Carson McDowell is well-known in the social housing and education sectors, drawing on the firm’s experts in planning, procurement, and health and safety to bolster the construction team’s strong contractual and dispute offering. Stuart Murphy is the head of the practice. Murphy is an expert in advising on disputes and adjudication for supply chain actors and contractors. John Dugdale has a strong developer-side practice, handling the building contracts for high-value projects. Gavin Kerr routinely leads on matters involving the review and negotiation of the full suite of construction contracts.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Accolades

Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team at Carson McDowell are excellent. Personable, great experience, commercially minded and always have their clients' needs at the forefront of everything they do. Their legal skills are second to none.’
  • ‘John Dugdale - exceptionally pleasant to deal with and has a great knowledge base of all things construction and legal.'

Key clients

  • Belfast Harbour Commissioners
  • Translink

Work highlights

Advising the operator of the NI Investment Fund on reviewing, advising and negotiating the form of construction documentation for security in relation to the construction of new luxury 5-star hotel (Dunluce Lodge) in Portrush.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Next Generation Partners

Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Leading associates

Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.

Practice head

Stuart Murphy

Other key lawyers

John Dugdale; Gavin Kerr