The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Asia Pacific: The English Bar > Construction, energy and infrastructure

At 3 Verulam Buildings, James Potts' energy practice includes a range of matters surrounding oil and gas, including cases with allegations of fraud. Jane Davies Evans acts as an arbitrator and as counsel in disputes over energy projects across the region.

39 Essex Chambers' excellent reputation for construction-related disputes extends from the UK and into Asia, with its members acting as both arbitrators and counsel. Specifically for energy matters, among a broader pool of talent, Peter Rees QC brings in-house experience as former legal director of Shell – among other activities, he sits as an ICSID arbitrator. Charles Manzoni QC is dual-qualified silk in England and Hong Kong, and also an engineer.

4 Pump Court's Sean Brannigan QC's practice includes a number of disputes with engineering elements, often concerning energy and natural resources. In one 2018 case, he represented a party in a dispute with a Chinese constructor of wind turbines which were found to have racks in their welding. Sean O’Sullivan QC handles complex disputes concerning offshore oil and gas infrastructure such as FPSOs.

Atkin Chambers is 'one of the leading constructions sets in the world with a very long-established successful track record and a wide range of counsel to choose from'. The set is active in disputes over agenda-setting projects across Asia, including in both Mainland China and Hong Kong (with Andrew Goddard QC popular in Hong Kong). James Howells QC has a practice that includes work across the ASEAN region, and in particular, is well-connected in Thailand; alongside arbitration instructions, he represented the Thai state oil company in the English Court of Appeal case Triple Point Technology v PTT Limited, a matter which has raised questions of the English law on liquidated damages in the context of a fraught IT project. Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC is a very popular silk among Korean law firms.

Fountain Court Chambers' Anneliese Day QC accepts arbitral appointments in large construction disputes, often concerning natural resources. She and Andrew Pullen, who is based full-time in Singapore, are also busy as counsel in matters related to Australia.

Keating Chambers 'has always been one of the top sets in the construction field', and its global presence extends well into Asia, with particularly strong contacts in Australia and Hong Kong. Robert Gaitskell QC is popular for work in Australia. Alongside more conventional arbitration work in the Greater China region, Philip Boulding QC represents Hong Kong MTR in an inquiry into the renovation of the Hung Hom station.

One Essex Court's Alexander Gunning QC has a track record of hydrocarbon-related engineering disputes involving structures such as floating production storage and offloading vessels (acting for both buyers and shipwards, some of whom are Chinese), as well as commodities disputes involving Chinese parties.

In addition to a range of work in the space concerning vessels such as drill ships and other vessels used by the maritime industry, Quadrant chambers’ members handle a number of mandates concerning the supply and extraction of hydrocarbons on a global level. In one recent standout instruction, Simon Rainey QC  represented SK in a multi-jurisdictional dispute over Everglory’s repudiation of long-term gas supply contracts, including allegations of economic torts.

Twenty Essex's David Lewis QC has a strong track record of Asia-related disputes in the energy space, many of them relating to coal and other hydrocarbon fuels, both crossing over between arbitration and English court litigation.