The Northern Quarter project in London is a major mixed-use development, combining new homes with retail spaces.

Before the project reached completion, serious concerns emerged about the safety and design of the external wall systems.

As significant defects were discovered, Shepherd faced substantial costs to fix these problems. Shepherd sought to recover its losses from the designers, manufacturer of the building materials, and others, some of whom came under intense scrutiny in the Grenfell Inquiry after its highly combustible insulation was alleged to have contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

We represented Shepherd in the resulting legal battle involving numerous parties, including architects, contractors, manufacturers and their insurers. We consolidated multiple legal actions into a single, comprehensive case.

After managing vast amounts of evidence and expert testimony—over 4 million documents—we ultimately achieved a favorable settlement for Shepherd only weeks before a lengthy trial was set to begin. This outcome protected Shepherd’s interests and avoided further uncertainty and costs.

This case has set a roadmap for handling complex multi-party cladding disputes, especially under the new Building Safety Act. The innovative approach is expected to influence future legal actions in the construction industry in terms of strategy and approach—especially as fire safety claims remain a stubborn feature of construction disputes, and their resolution a top priority for the industry.