FEATURE
The new development is going to create lots of opportunities for local people and businesses .
Ben Denton
Tell us a bit about yourself , Ben ? I am an experienced construction lawyer , having worked with and alongside major contractors and developers for more than 10 years – including in-house – giving me a strong grasp of the advice and support people actually need .
As a partner at Knights , I work on all commercial aspects of deals , giving clear , commonsense advice rather than a bombardment of legal jargon . When I ’ m not doing that , I am also a keen cricketer and hopeless golfer .
Give us an example of how you ’ ve used your expertise to support a Teesside business ? I work alongside Knights ’ commercial real estate team on loads of developments in the region .
I ’ ve worked with clients to secure funding for new residential and leisure developments that have now opened on Teesside , as well as producing and negotiating contracts for new industrial storage developments that have opened locally .
There ’ s a bit of economic uncertainty at the minute . How are you helping people in our region to prepare ? For our developer clients it is about ensuring they have enough security to protect against contractor insolvency . Sadly , insolvencies are becoming more and more common . I help developers to consider how they would deal with this at the outset of projects , so they can act quickly to keep the project on track should that happen .
What opportunities are on the horizon for Teesside ? There is obviously a lot of buzz around the Teesworks development – and rightly so . I ’ m not a native Teessider , and even I know of the importance of the Teesside steelworks to the history and economy of the area . The new development is going to create lots of opportunities for local people and businesses . We ’ re already doing more work for Teesside businesses so , despite the economic uncertainty , there is definitely optimism out there .
How can you help ? I can help in every aspect of a development project , no matter the size or whether it is residential or commercial .
Our team make sure you are choosing the correct procurement method , appointing professional consultants on robust contractual terms and ensuring that building contract terms are weighted in your favour .
In a sentence , why should someone work with you ? We ’ re a law firm based right here , but with a pool of nationwide expertise .
We provide friendly , commercially minded advice , so if you ’ re tired of working with legal advisors who simply state the legal position and provide you with no actual helpful advice , then give us a call .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 89