DLA Piper announces today the hire of two partners, Mark Hilton and Simon Palmer, to join its Real Estate Group as part of the construction and engineering practice, specialising in dispute resolution. They will also work closely with the Litigation & Regulatory Group. Both Mark and Simon join from Addleshaw Goddard where Mark is Head of Contentious Construction. Mark will work out of the London office and Simon will work out of the Sheffield office.
Mark Hilton has been at Addleshaw Goddard since 2005, prior to that he was Head of Construction at Hammonds Suddards, the firm at which he had trained. He has over 20 years’ experience in advising on construction and engineering disputes, dispute avoidance and resolution and contract negotiation. Mark has extensive experience of arbitration and has worked on disputes across domestic and international markets, he is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is consistently ranked as a leading individual in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.
Simon Palmer is an experienced contentious construction lawyer who has also has over 20 years’ experience. He has been at Addleshaw Goddard since 2005 and was previously Head of Construction Litigation. Prior to joining Addleshaw Goddard Simon was Global Head of Construction at Hammonds from 2000 to 2005, and he trained at Eversheds. His practice is predominantly domestic and international dispute resolution, he has considerable experience of ICC arbitrations, mediations, adjudications and Technology and Construction Court litigation. Simon is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is a visiting lecturer on construction and commercial dispute resolution at Leeds Carnegie University and the College of Law (York), and has lectured in North America, Japan and South Korea on those subjects.
Simon Cookson, UK Head of Real Estate and partner at DLA Piper said: “we are thrilled to have two such high-profile contentious construction lawyers joining our Real Estate Group. Their addition to the team will substantially bolster our Real Estate practice in the UK and beyond. Given the current economic climate and the inevitable rise of construction disputes the appointment of Mark and Simon will also greatly add to DLA Piper’s wider offering to clients. I look forward to working with Mark and Simon to develop the practice across the international platform.”
Stephen Sly, International Head of Litigation & Regulatory added: “Mark and Simon are strong and high-profile contentious construction lawyers with strong commercial acumen. It is great news for both our Real Estate and Litigation & Regulatory teams to have them on board. They have established strong reputations not only in the UK, but also the Middle East and Asia which are key markets – we are delighted they are joining us.”
