Jonathan Raynes

Partner

• jraynes@steptoe.com
• vCard
• London Office

Jonathan is a partner in the London office of Steptoe & Johnson, where he heads the firm’s Construction practice, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters.  He is recognised by Chambers UK in its 2008 edition as one of the leading lawyers in the UK for construction work.

Jonathan has drafted and negotiated a wide range of agreements, including not only construction contracts, professional appointments and warranties but also bonds, guarantees and other project documentation.  On a commercial level, he has prepared a wide variety of commercial agreements, ranging from standard terms of business to bespoke contracts, and advised the government of a new European state on motorway procurement using private finance.   

Jonathan is also a qualified solicitor-advocate (with rights of audience in civil court proceedings) and has extensive experience of resolving disputes.  He has dealt with numerous court actions, arbitrations, adjudications and mediations on behalf of employers, contractors, subcontractors and insurers. 

Jonathan read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University. He then attended Nottingham Law School and qualified as a solicitor with honours.  He obtained a master’s degree in construction law and arbitration (with distinction) and has specialised in construction-related matters for over fifteen years, but he also deals with more general commercial work.

Representative Matters

Construction disputes

• Acting for airport operator BAA on a number of disputes arising from the construction of airport facilities at Heathrow and elsewhere.
• Acting for a main contractor defending allegations of defective workmanship in relation to a commercial office development.
• Acting for subcontractors claiming additional compensation from main contractors on various projects, including hotels, schools and residential developments.

Major project disputes

• Acting for the project company in relation to the construction and operation of the Croydon Tramlink project in London, including disputes with the main contractors, the operating company and London Transport. 
• Advising a project company on liabilities arising from potential defects in the construction of a stretch of UK motorway. 
• Acting for the project company on claims arising from the redevelopment and extension of a hospital under the UK private finance initiative. 

IT disputes

• Advising World Duty Free in resolving disputes with its IT service providers.
• Advising World Duty Free in resolving a dispute with a supplier of audio-visual equipment.

• Acting for the Co-operative Group (CWS) Ltd (formerly Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd.) in appeal proceedings arising from their dispute with retail software suppliers ICL (now Fujitsu).

Commercial disputes

• Acting for Canary Wharf in proceedings to recover misappropriated trust monies from the administrator of a construction company.
• Acting for a European technology company in an arbitration concerning obligations under a ‘take or pay’ distributorship agreement for medical products.
• Advising the victim of a fraud in relation to falsified visa application.

Energy disputes

• Advising a foreign state owned oil company following the termination of contracts to construct pipelines and pumping stations.
• Acting for a formerly state owned business in a series of arbitrations and mediations with main contractors arising from opencast mining operations.
• Compiling a claim on behalf of an engineering contractor for additional payments against an oil company arising from the construction of an offshore production platform.
• Pursuing a claim on behalf of an oilfield operator against the supplier of defective component which caused production from the field to shut down. 

Insurance matters

• Advising insurers on a claim arising from hurricane damage to a hotel in the Cayman Islands.
• Investigating on behalf of insurers a claim for cyclone damage to an oil refinery in Asia.
• Advising main contractors on their exposure and insurance cover following extensive fire damage to a historic monument.
• Acting for consulting engineers and their professional indemnity insurers in defence of allegations of negligence on the part of the insured.

News

• Steptoe Recruits Construction Partner