James Thompson > Keating Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile
Keating Chambers Offices
15 ESSEX STREET
LONDON
WC2R 3AA
England
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James Thompson
Position
James acts in a wide range of domestic and international disputes encompassing onshore and offshore construction and engineering, energy, technology, infrastructure and international arbitration. He is ranked in Chambers & Partners for construction litigation and international arbitration, The Legal 500 UK for construction, international arbitration and energy, and in The Legal 500 EMEA for his UAE expertise. His clients recommend him as “a rising star”, and an “exceptionally bright” and “technically excellent” barrister who has “a brilliant analytical mind”. He has an excellent reputation for trial advocacy, and his “cross-examination skills are at the level you might expect of a vastly more senior counsel”.
James appears regularly in the TCC in disputes relating to a wide range of construction projects, including large-scale residential and commercial developments, power stations and infrastructure projects. He is also regularly instructed in cases involving issues of fire safety in a wide range of projects including schools, hospitals, leisure centres and residential buildings. He has extensive experience of adjudication, acting for clients in the adjudication process itself and subsequent enforcement proceedings.
James has extensive experience of international arbitration, acting in disputes in Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, the Gulf and the Far East under various institutional rules (including DIFC-LCIA, ICC and DIAC). Described as “something of an expert in Qatari, Omani and UAE-related matters”, James has extensive experience of projects in the Middle East. He has acted in numerous high value disputes in the region arising out of energy-related projects, infrastructure projects, airports, educational facilities and commercial developments.
Examples of James’ recent work include acting in a dispute concerning fire safety defects at a residential project; in adjudication proceedings concerning alleged defects in the design and construction of a ground source heating system; in multiparty TCC litigation arising out of a luxury residential redevelopment in London; in a US$1 billion dispute concerning the construction of an airport in the Middle East; in arbitration proceedings concerning the construction of a new university in Abu Dhabi; in TCC proceedings concerning liability for a major fire at a power station in the UK; and in arbitration proceedings concerning a final account dispute relating to a project to upgrade and expand an LNG process plant in the Middle East.
Career
Editor, Construction Law Reports (2014 – date)
Committee Member, Omani-British Lawyers Association (2013 – 2018)
Keating Chambers (2006 – date)
Called (2005)
Memberships
Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)
Society of Construction Law
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
Society of Construction Law (Gulf)
Omani British Lawyers Association (committee)
Education
Stonyhurst College; Selwyn College, Cambridge (2004 BA law); ICSL (2005 BVC).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Construction
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Thompson – Keating Chambers ‘James is very practical, rolls up his sleeves and gets totally gets stuck into the detail of the claim. He is clear and very user friendly.’
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2James Thompson –Keating Chambers ‘James is a very good advocate and develops a good rapport with Tribunals. He is accessible and down to earth which makes it easier for him to get into the detail of a case quickly and get to the key issues. This is reflected in his advocacy.’
Barristers at Keating Chambers are lauded as ‘the market leaders on any arbitration relating to construction, engineering and offshore projects’. Members of the set are instructed in complex arbitrations from clients across the Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore, to name a few, and have extensive experience with a range of arbitration governing laws. David Thomas KC continues to act on high value arbitrations in the construction and infrastructure space, recently having received instructions from significant clients in India and the Middle East. Jennie Wild has a broad arbitration practice, which has recently included arbitrations related to airports, power stations and hospitals and her practice is primarily focused on the Middle East, while James Thompson continues to act in major work concerning mainland Europe.
London Bar > Energy
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Thompson – Keating Chambers ‘James is good at providing tactical legal strategies to deliver great results.’
Middle East: The English Bar > Construction
(Leading juniors)Ranked: Tier 1James Thompson – Keating Chambers ‘James is an excellent advocate able to develop a rapport with tribunal’s and witnesses to produces good outcomes for clients. He is very accessible day to day and has developed an excellent working relationship on each of the disputes on which I have worked with him.’
Boasting in-depth expertise across a range of construction and engineering disputes and arbitrations, Keating Chambers is considered a ‘second to none’ for transport infrastructure, oil and gas, high-rise developments and energy related disputes with an ‘exceptional bench’. Simon Hughes KC disputes arising out of energy construction projects in the region, while Marc Rowlands KC has extensive experience in rail related disputes. Timothy Elliott KC and Krista Lee KC are both experienced construction arbitrators and have an active Middle East practice. Jennie Wild and James Thompson handle energy, infrastructure and airport related disputes and James Frampton acts in projects in Qatar and the UAE.