Penningtons Manches expands construction practice with new partner hire

Posted: 03/11/2016

Penningtons Manches LLP has boosted its construction and infrastructure team with the recruitment of Francis Ho as a partner in the London office. Francis joins the firm from Olswang where he led the construction department. 

Widely recognised within the construction industry and rated in the latest editions of The Legal 500 and Chambers UK, Francis is highly experienced in advising developers, contractors, funders, owners, occupiers, public sector authorities and construction professionals. His client base covers a large number of high net worth individuals and start-up developers and contractors. He has specialist expertise in green construction, construction insolvency and EPC contracts and a strong focus on the hotels and leisure, retail and sports sectors. Recent projects of note where he acted as lead adviser include the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, the construction of a major new Premier League stadium in London and the redevelopment of The Langham Hotel in Marylebone, one of the world’s leading hotels.

In addition to his significant UK track record, Francis has gained substantial experience on international projects. He advised on some of the first PPP projects in the United Arab Emirates and has assisted clients on data centres and power stations in Africa, as well as acting on the construction of a major hospital in Abu Dhabi.

Currently a columnist for Building magazine and Estates Gazette, Francis co-wrote the Chartered Institute of Building’s Complex Projects Contract 2013, its User Guide and its successor suite of contracts, the Time and Cost Management Contract 2015. He is also a regular speaker at conferences and events, including most recently the Chartered Institute of Building’s Contracts and Construction Conference and KNect365’s Construction Law Summer School in Cambridge, and a judge for the London Construction Awards 2016. He sits on the City of London Law Society’s Construction Law Committee and the Construction Industry Council’s Green Construction Panel. In March 2016, he was awarded a special fellowship by the Chartered Institute of Building for services to the construction industry.

Commenting on Francis’ appointment, Peter McElligott, head of Penningtons Manches’ real estate division, said: “Francis’ experience and reputation within his field will be a significant asset to our construction team and real estate division as a whole as we continue to enhance our capability across the wide spectrum of projects undertaken in the construction industry and to reinforce our offering in key sectors such as retail, hotels and leisure and private wealth. We very much look forward to working with him.”

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