Successfully obtained a substantial settlement payment for the claimants.

• Drafted a skeleton argument in support of an application to the High Court to obtain an interim prohibitory injunction to prevent threatened trespass and property damage.

• Drafted a Respondent’s statement of reasons why permission to appeal should be refused.

• Drafted a skeleton argument in support of an application for (i) a mandatory interim injunction to obtain delivery up of design materials, and (ii) an order that the proceedings be stayed for arbitration.

• Advised a civil engineering subcontractor on the arguments available to defeat the time-bar provisions in an amended NEC3 subcontract, on which the main contractor was relying to deduct sums from the subcontractor’s final account.

• Drafted a memorial pleading on behalf of a public authority in a multi-million-pound arbitration concerning the authority’s entitlement to make significant deductions from the contractor’s monthly payments under a long-term PFI contract (led by Paul Buckingham KC). The arbitration involved complex electrical engineering issues. The contractor settled the claim.

• Advised a defendant employer on its prospects of successfully defending a c. £1m final account claim (led by Alice Sims). The claimant litigation funder had allegedly taken an assignment of the insolvent building contractor’s rights under the building contract, despite a contractual prohibition on assignment. Issues included the validity of the assignment and a declaration of trust. Drafted the Defence and Counterclaim on behalf of the employer (High Court, TCC). Successfully obtained a settlement of the action for a fraction of the amount claimed.

• Drafted Particulars of Claim on behalf of an insolvent building contractor in a High Court (TCC) claim against a timber frame manufacturer and an architect (led by Rachael O’Hagan). The claim concerned structural and fire safety defects in a care home.

• Drafted a Defence on behalf of a defendant building contractor in a claim concerning allegedly negligent installation of windows in a large residential property. The claim was discontinued upon service of the Defence.

• Advised an employer on its prospects of successfully defending a contractor’s ‘smash and grab’ claim for payment of a notified sum. Drafted the employer’s submissions in the ensuing adjudication and successfully obtained a decision that the contractor was not entitled to any payment at all.

• Advised a claimant property company on the correct procedure for service of the claim form and Particulars of Claim in circumstances where the claimant’s solicitor had intended to serve the claim form himself but by default the court had served the claim form instead, and had mistakenly served all three defendants at the same address. Drafted correspondence on behalf of the claimant’s solicitor which regularised the procedural position and obviated the need to make any application to the court.

• Drafted pleadings (High Court, TCC), advised on contractual issues and attended a mediation on behalf of a public authority seeking to recover the costs of instituting the largest evacuation in the UK since WWII, necessitated by unsafe cladding and internal fire stopping defects in five high-rise tower blocks in London (led by Simon Hughes KC). The defendants settled the claim.

• Advised a defendant design and build contractor in substantial multi-party TCC proceedings as to the potential consequences of its prospective agreement to discontinuance of the claim.

• Advised a public authority as to who bore responsibility under an amended NEC3 contract for interaction with statutory undertakers, which interaction had caused delay to the works and had led to time and money claims against the authority by the building contractor. The advice turned on the interpretation of bespoke ‘Z’ clauses, the Works Information and various technical documents governing interaction with statutory undertakers in respect of highways works.

• Drafted the Defence and Counterclaim on behalf of a building contractor in a RICS fast-track arbitration concerning alleged defects in a high-end residential property.

• Advised an employer as to whether it was entitled to terminate a building contract on the basis that the contractor had suspended the works.

• Advised an employer as to whether its termination notice had been valid or in fact constituted a repudiatory breach of the building contract.

• Advised on, and drafted the Defence to, a claim against a jacuzzi company for negligent construction of a swimming pool. The claimant discontinued the claim upon receipt of the Defence.

• Drafted two Defences to claims against a homebuilder for breach of contract in relation to various new-build properties. The claimants settled the claims upon receipt of the Defences.

• Drafted Particulars of Claim on behalf of a building owner in respect of a claim for breach of contract/negligence against a civil engineering contractor for defective piling at an industrial warehouse.

• Drafted a Defence on behalf of a bathroom fit-out contractor, against whom liability for various bathroom defects had been alleged by the owners of several apartments.

• Advised a building contractor on the status of various notices for the purposes of an interim application under a JCT Design & Build Contract (2011 edition).

• Advised an investment management firm on its prospects of success, the likely measure of damages and whether to accept a Part 36 offer in respect of a claim arising from defective cladding at an office building.

• Advised a groundworks subcontractor on its prospective claim against a main contractor for costs incurred in repairing a warehouse floor slab.

