About C&IDS
Flexible hours | Competitive monthly fees
Your legal position takes shape every day: in the contracts you agree, the instructions your team gives, the records it keeps and the way it responds when a project changes. By the time an issue becomes a formal dispute, many of the decisions that matter have already been made.
C&IDS places experienced construction counsel within your business, working alongside your management, commercial and project teams, with a fixed monthly fee for the time your business needs.
A Message From Our Founder,
Steven Hunt
"I repeatedly saw complex, high-value disputes reach formal proceedings before the case had been sufficiently tested. Gaps emerged as proceedings developed, and confident witness accounts proved inconsistent or unsupported by the records. That experience shaped my belief in putting experienced judgement inside the business, early enough to help it choose its course."
Better Preparation, Better Choices
Legal risk exists before it becomes legal work.
The value of early involvement is the opportunity to influence what happens next: preserve a position, resolve a disagreement, prepare a worthwhile claim or decide that a different course makes better business sense.
Understand your position earlier
A confident account of events is only a starting point. Before committing money and management time, you need to know what the records support, where the gaps are and how the contract affects your options. Your lawyer helps build that understanding as issues develop, so you can act on a clearer picture of your position.
Choose where to put your resources
Some issues need a prompt commercial conversation. Others need further evidence, specialist advice or a formal claim. Your lawyer helps you distinguish between them, directing attention towards the matters that justify it.
Test the case against the records
Your lawyer examines the contracts, correspondence and project records, challenges accounts that are not supported and identifies what further work is needed before you commit to a claim.
Bring in specialists at the right time
When external lawyers or technical experts are needed, your lawyer helps define the question, prepare the brief and manage scope and budget.
A Clear Role, An Agreed Monthly Cost
C&IDS offers one embedded in-house role, with the time commitment tailored to your business. There is no need to fit a prescribed service tier: the published retainers are starting points, and the scope, availability and monthly hours are agreed around your priorities. The role typically covers contract review, drafting and negotiation, claims strategy, dispute avoidance and early assessment, governance and risk advice, liaison with external lawyers and training for your commercial team.
A single fixed monthly fee covers the agreed lawyer hours, placement and payment administration, with no markup on rates or hours. The standard retainer costs US$72,000 a year, against US$280,000 to US$420,000 or more for a full-time senior construction lawyer.
Who We Help
C&IDS places experienced construction counsel inside main contractors, subcontractors, developers, investors, and FM and O&M operators across the UK, GCC and Africa. Your lawyer works alongside your management, commercial and project teams, whether you have a single live contract or a portfolio of programmes. The role runs from Contract Drafting & Negotiation and live Project Legal Advice to Claims Administration and Dispute Strategy & Resolution.
Main Contractors
Civil, MEP, EPC and building contractors with live FIDIC or bespoke contracts. Contract administration support, claims administration and dispute strategy for complex multi-contract programmes.
Specialist Subcontractors
MEP, piling, facades, fit-out, roads and utilities subcontractors facing onerous subcontract terms, payment disputes and delay claims from main contractors. We level the playing field.
Developers & Investors
Residential, commercial and infrastructure developers structuring contracts, managing contractor performance and resolving disputes on development programmes across the UK, Africa and GCC.
Energy & Infrastructure
EPC contractors, PMCs and engineering firms delivering power, water, transport and industrial infrastructure. FIDIC Silver Book, BOT concessions and O&M contract expertise.
New Market Entry
Chinese, Korean, European and US contractors entering the UAE, KSA, UK or African markets who need embedded local-market legal expertise for their first project cycles — without the law firm overhead.
FM & O&M Operators
Facilities management and operations & maintenance businesses navigating performance regimes, KPI disputes, step-in rights and scope variation claims under long-term FM contracts.
The Fractional Advantage
The fractional advantage comes down to three things: affordability that puts senior specialist counsel within reach, seniority that means specialist experience rather than associate-level cover, and flexibility that scales with your business rather than locking you into fixed overhead. Here is what that looks like in practice.
Title | Estimated Annual Cost | Seniority | Flexibility | C&IDS Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
C&IDS Placed Counsel (Standard Retainer) | US$72,000/year | Highest — senior specialist construction lawyers | Maximum — scale up or down monthly | The benchmark |
Full-Time In-House Counsel | US$280,000–420,000+/year | High — if hired well | None — permanent headcount | 75–80% cost saving vs. full-time hire |
Specialist Law Firm | US$180,000–350,000+/year | Variable — often associate-led | Low — unpredictable hourly billing | 60–70% cost saving vs. law firm rates |
How C&IDS Can Help Your Business
Key Advantages Of Embedded In-House Construction Counsel:
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Fixed monthly fee for the agreed hours, with no markup on rates and no billing surprises
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Embedded experienced construction counsel working alongside your management, commercial and project teams
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Prepared for negotiation, adjudication or arbitration, with one lawyer holding the file from day one
