The barristers at 4 New Square Chambers are praised for being ‘knowledgeable and experienced’ in all aspects of construction related disputes, including domestic and international litigation, arbitration, and adjudications. Domestically, the set has been active across disputes arising out of the Grenfell tragedy and subsequent Building Safety Act 2022, with Roger Stewart KC leading George McDonald in defending cladding manufacturer Arconic in the Grenfell Tower civil litigation and Ben Patten KC acting for the cladding consultant in the major fire-safety claim in Shepherd Construction Limited v Kingspan and Others. Cyril Chern handled a steady stream of International Arbitrations on large-scale infrastructure projects across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Hugh Saunders appeared in the High Court of Trinidad over a disputed contract termination in relation to a high-value highway project.
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Position
George has extensive experience of commercial disputes with a real focus on construction, international arbitration and costs. George acts on substantial domestic and international claims, which recently include multiple disputes arising from three separate PFI contracts (worth £2billion, £6billion and £800 million) for the management of road networks, major motorways and a waste management facility, a complex arbitration claim worth in excess of £100million relating to a nuclear facilities construction project, and disputes relating to novel cheque scanning facilities for the whole of the UK. In costs, George has been instructed as sole costs counsel on some of the seminal costs cases and has particular experience of group litigation. Recent costs cases include for the Mirror Newspaper in the phone hacking litigation, in the Mau Mau litigation against the UK Foreign Office, for hundreds of claims by army personnel for hearing loss, one of the largest product liability claims relating to defective hip implants, and for 365 local authorities in the substantial “property searches” litigation.
Memberships
PNBA, COMBAR, TECBAR, SCL.
Education
BA (Oxon) (1st class). Worcester College Scholar. Called to the Bar in 2007 (Hardwicke and Shelford Scholar).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Excellent and always pragmatic clerking, which shows good knowledge of what Insurer clients need. Dennis Peck is great to deal with.'
- 'Nick Angliss is very responsive, courteous, and user-friendly.'
- 'The clerks are always supportive and quick to step in and help. Christopher Ebdon deserves praise for his good work supporting Rick.'
- 'Clerks provide a good service and are easy to deal with. Andrew Call is particularly good.'
- '4 New Square has a number of very talented barristers and are able to offer someone suitable for most professional negligence or insurance cases. They're always happy to offer training sessions on recent cases and legal developments to keep others up to date.'
- '4 New Square have always been incredibly flexible, professional and helpful; always gong that extra mile to accommodate last minute changes, clients' unforeseen needs and providing solutions to problems.'
- '4 New Square Chambers is rightly recognised as one of the leading Commercial sets, with particular strength in construction and insurance matters.'
- '4 New Square has a strong and growing presence in construction-related litigation. The set offers depth at both junior and senior levels, providing excellent support across complex, multi-defendant claims.'