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Construction

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Atkin Chambers
Keating Chambers
4 Pump Court
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Crown Office Chambers
3
4 New Square
XXIV Old Buildings

Leading Silks

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Rachel Ansell QC –4 Pump Court ‘Rachel is a fine advocate. She puts her points firmly, clearly and persuasively. Rachel is a star of the construction Bar.’
Sean Brannigan QC–4 Pump Court ‘Sean is an excellent legal strategist and tactician. An absolute force of nature in relation to cross examination of witnesses. Sean commands the hearing room and is very skilled at gaining the trust and the ears of the tribunal members.’
Karim Ghaly QC –39 Essex Chambers 'Karim is technically astute, able to review and absorb large amounts of project documentation overnight and a master strategist.  Karim works seamlessly with the legal team and with clients and is always available.'
Richard Harding QC –Keating Chambers ‘Richard has exceptional experience and is a powerhouse in the Gulf region.’ 
Alexander Hickey QC –4 Pump Court ‘His strengths are his advocacy and ability to get up to speed very quickly.' 
Simon Hughes QC –Keating Chambers ‘Simon is astute, a great tactician and a pleasure to work with.  Notwithstanding his seniority and experience, he is a real team player and is fully engaged with every instruction.' 
Riaz Hussain QC –Atkin Chambers ‘Incredibly hard-working and very much a part of the team. Riaz is both aggressive and imaginative. However, he is very good on his feet and has the respect of his tribunals – he knows how to adapt his style to suit the occasion.’
Simon Lofthouse QC –Atkin Chambers ‘The best cross examiner in construction cases. A force to be reckoned with.' 
Benjamin Pilling QC –4 Pump Court ‘Ben is quite simply brilliant. Exactly who you need in your corner when it comes to major arbitration.'
Andrew Rigney QC –Crown Office Chambers ‘Great to work with and meticulous in his analysis. Andrew becomes a real team member and there are no airs and graces.' 
Roger Stewart QC - 4 New Square 'Roger is an acknowledged star of the bar. He masters the papers and so is able to cross examine powerfully.'
David Streatfeild-James QC –Atkin Chambers ‘David well deserves his reputation. He has a profound ability to take a substantial, complex construction case, and bring a unique, often case-winning approach to how the case should be presented and argued. He is a brilliant advocate, and a master of cross examination.’ 
David Thomas QC –Keating Chambers ‘David's intellect and fierce advocacy means he is the preferred choice for many on complex and large value construction disputes.  Clients love him.'
Andrew White QC - Atkin Chambers 'Incredibly hard-working and for such a senior QC is very "hands on" - will really get stuck into a case.'
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Michael Black QC  - XXIV Old Buildings
Serena Cheng QC –Atkin Chambers ‘Serena provides calm, logical and precise analysis.’
Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC – Atkin Chambers ‘Chantal is a delight to work with. She is intelligent, friendly and very quick to see issues to be addressed.’
James Leabeater QC –4 Pump Court ‘James is technically brilliant and his drafting is nuanced. He works well with the legal team, experts and clients alike. He is very responsive and always available to discuss the case.'
Lord Marks QC –4 Pump Court ‘Jonathan is incredibly intelligent, able to pick up a matter and the last minute and get into the minutiae with ease, without missing a beat.'
Lynne McCafferty QC –4 Pump Court ‘It is impressive how quickly she can get up to speed and across the details of a complex dispute. Her cross-examination is very impressive and strikes a good balance and she is expertly able to keep a rogue witness in line.’
Duncan McCall QC –4 Pump Court
Tom Montagu-Smith QC – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘He has a great knowledge of the regional market and its laws and practices. Great to work with and excellent team player. The best QC in the market.’
Justin Mort QC –Keating Chambers ‘Dedicated 100% to the matter before him. He drills down the facts like no other QC. His work ethic and focus is commendable. He made himself available so can prepare on short notice and put in a stellar show at the hearing.’ 
Marc Rowlands QC –Keating Chambers ‘Smart and persuasive. An excellent and smooth advocate. He does not get flustered, quite the opposite. We had a fully remote hearing under difficult circumstances but Marc coped admirably, especially in comparison to his counterpart. He inspires confidence.' 
Marcus Taverner QC - Keating Chambers 'Marcus is very intelligent, cooperative, helpful and meticulous in thinking and drafting.  An excellent arbitrator.'

2020 Silks

Krista Lee QC – Keating Chambers  ‘Krista is a strong and vivacious barrister. Krista is excellent at cross examination and at assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a case and has an eagle eye for detail.'

2021 Silks

Claire Packman KC –4 Pump Court ‘Claire is an incredibly bright and hard working barrister and brings a legal knowhow and a keen legal eye to spot strategies and issues.  Claire cross examines incredibly well and is a fantastic edition to the Silk community.’ 
Crispin Winser QC –Crown Office Chambers ‘Crispin is very incisive and to the point and always extremely available. His clients feel very much in safe hands.’

