Eleanor Kilminster
Position: Partner
Eleanor acts in all areas of construction law for national house-builders, registered social landlords, private developers, contractors, charitable trusts and police organisations.
Eleanor works closely with our social housing, property, and development lawyers and specialises in both large-scale developments and dispute management. She regularly deals with building contracts, development agreements, consultant appointments, partnering agreements, framework agreements, collateral warranties, bonds and guarantees, as well as disputes in the Technology and Construction Court and adjudications. She is also experienced in various forms of alternative dispute resolution including mediation.
Recent experience
Recent non-contentious experience:
- Advising on the development of an Academy including the two-stage tender process, pre-construction agreement for the design development stage and the subsequent building contract, consultant appointments and associated documentation including collateral warranties, parent company guarantees, performance bond and various licences.
- Advising Berwick Borough Housing on its internal repair works programme designed to bring approximately 1900 social housing units up to Decent Homes Standards.
- Advising Barratt Homes on construction documentation for the development of 900 new homes and community facilities at the Olympics related site at St Andrew's Bow.
- Advising a registered social landlord in connection with the development of a multi-phase mixed use development at Grahame Park, London.
- Advising a joint venture company in relation to the construction aspects of a large regeneration project.
Recent contentious experience:
- Representing a registered social landlord on a claim against a contractor in the Technology and Construction Court alleging negligent design and workmanship of a development.
- Representing an ecclesiastical organisation acting as employer in adjudication by a main contractor relating to delay and loss and expense.
- Advising a police organisation on a claim in the High Court for negligence against oil companies following the destruction of the organisation's property during a large explosion at an oil storage depot.
- Advising a registered social landlord in connection with a potential claim against a contractor in respect of significant defects at residential care homes completed a number of years before.
- Advising an employer in connection with the insolvency of its contractor on the phased building contract in operation, including review of the security documentation in place, ownership of equipment and materials on site, and the arrangements in place with sub-contractors and the professional team.
Professional memberships
Law Society of England and Wales
Work history
2008 to date Partner, Winckworth Sherwood
2005 to 2008, Solicitor, Winckworth Sherwood
2003 to 2005 Trainee, Winckworth Sherwood