Keating Chambers boasts substantial expertise in construction and technology professional negligence cases, crossing over with the set’s leading position in contractual construction disputes. Members of the set routinely advise on construction-related insurance coverage issues as well as cases surrounding defective design, cladding and fire safety. Simon Hargreaves KC and David Sheard are instructed in BDW Trading v AECOM & Environment UK Ltd, URS Corporation LTD and Cameron Taylor Consulting Ltd, a prominent construction case centring on defective structural engineering across several residential developments which went to the Supreme Court in 2024. Jonathan Selby KC led Alice Sims in Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd v Prater Ltd and others, a case which explored issues surrounding building liability orders and how and when they should be heard. Richard Coplin KC took silk in 2025.
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Profile
Position
Simon Hargreaves KC specialises in disputes arising from construction, process engineering and process plant construction, civil, geotechnical, structural, mechanical and electrical and marine engineering, IT & technology systems, logistics, transport, energy contracts, tunneling, nuclear decontamination, nuclear build, asbestos decontamination, wind turbines, piling onshore & offshore, water treatment, infrastructure and utilities contracts, rail contracts, collapses, floods and fires. Simon also has considerable experience of professional negligence claims and related insurance claims across all the areas of his practice, including claims for and against civil, structural and process engineers, geotechnical engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers, architects, asbestos professionals and contractors, project managers, construction managers, quantity surveyors, IT consultants and costs consultants.
Simon has been involved in a number of high profile cases both at first instance and in the Court of Appeal across the different areas of his practice, principally construction, process engineering, civil, structural and marine engineering, fires, floods, rail, construction professionals’ negligence and IT disputes. In recent years he has been involved in claims arising from: Crossrail; desalination plant in Qatar; ferry terminal in Jordan; gold mining in Burkina Faso; chlorine manufacture; hydrocrackers; flooding in the Greenwich Millennium Village; the Magna Park fire; the Gerrard’s Cross tunnel collapse; the Chancery Lane Tube derailment and claims arising on Wembley Stadium.
Simon specialises in all forums including litigation, arbitration (international and domestic), adjudication and ADR as well as relief concerning pre-action disclosure, summary judgment, interim payment, strike out, security for costs, arbitration applications, appeals from arbitrators and serious irregularities, injunctions and bond applications.
Simon has extensive PFI experience and regularly advises NHS Trusts and project companies in relation to local authority infrastructure contracts; hospitals; waste contracts. He also appears on several panels as Adjudicator for resolution of PFI disputes.
Simon has a swiftly growing practice sitting as arbitrator, adjudicator, expert and on dispute boards.
Career
Public Access Training, 2015
Dispute Resolution Board Member
Arbitrator
TECBAR Accredited Adjudicator
Queen’s Counsel, 2009
Appointed Treasury Counsel (B-panel 5-10 years call), 2002-2008
Keating Chambers 1992
Called to the Bar (Inner Temple), 1991
Memberships
Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)
Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA)
Society of Construction Law (SCL)
Society for Computers and Law (SCL)
Education
Shrewsbury School (scholar); Worcester College, Oxford (1989 BA Law 2(1)).
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ' The clerks room at Keating is headed by Will Shrubsall and James Luxmoore. They are both very professional and oversee a quality clerking service.'
- 'They are very well known and respected in the construction space.'
- 'Excellent and responsive clerks' room.'
- 'Keating Chambers are an absolute pleasure to deal with, nothing is too much trouble and they are incredibly accommodating of us and our clients.'
- 'Keating Chambers is the 'go to' set for construction law - they literally write the book on it.'
- 'Keating has excellent expertise across the board for both silks and junior counsel for construction-related disputes and can offer a variety of suitable candidates to assist clients on any dispute.'
- 'The clerks are very responsive and always on hand to assist with queries or to provide updates.'
- 'Keating Chambers has an excellent team at KC and junior level.'