Sarah Hannaford KC > The Chambers of Alexander Nissen KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
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Sarah Hannaford KC
Position
Sarah Hannaford KC is a leading commercial barrister whose work spans both the United Kingdom and international markets. She specialises in construction, engineering, infrastructure and energy disputes together with professional negligence work within these areas of expertise. She has also carved out a strong procurement practice in recent years. Sarah was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 2015.
Sarah is widely regarded as a star of the Procurement Bar and is the natural choice for complex high value procurement issues. She is instructed in the most significant cases in this area, regularly advising Government bodies, local authorities, utilities and industry clients. Sarah has acted in numerous high profile procurement challenges, including the prominent case of NATS v Gatwick Airport, a dispute concerning the tender of air traffic control services. She recently acted for the UK Government in a multi party and high profile dispute relating to the procurement of criminal legal aid services, which was listed by the Lawyer as one of the top cases of 2016.
She is regularly instructed in complex construction and commercial disputes in the UK Courts, adjudication and international arbitration. She has experience in the full range of contractual claims which arise out of construction projects, including claims relating to defects, termination, delay and professional negligence. Recent work has included acting for the Ministry of Justice in relation to electronic monitoring claims against Serco and G4S, and acting for the Secretary of State for Defence in two substantial disputes relating to a nuclear submarine base. She also has considerable expertise in energy, offshore construction and shipping disputes, including acting high profile disputes such as the Solitaire and the Varg.
Sarah has experience in disputes involving most standard form contracts including the JCT standard forms, ICE, NEC, IChemE and FIDIC forms. She also regularly advises on PFI contracts, PPP contracts and facilities management contracts, including both the waste and health sectors.
Sarah is the author of a chapter in Keating on Construction Contracts (10th edition, 2016). She has also authored key publications on party walls and rights of light (another area in which she has considerable expertise). She frequently lectures on topical issues in construction and procurement law.
In addition to her work as Counsel, Sarah sits as arbitrator and is a trained mediator and accredited adjudicator.
Career
Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland, 2015
Queen’s Counsel, 2008
Trained Mediator, 2006
TECBAR Accredited Adjudicator, 2004
Appointed to the Treasury A Panel, 2003
Member (and former Committee Member) of the Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR) 1991
Keating Chambers, 1990
Called to the Bar (Middle Temple), 1989
Languages
Working knowledge French, Spanish.
Memberships
Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb)
Technology and Construction Bar (TECBAR)
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
International Bar Association (IBA)
Society of Construction Law (SCL)
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
Education
Lincoln College, Oxford (1986 BA; MA).
Leisure
Skiing and tennis.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Construction
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 4Sarah Hannaford KC – Keating Chambers ‘Sarah is a superb advocate and a great adviser. She is authoritative, very clear with solicitors and clients, and rightly has a great reputation as one of the best in the public procurement world. Her preparation for advocacy is absolutely meticulous, delving right into the detail, and coming up with additional points to support her advocacy. Her cross-examination skills are first-class. She is also very responsive, working extremely hard to get everything done to the best of her ability.’
London Bar > Public procurement
(Leading Silks)Ranked: Tier 1Sarah Hannaford KC – Keating Chambers ‘A true expert in procurement law.’
Keating Chambers is ‘very strong in public procurement‘. Charles Banner KC acts as longstanding counsel to Transport for London on ongoing procurement issues arising from construction work taking place on a London Underground station. The ‘ferociously bright‘ Fionnuala McCredie KC is highly regarded for representing interested parties and contracting authorities in contentious procurement mandates. Sarah Hannaford KC and Simon Taylor continue to act for HS2 Limited in Siemens v HS2, an ongoing case concerning the award of the contract for rolling stock used for HS2. The ‘thorough and conscientious‘ Rachael O’Hagan and James Frampton both have excellent track records in appearing in high-profile procurement challenges.