Our services

Establishing liability in a PI claim requires more than reading the claimant's letter of claim. We conduct a rigorous review of the professional's obligations — both contractual and under the law of tort — and assess whether those obligations were breached and whether any breach caused the loss alleged. We advise on contributory negligence, causation, and the extent to which the professional's conduct falls below the standard expected of a reasonably competent practitioner in their field.

In construction and engineering claims in particular, this requires a genuine understanding of how projects are procured, designed, and built — the professional standards that apply, the allocation of risk in standard form contracts, and the practical realities of site. We bring that understanding to every instruction.

Coverage questions arise on almost every PI instruction — whether at first notification or as the claim develops. We provide detailed review of policy wordings in the context of the specific facts: whether the claim falls within the insuring clause, whether any exclusions are engaged, and how conditions and endorsements affect the position. We advise on notification obligations, claims cooperation, and the practical implications of coverage disputes for the handling of the underlying claim.

Our coverage advice is grounded in the facts of the claim, not produced in isolation. That means instructing parties get a view that is both legally considered and practically useful.

PI claims in the built environment cannot be properly assessed without understanding the technical context. A design failure in a structural engineer's drawings, a surveyor's missed defect, an architect's specification error — each requires an understanding of what the professional was required to do, what they actually did, and what a competent professional would have done differently.

With over 40 years of specialist adjusting experience in construction and professional services PI, adjustability brings the technical knowledge to interrogate these issues properly. We understand standard form contracts — JCT, NEC, RIBA, RICS — the professional standards that apply in each discipline, and the practical realities of how projects are delivered. That technical grounding is what allows us to give liability advice that is genuinely useful, not just a restatement of the allegations.

Quantum in PI claims is rarely straightforward. The loss alleged is often the starting point for negotiation rather than a reliable measure of what is actually recoverable. We quantify loss with precision — considering betterment, contributory negligence, the effect of contractual caps and limitations, and the extent to which the loss is truly attributable to the breach identified.

Our quantum assessments are produced with the liability position firmly in view. We do not quantify loss in a vacuum; we advise on what is recoverable given the strength of the liability case, and we set reserves and make settlement recommendations accordingly.

Many PI claims are resolved without litigation, and we support that process actively. We attend mediations, prepare position papers, and advise instructing solicitors and insurers on the strengths and weaknesses of their position across liability, coverage, and quantum. Where claims proceed to arbitration or court, we provide the technical and quantum expertise that legal teams need to present their case effectively.