Disputes · Construction adjudication

Contractor not paying? Adjudication forces a decision in 28 days.

Statutory adjudication under the Construction Act is the fastest dispute procedure in English law: a binding decision, typically within 28 days of referral, on unpaid invoices, interim payments, defects and delay claims. Notices drafted, the referral built, the whole procedure run at a fixed fee agreed in writing before any work begins.

Handled in writing throughout. No court, no hearings in the usual case, no attendance required.

Send your contract and payment history See the fee schedule

28 daysStatutory timetable to a binding decision

Pay now, argue laterDecisions are enforced by the courts

Both sidesReferring and responding parties acted for

Fees

The fee schedule.

FOUNDING CLIENT RATES: Western Legal is in the process of SRA firm authorisation. Current fees apply until authorisation completes; founding clients keep priority access afterwards.

FAST, BY DESIGN

Written reply within 24 hours. Trademarks filed within 48 hours of instruction. Documents in days, not weeks. Never "3 to 5 business days" just to hear back.

Schedule of feesGBP · No VAT

Item	What it covers	Fee
Payment / pay-less notice review	The notices that decide smash-and-grab claims, checked or drafted against the contract and the Act.	£345
Adjudication strategy and merits note	Your contract and payment history reviewed with a written view: prospects, the right dispute to refer, timetable and cost.	from £550
Notice of adjudication and referral	The notice and referral drafted and served: the documents that frame the entire 28 days.	from £1,950
Full representation, referring party	The procedure run end to end: notice, referral, reply, submissions, through to decision.	from £4,500
Responding party defence	Served with a notice of adjudication? The response and defence built inside the brutal timetable.	from £3,500
Enforcement and next steps	The decision enforced, or the true-value battle planned, with counsel instructed where court proceedings are needed.	from £650

"From" prices are starting fees for standard scope; your exact fee is fixed in writing before you pay anything and never changes after that. Adjudicator's fees and nominating body fees are payable in addition at cost. Returning clients keep their original rates for 12 months. No VAT is charged.

Bespoke and urgent matters outside the schedule: £650 per hour, capped estimates in advance.

Common questions

FAQs.

How fast is construction adjudication really?

The Act's timetable is 28 days from referral to decision, extendable modestly by agreement. It exists precisely so cash keeps flowing in construction: the decision binds and is enforced by the courts on a pay now, argue later basis, even if a final account fight continues later.

What is a smash and grab adjudication?

If the paying party misses the deadline for a valid payment notice or pay-less notice, the sum applied for can become due in full regardless of the work's true value. These claims are won and lost on notice dates and drafting, which is why the £345 notice review is the cheapest insurance in the industry.

Does this apply to my contract?

The statutory right to adjudicate applies to most construction contracts in England and Wales, including many that never mention adjudication, and JCT and NEC forms build it in expressly. Send the contract; the strategy note answers this definitively for your case.

Do I need to attend anything?

Usually not. Adjudication is overwhelmingly a documents procedure: the referral, the response and written submissions decide it. Where an adjudicator directs a meeting or site visit, that is handled remotely wherever the rules allow, and the fee position is agreed with you before anything extends.

Get in touch

Confidential review within 24 hours.

Send a brief outline of your matter. You will receive a personal reply from a solicitor, with a fixed-fee quote where the scope is clear. Payment is taken before work begins; every fee is fixed in writing first.

Emailsp@westernlegal.co.uk WhatsApp+44 7822 014 066

How this practice worksEverything starts in writing, and written replies are fastest. Calls are reserved for engaged clients and Counsel-tier matters, and where a matter needs an appointment it is a single scheduled video appointment, included in your fixed fee.

Prefer a paid deep-dive before committing? Book a from £150 document triage, credited in full against any engagement within 30 days.

Received. You will hear back within 24 hours, usually much sooner. If the matter is urgent, message us on WhatsApp.