Leading Juniors

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Timothy Chelmick – 4 New Square ‘Tim is a great team player and works very hard. He is very bright and technically strong. ‘
Rupert Choat –Atkin Chambers ‘Phenomenal counsel who gives his 100% to deliver the results for his client. Incredibly hard working professional. A very good arbitrator too.’
Thomas Crangle - 4 Pump Court 'Tom is personable and easy to work with. Our team enjoys working with Tom on international matters. Tom is also a very good advocate and can deal with complex legal issues very quickly.'
Andrew Fenn –Atkin Chambers ‘Andrew is a star in the making.  He is extremely clever, able to get into complex detail quickly and is very useful friendly. His written work is particularly impressive.’
Arshad Ghaffar - XXIV Old Buildings
Rónán Hanna – Atkin Chambers ‘Personable, insightful, enthusiastic. Clients are extremely positive about Rónán’s work as advocate.’
Zulfikar Khayum –Atkin Chambers ‘Forensic brilliance and mastery of technical detail. He has exceptional work ethic. Zulf outclasses most silks.’
Shourav Lahiri–Atkin Chambers ‘Shourav has incredible attention to details and is very hard-working.’
Calum Lamont - Keating Chambers
Sanjay Patel –4 Pump Court ‘Sanjay is accessible, commercial, legally astute and a joy to work with.  His drafting and advocacy skills are both top drawer.  He is client friendly and an absolute joy to work with.  Sanjay really does set the benchmark for senior junior barristers in construction law in the market.'
Camille Slow –Atkin Chambers ‘Camille is extremely easy to deal with. She is an excellent lawyer and tactician. She is very affable but can change tone in cross examination to great effect. Lay clients love working with Camille who at all times provides succinct and easy to digest advice and guidance.’ 
James Thompson – Keating Chambers ‘James stood out for his cross examination style. His manner was pleasant and engaging and it was effective in getting the most out of unassuming witnesses during cross examination. He is bright and hardworking.’
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Samar Abbas Kazmi - Atkin Chambers
Paul Bury - Keating Chambers ‘ A go-to junior with an outstanding work ethic and an eye for detail. ’
Nicholas Collings - Atkin Chambers
Simon Crawshaw - Atkin Chambers
Jane Davies Evans – 3 Verulam Buildings ‘Jane is a wonderful person, brilliant barrister, smart, honest, highly professional and has a great sense of humour. She is very hard-working and knowledgable on all aspects of construction.’
Simon Hale –4 Pump Court ‘Simon is very thorough and hard working. His advocacy is top notch and drafting is excellent. He is delight to work with and clients love him.’
Abdul Jinadu –Keating Chambers ‘Abdul knows this area of the law very well and has a well-balanced approach to risk and potential outcomes. He is meticulous in his drafting, easy to deal with and a good member of the team.’ 
David Johnson – Atkin Chambers  ‘David is a very hardworking barrister. He knows construction law inside and out and his advocacy skills are exceptional. Mr Johnson is a pleasure to work with.’
Katie Powell-Atkin Chambers ‘An absolute star and someone you always want on your team. Sharp, detail-orientated and a real client favourite.'
David Sheard –Keating Chambers
Jennie Wild – Keating Chambers ‘Jennie is extremely personable and a joy to work with when the pressure is on. A particular talent is her ability to grapple with complex contractual provisions. No doubt a star in the making.’
Luke Wygas –4 Pump Court

Construction in Middle East: The English Bar

4 Pump Court

4 Pump Court is instructed by local and regional firms as well as in-house teams on wide variety of construction projects with transportation projects being a key area of focus. Other areas of expertise include construction related work involving shipbuilding, telecoms and offshore construction. Sean Brannigan QC co-heads the chambers and advises some of the leading EPC contractors and government bodies in the region. Rachel Ansell QC is another standout silk with a broad range of expertise that spans from hydropower to natural gas. Other key names to mention include Lynne McCafferty QC, James Leabeater QC and Claire Packman QC.

Testimonials

Set

‘We regularly instruct 4 Pump Court and they are our preferred set for both UK and international construction and engineering disputes.’

‘4 Pump Court is a forward looking chambers and innovative in its resourcing, pricing and approach. One of the leading chambers in the field of construction and energy disputes at this time. Availability is excellent and willingness to undertake joint marketing very refreshing.’

‘4 Pump Court are a good set whose reputation for big ticket construction disputes has justifiably grown in the last few years. They are able to field an impressive range of talented barristers.’

Clerking

‘A very helpful and professional clerking team. Stewart Gibbs is an incredible pleasure to work with. He always makes himself available and is incredibly helpful.’

‘I tend to deal mainly with Carl Wall. He is excellent and very easy to do business with. He appreciates the pressures we work under and is prepared to go the extra distance to ensure we jointly deliver excellent service to our mutual clients.’

‘The clerks are excellent and led well by Stewart Gibbs and Carl Wall. Carl has excellent client management skills and is driven by finding solutions. Excellent to deal with.’

