Our people

Paul Tohill

Managing Associate, Construction & Engineering
Ireland

Expertise

Paul is a specialist construction lawyer with over 10 years' experience at leading law firms advising and representing a broad range of clients, primarily in connection with a wide variety of non-contentious construction matters, as well as contentious construction matters, in the construction and engineering sectors.

Paul is both admitted, and practising as a solicitor in Ireland, Northern Ireland and England & Wales and has advised clients based in all three jurisdictions in connection with their domestic, as well national and international construction projects.

Paul provides prompt, efficient service delivery with consistent results for his client base of funders, developers, employers, main contractors, sub-contractors and consultants across the private and public sectors involved in construction, engineering, infrastructure, real estate development, renewable energy (including offshore and onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage), education, healthcare, water and waste, and housebuilding projects. Paul also has significant PFI/PPP expertise, in addition to experience advising on supply chain insolvency.

Paul is experienced in advising on all the key standard form contracts in the construction and engineering sectors, including the GCCC, RIAI, CIF, JCT, NEC, FIDIC, IChemE, IMechE, MF/1 and GC Works forms, as well as significant experience with bespoke forms of contract. In addition, Paul advises on all types of ancillary and contract security documents, including advance payment, performance and warranty bonds, parent company guarantees, collateral warranties and direct agreements.

Experience

Provided advice to the central social housing body in NI across a range of procurements related to the expansion, upgrade and maintenance of their housing stock, including capital build and housing maintenance frameworks. Advice included that in relation to the procurement aspects of the relevant frameworks in line with the Public Contracts Regulations, at both the tendering, PQQ and evaluation stages, as well as advice in relation to the relevant forms of contract, all based on the NEC4 suite of standard forms, particularly the NEC4 Engineering and Construction Contract (ECC) Option C Target Cost form, the Framework form of contract, and the Term Service, as well as Term Service Short forms of contract. Values of these procurements ranged from c. £10,000,000 to c. £500,000,000.
Provided construction contracts advice to a developer JV as part of the overall real estate transaction for an 800 unit Build To Rent (BTR) scheme, being the first of its kind and scale in Belfast. Involvement included the preparation, drafting and negotiation of various construction contracts and agreements, including letters of intent, the entire professional team's suite of appointments, an amended form of the JCT 2016 Design and Build contract, and the relevant forms of performance security, collateral warranties and direct agreements ancillary to each contract. Involvement also included regularly liaising with various stakeholders such as Belfast City Council and other local government departments, as well as the funders' security trustees.
Provided advice to Project Co on this significant PPP social housing regeneration development in inner city Dublin. Advised on all construction aspects of the development, which included advice on, as well as the drafting and negotiation of the Project Agreement, Works Contract and Services Contracts as well as all ancillary and contract security documents, with the relevant counter parties.
Advised the developer in relation to geotechnical and geophysical site investigation contracts for an offshore wind farm in the North Irish Sea, being one of the first offshore wind farms to be constructed in Irish waters. Involvement included both the drafting and negotiation of these contracts with the relevant contractors, as well as liaising with various statutory bodies and government departments to obtain the relevant employer permits and consents required for both the array area and export cable corridor investigations and surveys.
Acted as lead advisor to the developer in relation to all construction aspects and the relevant contractual documentation required for a major onshore wind farm project in Ireland, including the turbine supply, installation and commissioning contract, maintenance services agreement, and civils and electrical balance of plant contracts, together with the applicable ancillary and contract security documents for each package of works. Involvement also included the drafting and extensive negotiation of each contract with the contractor counterparties, as well as liaising with the funder's lawyers as to their due diligence queries, security requirements and completion deliverables in order to achieve financial close for the project.

Education

University of Law, London – Post Graduate Diploma in Professional Legal Studies, 2012
Queen's University, Belfast – MA Law, 2009
Queen's University, Belfast – MSc Construction & Project Management, 2008
Queen's University, Belfast – BSc (Hons) Architecture, 2007

Professional Memberships

Practising Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland – Admitted 2015
Practising Solicitor, Law Society of Northern Ireland – Admitted 2015
Practising Solicitor, Solicitors Regulation Authority, England & Wales – Admitted 2015
Associate Member, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators