Mr Stuart Catchpole KC KC > Atkin Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Retaining its firm standing as a ‘market-leading’ set for construction disputes, Atkin Chambers has continued handling high-stakes matters in the UK and internationally. As one example of the chambers’ prowess in construction-related international arbitrations, the set’s mainstay, the Third Set of Locks Project on the Panama Canal saw Manus McMullan KC  and Christopher Lewis KC represent the Panama Canal Authority in a series of high-value claims. Domestically, Dominique Rawley KC and Jennifer Jones defended Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick and Balfour Beatty Group in Northumbria Healthcare NHS v Lendlease Construction, a case concerning alleged structural defects at the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, while Simon Lofthouse KC and Omar Eljadi represented one of Lendlease’s subcontractors in the related Lendlease Construction v MPB Structures counterclaims. In an expansive multi-party dispute, among others Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC and David Streatfeild-James KC acted for Morrisons against Lorien Engineering Solutions regarding alleged defects in the refrigeration systems of its pork abattoir in Colne. Stephanie Barwise KC has been advising on cladding issues and the Building Safety Act, and has made clarification submissions on Grenfell – a number of other members of chambers have been involved in litigation surrounding related issues of cladding and fire safety. Notable internal changes include Stuart Catchpole KC joining from 39 Essex Chambers and Rupert Choat KC taking silk in March 2022.

Atkin Chambers is ‘first-class, a superb construction set’, many of whose members receive frequent arbitration appointments for their expertise in disputes concerning major energy projects across exploration and extraction, power plant construction and infrastructure as well as mining and major commercial and leisure developments, IT and transport infrastructure. Full-time arbitrators include Sir Robert Akenhead and Doug Jones   . In addition to his counsel practice, Martin Bowdery KC is also a Deputy High Court Judge and was appointed to the ADGM Arbitration Centre’s Panel of Arbitrators. Janet Walker has over 20 years’ experience as sole, presiding and co-arbitrator in commercial and treaty investment arbitrations. In 2022, Stuart Catchpole KC was appointed to the panel of arbitrators of the BVI International Arbitration Centre.

‘A go-to set for any construction dispute‘, Atkin Chambers maintains a strong presence across multiple Asia Pacific jurisdictions, including Singapore, Vietnam, India, the Philippines and Greater China. Chantal-Aimée Doerries KC is noted for her excellent track record in handling disputes arising from LNG and oil field projects, and Andrew White KC garners praise as ‘one of the top barristers in the field of construction and engineering disputes‘. Arbitration expert Stuart Catchpole KC is highly regarded for his ‘very extensive specialist construction expertise‘. Samar Abbas Kazmi continues to act in complex international construction and energy arbitrations, and ‘rising star‘ Mathias Cheung is ‘extraordinarily detailed and can assess critical issues quickly‘.