Sophie Phillips

Senior Associate, Bird & Bird

Sophie is an associate in Bird & Bird's UK Construction Group based in London and is part of the wider Real Estate Group.

She an experienced and non-contentious construction lawyer advising on a range of construction projects, including real estate and infrastructure developments both in the UK and internationally across a wide range of sectors, including data centres, logistics, hotels, warehousing, student accommodation and general commercial projects. Sophie acts for a mix of commercial clients, including project sponsors, employers, developers, contractors, purchasers and tenants.

Sophie reviews, advises on, reports on, drafts and negotiates building contracts (including JCT, NEC, FIDIC and bespoke forms) and calls off framework agreements, as well as pre-construction services agreements, letters of intent and professional team appointments and ancillary documents, including letters of reliance, parent company guarantees, bonds and collateral warranties.

Sophie has a particular interest in logistics, data centres and sustainable construction. Her experience on these projects (amongst others) means that she understands that coordinating the negotiation and appointment of multiple parties on any development project is crucial for Bird & Bird's clients and therefore for their client services. As such, she looks to understand the different priorities for each client in detail and tailor her advice accordingly, depending on the different commercial and practical pressures each project faces.