Extra-Contractual Recoveries for Construction and Engineering Work

A unique construction law text, describing all the routes to recovery of payment for work that are not to be found in the express words of the contract. It contains both legal scholarship and practical guidance, and will be a particularly valuable tool for those seeking payment in the face of oppressive contract conditions.

This book of construction law contains a unique in-depth analysis of legal routes to payment for construction and engineering work that are not evident from the express words of the contract. These extra-contractual remedies are of great importance, but are frequently underused. This book brings them together in a unified way for the first time. They include claims in damages for breach of implied terms, quantum meruit, negligence, statutory recoveries, and other legal principles that may be in invoked - including prevention, impossibility, and relief from forfeiture to circumvent contractual obstacles to payment, and the impact of fraud and unconscionability. Particularly useful are the book's checklists, prompting the reader to explore possible causes of action that may not otherwise present themselves as available. The first volume contains the main text, and the second volume reproduces the key passages from decided cases and legislation in England, Australia and other common law jurisdictions around the world, which underpin these extra-contractual remedies. The book is an incisive and compelling practical guide by one of the most successful construction litigators of his generation.