With ‘very strong construction expertise’, Keating Chambers is well-placed to handle major construction arbitrations concerning major energy, transport, shipbuilding and infrastructure projects across the globe, namely Hong Kong, the Middle East, Singapore, South Africa and Australia. David Thomas KC has extensive experience acting as counsel in arbitrations concerning landmark development projects in the Middle East, while Veronique Buehrlen KC has recently acted in a number of major energy arbitrations. The set also has a strong junior bench, including Peter Brogden, whose recent experience includes major construction matters in the ICC, DIFC, LCIA and ADCCAC, Sarah Williams who excels in engineering arbitrations before the ICC and LCIA and Wen Jin Teh, who focuses his arbitration practice on matters in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
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Position
Sarah Williams is an award-nominated barrister, specialising in construction, engineering, infrastructure and energy disputes.
Most recently, Sarah has been instructed throughout one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases in the UK 2024, a residential cladding dispute in the TCC which raised issues in respect of s. 149 of the Building Safety Act 2022 and Part B of the Building Regulations.
Sarah was also involved throughout in a long running, technically-complex engineering dispute in the TCC, concerning the design and construction of a guided busway in Cambridgeshire, UK, under the NEC2 form of Contract. She has also been involved in a number of glass curtain-walling disputes, including in respect of alleged defects in an award-winning building in the Middle East, and a case concerning NiS inclusions in a commercial property in the City of London.
Internationally, Sarah has been instructed in a number of oil and gas and renewable energy arbitrations, often on repeat instruction. These included an LCIA arbitration to final hearing which concerned an EPF, a s. 68 challenge arising out of that dispute, and an ICC arbitration which concerned issues of termination arising from a major oil and gas facility in the Middle East.
Sarah is recognised for the quality of her oral and written advocacy, and her approachable, straightforward style. She is recommended in the directories as one who “punches above her weight in seniority“, “her cross-examination has been precise and incisive” and “she is completely on top of the detail”.
Career
Public Access Training, 2015
Barrister, Keating Chambers, 2009
Pupillage, Keating Chambers, 2008-2009
Called to the Bar (Gray’s Inn) 2008
Memberships
SCL; TECBAR.
Education
Keswick School, Keswick; Jesus College, Cambridge (2004 MA Natural Sciences 1st honours); Nottingham Law School (2008 LLB 1st honours).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'James Luxmoore leads an excellent clerk’s room and are fantastic on logistics and managing solicitors and clients.'
- 'James Luxmoore and Will Shrubsall are incredibly hard-working, responsive, intuitive, knowledgeable and accommodating.'
- 'Rob Garvan is excellent - responsive, efficient and easy to work with.'
- 'I've always found the clerks at Keating to be excellent: super responsive, friendly, and nothing ever being too much trouble - exactly what an instructing solicitor wants. In particular, Jade Clark epitomises the very best of the clerking team at Keating.'
- 'Keating Chambers is an outstanding set. The clerks and other support staff are very responsive and helpful. The depth of counsel is excellent in terms of experienced and capable construction barristers.'
- 'Keating has a deep bench of barristers at all levels with strong arbitration and wider disputes experience in construction across multiple sectors. The clerks have recommended excellent barristers in this space over the years and work hard to accommodate demands on availability.'
- 'Very strong construction expertise and barristers who are flexible to counsel.'
- 'Keating Chambers is the 'go to' set for construction law - they literally write the book on it. Whatever level of call, whatever the issue, the advice is spot on.'