• Advised a glazing subcontractor on (a) whether it had formed a binding contract with a main contractor, (b) the terms of that contract and (c) whether those terms permitted adjudication.

• Advised on the merits of an appeal against a decision refusing a request for default judgment. The advice included detailed consideration of CPR 12 and relevant authorities.

• Currently drafting Particulars of Claim on behalf of a housing association in a claim against an employer’s agent and clerk of works in respect of: (1) negligent misstatement pre-contract; (2) negligent over-certification during the works; (3) negligent failure to detect defects in the works during inspections; and (4) negligent failure to monitor the solvency of the building contractor (led by Tom Owen KC). Ongoing.

• Advised a property developer and restaurateur on his prospects of success in a c. £3m professional negligence claim against a project manager. Issues included limitation, scope of duty, breach, causation and remoteness. Subsequently drafted the Claim Form and Particulars of Claim. Ongoing.

• Advised an employer on its prospects of success and recovery options in a prospective claim against its employer’s agent for negligent over-certification in the sum of c. £400,000. The project concerned a new medical facility in the north of England. Drafted the employer’s submissions in the ensuing adjudication and successfully obtained a substantial settlement payment for the client before the adjudicator had reached his decision.

• Advised an investment fund in relation to a prospective claim against a firm of solicitors for negligent drafting of a Joint Venture Agreement. Drafted the Letter of Claim.

• Drafted the Statement of Claim in a c. £4m domestic arbitration between a building contractor and an allegedly negligent architect’s insurer. The claim concerned cladding and fire safety defects in a residential tower block in southern England (led by Paul Bury). The respondent insurer settled the claim.

• Advised a property developer on its prospects of successfully recovering c. £1.7m from a project manager and monitoring surveyor for negligent pre-contract advice and negligent monitoring of the building contractor’s works during the course of the project. Issues included scope of duty, limitation, a contractual cap on liability and whether this term was unfair.

• Drafted an amended Defence, appeared at the PTR, drafted the skeleton argument for trial and successfully negotiated and agreed a settlement on behalf of a defendant lighting supplier in a claim concerning the supply of an allegedly defective lighting system for a Grade II listed mansion in London.

• Drafted pleadings on behalf of an investment fund in a multi-million-pound professional negligence claim against its design team (led by Marcus Taverner KC and Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully defended (i) a strike-out application in respect of those pleadings and (ii) an appeal in respect of the High Court’s decision refusing to strike out the said pleadings – see [2020] EWHC 3419 and [2021] EWCA Civ 1793.

• Provided pre-action advice and assistance to the client team in drafting claim documents for consideration by independent liability and quantum experts in a c. £40 million prospective claim by a main contractor against its construction manager and building services engineer. The claim concerned negligent cost planning and electrical design for a new hospital.

• Drafted a Scott Schedule in defence of a million-pound claim against architects for allegedly negligent design of home refurbishment works (led by Richard Coplin).

• Assisted in advising a defendant to a substantial multi-party claim on whether it was bound by court decisions in related proceedings (res judicata and issue estoppel).

• Drafted a Defence on behalf of a property management company against whom it was alleged that negligent failure to provide an out-of-hours emergency telephone service had led to severe flooding at a residential property.

• Drafted a Pre-Action Protocol Letter of Claim on behalf of a local authority seeking damages in respect of a collapsed floodlight at a rugby stadium.

• Drafted Particulars of Claim on behalf of a public utilities supplier for a claim against a water-cooling specialist whose products had caused a leak at a telephone exchange.

• Assisted in advising an NHS trust on its prospects of success (liability and quantum) in a prospective claim against (a) a contract administrator and (b) a specialist water treatment firm.

• Advised on whether there had been a breach of CPR 3.13 regarding the time for filing cost budgets and accordingly whether an application for relief from sanctions needed to be made.

• Advised the client and assisted in the preparation and drafting of the respondent contractor’s Defence and Counterclaim, Redfern Schedule and witness statements in a multi-million-euro international arbitration concerning the use of a pioneering anaerobic digestion technology at a waste-to-energy plant (led by Fionnuala McCredie KC and William Webb KC). Ongoing.

• Drafted pleadings, prepared written and oral submissions and appeared on behalf of the claimant at the hearing of the respondent’s jurisdictional challenge in an international arbitration concerning a water desalination plant in the Middle East (led by Simon Hughes KC).

