Mark London

Senior Partner

Areas of Expertise

Mark is Senior Partner at Devonshires and heads up our Construction, Engineering and Procurement team. The team is made up of over 30 specialist construction lawyers carrying out work across a diverse range of sectors within the industry. Their clients include registered providers of social housing, local authorities, developers, sub-contractors and private individuals. The team operate from offices in London, Leeds, and Colchester.

Mark specialises in dispute resolution work which involves litigation in the Technology and Construction Court, adjudication and arbitration. This work covers all aspects of construction and asset management. Mark also advises clients on all aspects of European procurement law and regularly acts for contracting authorities and economic operators in procurement disputes.

Our Construction, Engineering and Procurement team also has a large team of transactional construction lawyers, led by Asif Patel, that are instructed on large construction and development schemes and specialise in drafting and negotiating all forms of construction contracts and associated agreements.

Experience

Mark’s team has in recent years become leaders in advising clients on the significant changes in building safety, advising on the significant changes brought in by the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Building Safety Act 2022 and the Building Safety Regulations along with its reams of associated regulations which will impact all corners of tall building ownership and management. This includes advising on routes of recovery for buildings that are found to not comply with the Building Regulations, obligations as the Responsible Person and the vast duties as the Principal Accountable Person/Accountable Person.

Mark also has experience advising clients on health and safety law and assists with accident investigations, prosecutions and drafting health and safety policies and procedures.

Directories

Mark is ranked as a leading construction lawyer and in recent editions of the legal directories has been described as ‘extremely knowledgeable and reassuringly experienced.’

Mark is also described as ‘vastly experienced, highly commercial, but rolls his sleeves up and gets stuck in on behalf of his clients whenever needed.’ He is widely regarded as “being able to cut through difficult cases to get down to what matters”.

Professional Memberships

Mark is a member of the Society of Construction Law and the Health and Safety Lawyers Association.

Notable Cases

Mark represented Hexagon Housing Association Limited in an important case in the Supreme Court, in which Hexagon as the appellant successfully overturned a unanimous decision of the Court of Appeal on the critical question contract termination under the JCT Design and Building 2016 form of contract. Providence Building Services Limited v Hexagon Housing Association Limited [2016] UKSC 1.

Mark successfully represented Peabody Trust in the Court of Appeal on the critical question of when a liability to indemnify arises under a building warranty insurance policy. National House Building Council v Peabody Trust [2025] EWCA Civ 932.

Acting for the Claimant and successfully settling at mediation a large seven figure claim for external wall remedial work involving an estate of five higher risk buildings in Manchester.

Acting for a building owner charged with multiple offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order concerning a fire that destroyed Europe’s largest timber framed building.

Acting for a successful defendant in a TCC Part 8 application in an important case concerning the correct interpretation of a JCT termination clause.

Acting for numerous clients in high value claims for time, quality and cost.

Client Testimonials

“Worked closely to ensure our residents interests are protected in the complex field of fire safety and freehold interests.”

Legal 500

“Mark London is excellent. He has a clear idea of the strategic direction for a case and is plainly on top of the regulatory framework in place which enables him to give advice confidently.”

Legal 500

“Mark London is an experienced and expert construction lawyer.”

Legal 500

“Mark London is vastly experienced, very knowledgeable and very commercial. Clients really appreciate the way that he cuts through to the main issues and formulates the best strategy for their cases.”

Legal 500

“I would single out Mark London, Matthew Cocklin and Michael Wharfe as being standout Partners. They have good judgement, are sensibly pragmatic and provide high levels of service – they are all excellent lawyers.”

Legal 500