James Thompson > The Chambers of Alexander Nissen KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Keating Chambers Offices
Keating Chambers
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 a skilled and technically sound barrister who offers invaluable legal and commercial advice to clients in difficult situations. He is very easy to work with and is reliable, insightful and pragmatic in the way he approaches the litigation process.’
London Bar > International arbitration: counsel
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2James Thompson –Keating Chambers ‘He is excellent at getting into the detail and making robust arguments.’
London Bar > Energy
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3James Thompson –Keating Chambers ‘Thorough, very bright and user friendly, James is excellent at getting into the detail and making robust arguments.’
Middle East: The English Bar > Construction
(Leading juniors)Ranked: Tier 1James Thompson – Keating Chambers ‘James has a huge amount of experience of the trickiest construction disputes, including those in the Middle East. He is able to bring order to chaos and is excellent in front of clients and tribunals alike. ’
Experienced in DIAC, ICC, and LCIA arbitration, Keating Chambers is well-informed in heavyweight construction disputes arising from airport, road, and rail development projects. David Thomas KC enjoys a regional footprint and his broad construction experience encompasses Saudi Arabian mixed commercial developments. Simon Hughes KC and Justin Mort KC specialise in disputes arising from energy projects, while Calum Lamont KC is often engaged in international marine construction arbitration. James Thompson is knowledgeable of disputes arising from commercial and educational facility developments, while Paul Buckingham KC and William Webb KC took silk in 2023.