Call: 2005
Silk: 2023
"Forensic in his analysis, William distils very complex points down into easy to follow and logical points. He is incredibly intelligent, user-friendly, and his advocacy is eloquent and persuasive."
Construction, Legal 500 2023
Described in legal directories as a “brilliantly analytical barrister” whose advocacy is “elegant and persuasive”, William is a specialist silk working in all aspects of construction and engineering disputes. Over the years, William has been involved in countless claims relating to defects, variations, delay and disruption on projects ranging from minor residential developments to substantial infrastructure projects such as power stations, refineries and highways. William has a particular familiarity with cladding and other fire safety disputes, having been involved in many such claims in the TCC and having been instructed to act for an interested party to the Grenfell Inquiry. He is also very familiar with PFI/PPP disputes having acted for public bodies, ProjectCos, building contractors and maintenance contractors in a wide variety of matters arising under such contracts.
William frequently appears in the Technology and Construction Court, where he has been instructed in some of the largest recent cases involving multiple parties and trials lasting several weeks. He also regularly appears in the Court of Appeal, as well as the Commercial Court and Chancery Division. He is also a TECBAR accredited adjudicator and has received appointments as adjudicator and arbitrator in both domestic and international disputes.
In addition to domestic court work, William is regularly involved in substantial international arbitrations including claims arising out of projects in Qatar, Oman, Dubai, Yemen, Greece, Spain, Africa, Singapore and Russia. He is familiar with ICC, LCIA and UNCITRAL rules as well as bespoke national provisions.
William is heavily involved in academic and practitioner texts on construction law, being an Editor of Chitty on Contracts (since 2015), an Editor of Keating on JCT Contracts and an editor of the Construction Law Reports.
Acting for the main contractor in 11-party TCC proceedings concerning defects at a PFI new Hospital in North East England.
Acting for a water company in relation to a major delay claim arising from upgrade works to a waste treatment facility in Essex.
Acting for a main contractor in 3-party TCC proceedings concerning fire safety defects to the external and internal elements of a mixed used development.
Acting for a building contractor in a High Court TCC trial concerning issues of delay and valuation under a cost plus contract.
Acting for a Sub-Contractor in a substantial delay and variations claim arising out of the construction of a mechanical and biological treatment facility in West Sussex.
Acting for a developer in a High Court TCC trial concerning the application of the prevention principle.
Counsel for a major contractor in a multi-million pound final account dispute in respect of an art gallery in East Anglia.
Acting for a leading outdoor advertising company in a dispute regarding delay and disruption to a project to extensively upgrade and enhance the advertising estate on a major metro system.
Acting for a contractor on an arbitration concerning a major road interchange project in Dubai.
Acting for an engineer on an arbitration concerning a major road project in Hong Kong.
Acting for the main contractor in the TCC in a three-party claim concerning termination of a contract for the construction of an energy-from-waste plant in Hull.
Acting for the civil works contractor on a TCC claim relating to a power station in Wales.
Acting for a solar farm developer in a claim arising from a failure to connect several solar farm sites prior to the deadline for a higher rate of ROCs.
Acting for a contractor in a payment claim by a sub-contractor arising from the construction of a thermal power station.
Acting for an electricity supply company on a dispute regarding wrongful termination of the supply contract.
Acting for the contractor in a dispute concerning the termination of a contract for the supply of components for oil and gas drilling rigs.
Acting for a firm of architects in the TCC and Court of Appeal in a seven-party claim relating to cost overrun at a mixed-use development in Berkshire.
Acting for a main contractor in TCC proceedings against an architect and approved inspector in relation to defects in the external wall system of a substantial residential development.
Acting for a group of homeowners in the TCC and Court of Appeal in a claim against a surveying architect who failed to identify defects in a new-build block of flats during construction.
Acting for the ground engineering contractor in a five party TCC claim involving subsidence of a building in Mayfair.
Acting for an engineering consultancy in respect of allegations of negligence in ground investigation work.
Advising and drafting pleadings for the owner of an industrial unit on a claim against the design and build contractor and engineer in respect of water ingress.
Acting for the owner of a factory on a claim regarding defective design of a waste treatment plant.
Acting for a ProjectCo in the TCC and Court of Appeal in a claim against the building contractor in relation to defective cladding on a hospital.
Acting for a building contractor in multi-party TCC claim concerning a wide array of alleged defects at a newly constructed Hospital.
Acting for a ProjectCo in adjudications against a building contractor concerning fire safety issues at seven schools.
Acting for a ProjectCo in a TCC claim against a sub-contractor concerning defective cladding on a hospital.
Acting for a facilities management firm in relation to a payment claim for life cycle maintenance costs.
Acting for ProjectCo in relation to cladding defects in several social housing blocks.
Advising and representing a facilities management firm in an adjudication concerning fire stopping defects in a hospital.
Advising and representing a facilities management firm in an adjudication concerning the cost of transferred employees at a hospital.
Advising and representing three councils in adjudications and Commercial Court proceedings concerning the excess profit share provisions of a long term waste management agreement.
Advising and representing a waste contractor in an arbitration arising from waste being diverted from an energy-from-waste plant to landfill.
Advising a waste contractor regarding the effect of price changes on the energy from waste payment provisions of its waste management agreement.
Acting for an EPCM Contractor in a substantial delay and breach of contract claim arising out of a substantial infrastructure project in Qatar.
Acting for the contractor in an arbitration arising from the termination of a mine shaft sinking contract in Russia.
Acting for the purchaser in an arbitration about termination of a contract for construction of a deepwater drilling vessel.
Acting for the owner in a dispute about delay and disruption to an oil refinery upgrade project in Greece.
Acting for the contractor on a claim arising out of the construction of a major road interchange in Dubai.
Acting for the contractor on a money claim arising out of rail works in Africa.
Acting for the contractor on substantial road improvement projects in Oman and Yemen.
Acting for Referring and Responding Parties in adjudications in many different types of dispute including payment disputes, defect claims, professional negligence claims and PFI disputes.
Counsel in numerous adjudication enforcement actions in the TCC including stays of execution and adjudicator fee disputes. See reported cases for more information.
TECBAR accredited adjudicator.
Editor of the Adjudication Society Newsletter, 2009-2011.
Keating Chambers 2006-present
Bar Vocational Course, Inns of Court School of Law 2004-2005
BCL (Distinction), St. Catherine’s College, Oxford 2003-2004
LL.M., University of Virginia School of Law 2002-2003
BA (Law), Trinity College, Cambridge 1999-2002
Society of Construction Law
Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)
Editor of Chitty on Contracts, 32nd Edition.
Contributor to Keating on Construction Contracts, 9th and 10th Edition.
Editor of the Construction Law Reports.
