Callum Monro Morrison
Call: 2018
"Callum Monro Morrison is a superb junior. He is sharp, very commercial and technically robust."
Construction, Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2025
Languages:
Call: 2018
"Callum Monro Morrison is a superb junior. He is sharp, very commercial and technically robust."
Construction, Chambers & Partners UK Bar 2025
Languages:
Callum acts as a specialist advocate in commercial disputes arising from construction, engineering, energy, IT, infrastructure and offshore/marine projects. As either sole counsel or as junior counsel in larger legal teams, he is engaged in both international and domestic work and particularly relishes disputes involving complex engineering issues. Callum is a contributing author of Keating on Construction Contracts, Keating on Offshore Construction and Marine Engineering Contracts and the Construction Law Reports. He has experience with all common standard form construction contracts, including the JCT, NEC, FIDIC, IChemE and RIBA forms, as well as PFI and shipbuilding contracts. He is ranked by Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500 as a ‘rising star’ and an ‘up and coming’ junior in three practice areas: Construction; International Arbitration; and Professional Negligence. He is also featured in Doyle’s Guide as Leading Construction Law Junior Counsel.
Callum regularly represents clients in the High Court, County Court and in adjudications in his own right. Recent highlights include acting:
for a claimant engineering contractor in an international arbitration concerning an offshore oil and gas project in Africa (led by Paul Buckingham KC);
for a respondent engineering contractor in a five-week trial concerning the use of a pioneering anaerobic digestion technology at a waste-to-energy plant (led by Fionnuala McCredie KC and William Webb KC);
as sole counsel in a two-day trial concerning a residential renovation project, following which Callum’s client received a substantial settlement payment prior to handing down of the judgment;
on behalf of a public authority in a multi-million-pound adjudication and subsequent arbitration concerning the authority’s entitlement to make significant deductions from the contractor’s payments under a long-term PFI contract (led by Paul Buckingham KC);
as sole counsel in a c. £1.7 million adjudication concerning a project manager’s entitlement to payment of a development profit fee, decided in favour of Callum’s client;
on behalf of a shipbuilder in two separate international arbitrations concerning the termination of two construction contracts for state-of-the-art semi-submersible offshore drilling rigs (led by Adam Constable KC, now Constable J);
on behalf of an investment fund in TCC proceedings concerning a multi-million-pound retail and residential development, in which the fund was successful in the Court of Appeal (led by Jonathan Selby KC – see [2022] 1 WLR 878); and
on behalf of a public authority in TCC proceedings concerning unsafe cladding and other fire safety defects in residential tower blocks (led by Simon Hughes KC).
Callum accepts instructions to advise, draft pleadings and represent clients in relation to their commercial disputes, with a focus on construction and engineering contracts and associated professional negligence matters.
Oral
Strike out application in the County Court at Birmingham. Successfully applied to strike out a c. £100k claim against Callum’s client on the basis of an abuse of process.
Adjudication enforcement in the County Court at Central London. Successfully applied to enforce an adjudicator’s decision, including payment of the adjudicator’s fees, which was resisted on a wide range of jurisdictional and natural justice grounds.
Two-day trial in the County Court at Cambridge. The case concerned the termination of a residential building contract; a claim for unpaid invoices; and a counterclaim in respect of defective and incomplete building work. Successfully obtained (draft) judgment in favour of the defendant on the counterclaim and substantial dismissal of the claim. The case settled at the conclusion of the hearing, before the judgment was formally handed down.
CCMC (High Court, TCC). Successfully obtained relief from sanctions in respect of the late filing of the claimant’s costs budget – see [2023] Costs LR 1025.
Application for an extension of time for service of the Claim Form (High Court, TCC). Successfully resisted the application on behalf of the defendant, securing a tactical victory for the client – see [2021] EWHC 972 (TCC).
Application for specific disclosure (High Court, TCC). Successfully resisted the application, which was dismissed.
Application for a stay of proceedings pursuant to section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (High Court, Commercial Court). Successfully obtained the order sought, together with a costs order in favour of the client.
CCMC (County Court at Central London). Appeared on behalf of the claimant homeowners in a building defects case. Successfully resisted the defendants’ application for permission to rely on the expert evidence of a building surveyor and obtained significant reductions in the defendants’ costs budgets (c. 40% in respect of some phases).
Appeared on behalf of the defendant insurer in a series of fast- and multi-track trials concerning claims by highway repair contractors for the costs of repairing damaged highway assets (County Court, various hearing centres). The trials included cross-examination of expert witnesses in the field of quantity surveying. Successfully obtained significant reductions in the quantum of damages awarded in each case (liability had been admitted, such that the only issues were quantum-related).
Dispute Resolution Hearing (County Court at Southend). Appeared on behalf of the defendant supplier of building materials. The claim concerned allegedly defective paint supplied by the defendant. Successfully obtained a strike-out of the claim.
Disposal hearing (County Court at Canterbury). Appeared on behalf of the claimants in a claim against a landlord for the cost of building repairs. Successfully obtained all monetary relief sought, together with a substantial costs award.