• Drafted opening and closing submissions, cross-examination and a list of issues in an international arbitration concerning one of the world’s largest coal-fired power stations (led by Simon Hughes KC). The dispute centred on the causes of delay to the construction of the plant’s enormous air-cooling apparatus.

• Drafted Particulars of Claim and the Reply in a substantial claim against a maintenance contractor for costs incurred as a result of the destruction of a flue gas desulphurisation unit during a fire at a power station.

• Advised an oil rig decommissioning firm and drafted a Pre-Action Protocol Letter of Response in relation to a sale of goods dispute with the buyer of a reclaimed turbine.

• Drafted a Pre-Action Protocol Letter of Claim on behalf of a power generation company seeking substantial business interruption losses from a power station maintenance contractor.

• Drafted Particulars of Claim (High Court, TCC) on behalf of a housing association in a claim against an insurer in respect of roofing defects and water ingress at a housing development in East London (led by David Sheard).

• Drafted a Letter of Response to an insurer on behalf of a builder being pursued by the insurer for sums paid out to the homeowner under an insurance policy. The Letter was drafted in consultation with a civil engineering expert to formulate the builder’s defence to allegations of non-compliant groundworks/landscaping.

• Advised two insurers on litigation strategy and prospects of successfully obtaining a stay of proceedings following the insured claimant’s entry into administration. The claimant was a building contractor who had brought proceedings against the defendant design professionals in order to recover losses which a third-party building owner had threatened to recover from the claimant under a collateral warranty. Issues included limitation, insolvency and standstill agreements (led by Rachael O’Hagan).

• Advised 43 leasehold owners of a large apartment building in London on their prospective claims in respect of extensive water ingress damage against two insurers under building warranty policies. The principal issue was limitation.

• Drafted Particulars of Claim on behalf of an insurer in a claim against a guarantee bond. The bondsman paid out upon receipt of the draft Particulars.

• Advised an insurer on the validity of various grounds for declinature against an insured under a legal expenses insurance policy.

• Advised a main contractor on its claim against an insurer under the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 1930 in relation to demolition and asbestos removal works.

• Assisted in advising an employer on its claim against the PI insurer of an insolvent groundworks subcontractor.

• Drafted a Part 20 contribution notice seeking an indemnity/contribution from five other defendants.

• Advised the client and drafted very substantial pleadings, witness statements and CMC submissions on behalf of a shipbuilder in two separate international arbitrations concerning the termination of two contracts for the design and construction of state-of-the-art semi-submersible offshore drilling rigs (led by Adam Constable KC, now Constable J). The case involved working closely with regulatory compliance experts. The shipbuilder went on to succeed on every issue of liability at trial.

• Assisted in the preparation of witness statements and carried out legal research to support the referral to adjudication of two substantial claims against a main contractor for undervaluation of interim payments and mobilisation and delay costs. The claims related to a large marine engineering project in Scotland. Also advised on quantum, the NEC3 compensation event provisions and assisted in drafting the Referrals. The claims were ultimately successful in litigation in Scotland, in part thanks to English authorities identified to the Scottish legal team, which proved to be persuasive – see [2020] CSOH 87 and [2021] CSIH 50.

• Advised an electrical sub-sub-contractor on its prospects of successfully recovering c. £2m of loss and expense from a subcontractor in adjudication. Drafted the Notice of Adjudication and Referral in the ensuing adjudication. The responding subcontractor made a substantial settlement payment upon receipt of the Referral.

• Drafted written submissions on behalf of a public authority in a c. £81 million adjudication concerning the authority’s entitlement to make significant deductions from the contractor’s monthly payments under a long-term PFI contract (led by Paul Buckingham KC). The adjudication included complex electrical engineering issues.

• Acted as sole counsel in a c. £1.7 million adjudication concerning a project manager’s entitlement to payment of a development profit fee following practical completion of a high-end residential development. Successfully obtained a decision that the client was entitled to a payment of c. £1.3 million.

• Drafted the responding party’s submissions in a ‘smash and grab’ adjudication concerning a large residential development. Successfully obtained an adjudicator’s decision that the referring party was not entitled to any payment whatsoever and directing that the referring party pay the adjudicator’s fees and expenses in full.

• Drafted the referring party’s submissions in a c. £1 million dispute concerning delay to the construction of a large residential development and the liquidated damages payable in consequence of that delay (led by William Webb KC). Succeeded on all legal issues, including (i) the existence, terms and effect of an alleged settlement agreement and (ii) arguments about partial possession.