Atkin Chambers

Atkin Chambers is a ‘magnificent set‘ and is a ‘go-to set for construction and engineering disputes‘. The members of the set are active across a broad range of large scale and complex infrastructure disputes involving power, water, health, transportation and mixed-use development projects. Andrew White QC represents clients in major infrastructure disputes across the Middle East. Head of Chambers Chantal-Aimée Doerries QC is active in the mixed-use development and oil and gas space. Serena Cheng QC and Shourav Lahiri are other key names to mention for energy and natural resources disputes; Lahiri, who is based in Singapore and was formerly a partner at Reed Smith in Dubai, has substantial expertise in offshore oil and gas storage and production. 

Testimonials

Set

‘Top construction set in London.’

‘Atkin Chambers is exceptionally well run with a wonderful set of leading barristers.’

‘Excellent specialist chambers. Always a good range of experienced construction counsel available and knowledgeable and responsive clerks.’

‘Magnificent set – by far the best energy and infrastructure specialists at the bar.’

‘One of the ‘go to’ sets for construction and engineering disputes. Always good quality across the board.’

Clerking

‘Very user friendly and a pleasure to work with. Always.’

‘All the clerks are very responsive and proactive, without being pushy.’

‘Andrew Burrows is very responsive, pragmatic and helpful. Likewise David Barnes is exceptionally knowledgeable and resourceful.’

‘Very professional and approachable.’

‘Excellent. Always friendly and responsive.’

‘Atkins Chambers are the market leaders in construction and have David Barnes as senior clerk. He is very good with clients and inspires confidence.’

Keating Chambers

Keating Chambers is a ‘leading set for construction disputes‘ and have ‘an excellent reputation‘. The set showcases extensive experience representing clients before DIFC courts and DIAC, ICC and LCIA arbitration proceedings for construction disputes involving anything from airports and high-rise buildings, to hotels and factories. Richard Harding QC specialises in construction and engineering disputes and has extensive experience handling disputes in the transport, energy and real estate sectors. Krista Lee QC has a strong engineering background and has experience advising on projects involving wind farms and power stations. Adam Constable KC, as was, was appointed to the High Court in England and Wales effective March 2023, sitting in the King's Bench Division.

Testimonials

Set

‘Keating Chambers is considered the leading set for construction disputes in the UAE and wider Gulf region.’

‘Keating is market-leading in the construction space. There’s no two ways about it, they’re simply ahead of their peers.’

‘Keating has a wonderful set of barristers, ably managed by a really nice bunch of clerks and marketing team.’

‘A very good set of chambers – excellent reputation.’

‘Keating remains a very safe bet for any complex construction dispute, with an unrivalled selection of bright and able advocates.’

Clerking

‘Declan Redmond and James Luxmoore are familiar faces in Dubai and know the market in the region very well.’

‘Excellent. Declan Redmond leads from the front. Always pro-active, anticipating needs.’

‘Pro-active and responsive. Declan Redmond leads by example, ensuring that relationships are maintained and needs pre-empted. Top class outfit.’

‘A very helpful and professional clerking team. James Luxmoore is a standout.’

‘Excellent – helpful, reactive and highly communicative.’

Crown Office Chambers

The members of Crown Office Chambers are construction and engineering dispute and arbitration specialists; some of the high profile cases that the set’s members have been involved in involve disputes in relation to the construction of oil and gas facilities, railways, roads and ports. Roger Ter Haar QC has an established presence in the international construction arbitration space. Andrew Rigney QC also has a broad international arbitration practice that covers the wider Middle East region. Crispin Winser KC was appointed as Queen’s Counsel in 2021.

Testimonials

Set

‘Crown Office Chambers have an exciting and growing team of construction barristers who are frequently instructed on the some of the most high profile cases in the market.’

‘As a chambers they also offer a range of barristers at various levels.’

Clerking

‘Crown Office, under the attentive supervision of Andy Flanagan, are responsive and commercial, making dealings a doddle compared to many of the other top-end sets.’

‘Clerks are user-friendly and seek to assist. They respond promptly to enquiries and are realistic and fair in applying charging rates.’

‘Service has been impeccable with constant follow up from the clerks.’

4 New Square

4 New Square's Roger Stewart QC has a broad construction, engineering, infrastructure, energy and PFI disputes practice, with substantial experience representing contractors, subcontractors and consultants on cross-border disputes. Timothy Chelmick is another key individual to note in this space.

Testimonials

Set

‘We have always received good service from this Chambers in terms of availability of counsel and the like.’

Clerking

‘Always been helpful and responsive.’

XXIV Old Buildings

XXIV Old Buildings works closely with a number of local and international law firms in Dubai.  Arshad Ghaffar has an extensive disputes practice with in-depth knowledge of the construction and engineering space, as well as a particular interest in aviation law.

Testimonials

Set

‘XXIV Old Building have a great depth of practice in Middle East.’

‘24 Old Building remain the got to set of chambers for DIFC and UAE law work in my view.’

‘XXIV is a genuinely international set with strength in depth at all levels of seniority.’

Clerking

‘The clerks are responsive and friendly, I have worked mostly with Samantha Perry and James Ladbroke who have both been very helpful.’

‘Clerks are friendly, helpful and efficient.’