Strike-out application (County Court at Watford). Successfully obtained dismissal of the claim on the basis of a contractual exclusion clause and limitation.
Application to set aside default judgment (County Court at Leicester). Successfully resisted the application and associated interim charging order, further obtaining an order that the defendant pay a substantial part of the claimant’s costs.
CCMC (County Court at Central London). Successfully obtained substantial approval of the claimant’s costs budget and several reductions in the defendant’s costs budget.
Final hearing (County Court at Kingston-Upon-Thames). Appeared on behalf of the defendant and successfully obtained dismissal of the claim, which concerned business interruption losses.
Application to reinstate a Defence (County Court at Slough). Appeared on behalf of the Applicant and successfully obtained an order granting relief from sanctions, thus reinstating a Defence which had been struck out for failure to serve a directions questionnaire on time.
Application for a stay for arbitration (County Court at Northampton). Appeared on behalf of the Applicant and successfully obtained a stay of the proceedings pursuant to section 9 of the Arbitration Act 1996.
Written
Drafted written and oral submissions on behalf of the respondent in a legally significant appeal concerning the use of sampling and extrapolation in professional negligence claims (led by Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully obtained dismissal of the appeal – see [2022] 1 WLR 878.
Drafted written and oral submissions to resist an application in the High Court (TCC) to strike out large parts of the Particulars of Claim which advanced a claim based on sampling and extrapolation (led by Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully obtained dismissal of the application – see [2021] BLR 126.
CMC (international arbitration). Assisted in drafting the claimant’s skeleton argument and oral submissions (led by Adam Constable KC, now Constable J). The procedural orders sought were successfully obtained.
Drafted the claimant’s response to a defendants’ note on a draft judgment, in which the defendants had sought to re-argue substantial parts of an application which the judge had dismissed (led by Jonathan Selby KC). Successfully obtained a refusal by the judge to amend the relevant parts of his judgment.
Drafted the Grounds of Appeal and accompanying skeleton argument for an appeal against a judgment on quantum where the judge had erred in law.
Drafted the mediation position paper (and attended the mediation) on behalf of two claimant homeowners in a dispute with a well-known defendant housebuilder. The claim concerned widespread defects in a new-build residential property. Successfully obtained a substantial settlement payment for the claimants.
Drafted a skeleton argument in support of an application to the High Court to obtain an interim prohibitory injunction to prevent threatened trespass and property damage.
Drafted a Respondent’s statement of reasons why permission to appeal should be refused.
Drafted a skeleton argument in support of an application for (i) a mandatory interim injunction to obtain delivery up of design materials, and (ii) an order that the proceedings be stayed for arbitration.
Professional Career
Tenant, Keating Chambers, 2019
Pupil, Keating Chambers, 2018-2019
Called to the Bar, Inner Temple, 2018
Paralegal, Energy & Natural Resources Group, Reed Smith LLP, 2018
Education
BPTC, City Law School (Outstanding in Commercial Law, Civil Advocacy, ADR), 2016-2017
MSc Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology, St Cross College, University of Oxford (Distinction), 2015-2016
GDL, City Law School (Distinction in Contract Law, Public Law, Criminal Law), 2014-2015
BA Archaeology & Anthropology, Hertford College, University of Oxford (First Class Honours), 2010-2013
Callum is a keen rock climber, Japanese art enthusiast and record collector/DJ.
Best Team, WCA Arbitration Competition, 2019
Vocalise Debating Prize, Gray’s Inn, 2017
Dr Nicola Knight Prize, University of Oxford, 2016
Hertford College Final Honours Prize, University of Oxford, 2013
Junior and Senior Academic Scholar, St Paul’s School, 2010
Four-time Senior Academic Prizewinner, St Paul’s School, 2008-2010
"As far as understanding and getting a good grip of issues goes, he is excellent."
"Callum is a cool-headed, analytical junior counsel, who is wise beyond his years."
"Callum Monro Morrison is a superb junior. He is sharp, very commercial and technically robust."
"Callum is good at thinking on his feet and being creative in terms of strategy."
"His response times are excellent."
"He provides succinct and easy-to-follow advice to clients."
"His papers are his top quality, as far as understanding and getting a good grip of issues."
"He is an expert in this field."
"Callum has a good ability to get to grips with complicated issues."
"He is not daunted by the technical stuff and he can synthesise large amounts of material well."
"He deals thoroughly with clients and gets into the detail fully."
"Callum is very bright, calm and a delight. He is brilliant at pleading and dealing with tricky points of law."
"He is very calm, diligent, and bright. He is a delight to have on the team. His pleading and research skills are excellent."
"Callum is intelligent, good with clients, responsive, approachable and expresses his views very clearly."
"A developing junior with real potential to become a star."
"An excellent team player, Callum delivers clear, concise advice and can always be relied upon to put forward robust arguments even in difficult situations."
"Callum has provided excellent service."
"Callum is an exceptionally diligent counsel who focuses a great deal on preparation and achieves a quick grasp of the technical nature of our work."