• Drafted the Notice of Adjudication and Referral in a claim by a firm of architects for unpaid fees. The fees were promptly paid upon receipt of the Referral.

• Advised a main contractor as to whether various matters raised by its subcontractor in adjudication constituted res judicata owing to a previous adjudicator’s decision.

• Drafted the Response and Rejoinder in a final account dispute concerning a subcontract for the groundworks of a supermarket in Yorkshire. Successfully obtained a 62% reduction in the payment which had been sought by the referring party.

• Drafted the Response and Rejoinder in a final account dispute concerning ground remediation works at a mixed retail and industrial site (led by Tom Coulson). Successfully obtained a 91% reduction in the payment which had been sought by the referring party.

• Appeared on behalf of the defendants and successfully resisted an application to enforce an adjudicator’s decision, on the grounds that the adjudicator lacked jurisdiction because there was no contract between the parties, and the case was not amenable to summary judgment in any event.

• Appeared on behalf of the referring party (main contractor) and successfully obtained an adjudicator’s decision that no further sums were owing to a subcontractor, since allegedly additional works were in fact within the agreed scope of the subcontract.

• Drafted the Rejoinder in a final account dispute concerning the construction of a dance studio. Legal issues included global claims and liquidated damages.

• Assisted in advising a property developer on contract administrator’s duties and the crystallisation of a ‘dispute’ for the purposes of adjudication under the statutory Scheme for Construction Contracts.

• Assisted in advising a civil engineering subcontractor on the scope of the Notice of Adjudication and whether matters outside that Notice could be raised in its defence.

• Advised the client and assisted in the preparation and drafting of the respondent contractor’s Defence and Counterclaim, Redfern Schedule and witness statements in a multi-million-euro international arbitration concerning the use of a pioneering anaerobic digestion technology at a waste-to-energy plant (led by Fionnuala McCredie KC and William Webb KC). Ongoing.

• As sole counsel, advised a supplier of building materials on its prospects of successfully recovering c. £2m in wasted storage charges from an international developer which had failed to accept/take delivery of materials within a reasonable time. Drafted the Request for Arbitration (ICC Rules) and Reply to Counterclaim and advised the client on jurisdictional arguments raised by the respondent. Successfully obtained a substantial settlement payment for the client.

• Drafted pleadings and CMC submissions, assisted in the preparation of witness statements and provided day-to-day advice and assistance in two separate international arbitrations concerning the termination of two construction contracts for the design and construction of state-of-the-art semi-submersible offshore drilling rigs (led by Adam Constable KC, now Constable J). The client shipbuilder went on to succeed on every issue of liability at trial.

• Reviewed and amended pleadings, prepared written and oral submissions on jurisdiction and appeared on behalf of the claimant in a billion-dollar international arbitration concerning pricing indexation under a power and water supply agreement (led by Simon Hughes KC). The agreement related to a water desalination plant in the Middle East. The jurisdictional arguments concerned the definition of a government body under local law (ground 1) and the interpretation of a tiered dispute resolution clause (ground 2). The claimant succeeded on ground 1 but not on ground 2.

• Drafted pleadings on behalf of the defendant in a Mauritian arbitration concerning the construction of a luxury villa (led by Jennie Wild). The case settled before the close of pleadings.

• Drafted the Respondent’s closing submissions on English law in a Hong Kong arbitration concerning the construction of a leisure park in the Far East.

• Drafted opening and closing submissions, cross-examination and a list of issues for an international arbitration (UNCITRAL rules) concerning delays to the construction of a coal-fired power station (led by Simon Hughes KC). The subcontract between the parties was in the FIDIC Yellow Book (1999) standard form.

• Assisted with trial preparation for an international arbitration (LCIA rules) concerning the scope of works in a contract for the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant.

• Advised an investment fund in relation to a prospective claim against a firm of solicitors for negligent drafting of a Joint Venture Agreement. Drafted the Letter of Claim.

• Provided advice to and drafted the Request for Arbitration on behalf of a supplier of building materials in a sale of goods case concerning ss. 27 and 37 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979.

• Advised a consumer on the merits of a potential claim against a utilities provider for incorrect invoicing. The advice included consideration of whether billing data could be obtained from the utilities company under the Data Protection Act 2018.

• Assisted in drafting the Defence to a claim brought by a recruitment agency against an engineering consultancy for alleged breach of a personnel assignment agreement.

• Drafted a skeleton argument for a defendant’s application to set aside default judgment in a claim for alleged wrongful registration of a default.