Recommendations

David is recommended in Legal 500, Chambers and Partners and Legal Experts where the following descriptions appear:

• a dab hand at heavy weight disputes
• perceptive and proactive
• impressive track record
• particularly recommended for arbitration

Practice

David Blunt has an extensive and wide-ranging national and international civil practice with particular expertise in:

• Construction and engineering
• Information technology
• Professional negligence

Construction and engineering

David acts in numerous cases involving the design, construction, failure or damage (including damage by fire and explosion) to or the environmental consequences of the construction or operation of structures, artefacts and engineering schemes of all kinds, including offices, hospitals, shopping centres, motorways, runways, bridges, tunnels, chemical plants, effluent treatment plants, off-shore equipment (e.g. rigs and remotely operated submersibles), hydro-electric and other generating plant, land-fill and subsidence. He also acts in cases involving energy supply including the supply of transportation of oil.

He has extensive experience of all the standard main, sub-contract and professional forms and in the drafting of contract clauses and of PPP, PFI, DBFO and other public works forms of contract.

Information technology

David has been a pioneer in information technology litigation since representing the successful plaintiff in one of the earliest major software development disputes, Salvage Association v Sema Group plc.

He advises and represents a wide spectrum of clients including public bodies, banks and other commercial enterprises such as oil companies and has particular expertise in claims of alleged negligence of computer consultants, software suppliers and large scale public sector contracts. He frequently advises in relation to software developments including multi-million pound bespoke developments for the government, in particular the MOD and DSS.

David's recent work includes advising or acting in relation to the failed and incomplete bespoke software system of a major Japanese bank, the terms of new hardware and software contracts for auctioneers, a fault detection system for a regional electricity supplier, an on-line banking system, a software maintenance contract for a multinational organization, a failed development project to provide upgraded payroll software for a multi-national employment agency, and the development of software for a provider of IT management services.

Professional negligence

David's practice has for many years encompassed substantial professional negligence disputes. He acts and advises in litigation concerning almost all the main professions in particular disputes involving architects, engineers, valuers, accountants, lawyers and doctors. He has conducted a number of medical negligence cases of maximum severity, including cases of brain-damaged children arising from birth asphyxia.

Other Areas

Having had a very broad experience of common law/commercial work as a Junior, David is also instructed in areas of work outside his present specialities. These areas include cases involving very severe personal injury, e.g. as a result of clinical negligence or accidents including cases of post traumatic stress disorder, as well as cases of all kinds of particular complexity or difficulty.

Qualifications

MA (Cantab) Law

Appointments

Recorder 1991
Deputy Judge Technology and Construction Court 1993
Deputy High Court Judge 2003
Accountancy Investigation and Discipline Board Tribunal Chairman

ADR

MCIArb
TECBAR approved Adjudicator
Trained Mediator
Nominet-UK Domain Name Dispute Resolution Expert
Member ADR Chambers (International) and ADR Chambers (UK)

Public Access

Qualified to undertake Public Access work

Publications

Contributing editor to Professional Negligence and Liability; chapter on IT professionals

Articles in the Construction Law Journal and Computers and Law

This is a summary of David Blunt's CV. Please contact the clerks for a full version.