Why Hamshaw

A different kind of law firm

Exceptional legal representation does not require the conventional rigid structures and high costs of a large international law firm.

Hamshaw combines decades of experience in construction disputes (including complex, high-value, international disputes) with a lean, partner-led and technologically advanced business model.

Our lawyers have practised at leading international law firms and barristers’ chambers, and have decades of experience working on everything from £100k domestic extensions and renovations, to £100m+ international mega-projects.

Four key features set Hamshaw apart from its competitors.

Agility

Partner-led. Flexible. Independent.

A Hamshaw partner takes responsibility for each case, from start to finish. They will work on your case directly and learn it inside and out.

We keep the Hamshaw team small, so you get our full attention and never pay for lawyers you don’t need. When your case needs more resources, we add them; when it doesn’t, we scale back immediately. You pay only for what your case requires.

We are privately owned, and fully funded, by our lawyers. This means we are driven by our clients’ needs, not external investors.

Ability

International expertise. Exceptional experience.

Our lawyers have spent decades handling some of the world’s most complex and valuable disputes. They bring their skills and expertise from leading international law firms and barristers’ chambers, whilst leaving the high overheads (and hourly rates) behind.

Hamshaw can provide its clients with the same high-quality legal brains, but with better responsiveness, personal attention and value for money than the big international firms.

Hamshaw’s clients don’t have to choose between exceptional lawyers and exceptional value.

AI

Smarter approach. Shared value.

We deploy market-leading specialist legal AI where appropriate (always checking output carefully) to improve the quality, speed and efficiency of our work. We share the resulting time and cost savings with our clients, rather than simply increasing our margins.

We work digitally and internationally, often alongside clients and their teams, investing in people and technology rather than expensive offices and unnecessary infrastructure.

Accuracy

Niche practice. Sole focus.

Construction, engineering and property-related disputes are all that we do. We are not just a department within a larger firm that is trying to service many different clients in many different situations: we are a boutique construction disputes law firm.

Every lawyer, every resource and every investment we make is focused on winning disputes in this specialist field. That single-minded approach brings deep technical understanding, and allows us to deploy it accurately every time.

The commercial advantage

Hamshaw vs. other firms

Feature	Hamshaw	Conventional large law firms
Leadership	Partner-led, from the outset and throughout.	Partners handle client relationships, but legal work is often delegated to junior lawyers with less knowledge, experience and ability.
Resourcing	Scaled to actual workload, in real time.	Fixed headcount, and junior staff who must be kept busy. This can lead to clients’ matters being over-staffed.
Overheads	Lean, technology-driven, and willing to work with clients in situ.	Significant office and institutional costs that must be recouped through the fees charged to clients.
AI	Enthusiastic use of cutting-edge AI developed for lawyers. Efficiencies shared with clients, not used to inflate profits.	Treatment varies. Some larger or older firms are slow to adopt it, and timid to deploy it, because of institutional bureaucracy and the need to keep junior staff busy. Some employ it but don’t pass the benefits on to their clients.
Fees	Flexible, and tailored to each instruction, with the autonomy to agree a novel approach. No chargeable hours targets or associated bonuses.	Dependent on the firm and the mandate, but many firms reward their lawyers for recording more chargeable hours, and therefore billing clients more. There may also be pressure from external investors to hit profit targets.

Contact a Hamshaw Partner

Tell us who is involved and what the dispute is about. We will check for conflicts of interest, and come back to you quickly with a plan of action and fee proposals.