Keating Chambers

Head of Chambers: Alexander Nissen QC

Tenants: 72

THE CHAMBERS Keating Chambers is a leading commercial barristers’ chambers based in London, with a thriving domestic and international practice. Chambers specialises in providing services across the areas of construction (onshore and offshore), energy, engineering, infrastructure, procurement, property, planning and environment, professional negligence, shipbuilding and marine engineering, and technology. With 72 barristers (including 33 silks) the set has the strength in depth across the range of seniorities to support clients’ needs. The set also has a number of international members based in either Africa, Australia, Hong Kong or Singapore, enabling it to provide commercial and practical advice, together with a first rate flexible and client-focused service, worldwide.

The set’s barristers act in the very highest value and most significant project disputes in the world. Specialists in advocacy, their ability to offer incisive and critical cross examination in conjunction with expertise in presenting a case in the best possible way is of great value to clients. They have formidable experience in all the stages of a construction dispute from procurement issues and early initial advisory work, to mediation, adjudication and litigation or arbitration. Chambers members appear in the UK Courts (primarily the TCC and Commercial Court), including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, and in international arbitration, frequently in relation to contracts governed by foreign law. They are familiar with domestic and international, and on and offshore, standard forms of contract (including FIDIC, NEC, IChemE, LOGIC, SAJ and AWES), and regularly act in disputes concerning bespoke contracts. They also have extensive experience with PPP, PFI, and partnering and alliancing contracts. The set’s expertise is augmented by its experience in construction professional negligence and disputes in other project related sectors such as energy, offshore construction and marine engineering, and infrastructure and utilities.

Internationally, members are instructed as counsel or arbitrator in arbitrations governed by many of the world’s leading appointing bodies, such as the ICC, LCIA, AIAC, DIAC, HKIAC, SIAC and VIAC. They are also instructed/appointed directly by parties to arbitrations under ICSID and UNCITRAL rules. Members act as experts on English law in overseas jurisdictions, and some members have rights of audience in other jurisdictions (such as Dubai (DIFC), Hong Kong SAR, New Zealand, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). Members are the authors of the seminal practitioner textbook in the field, ‘Keating on Construction Contracts’ (now in its 11th Edition) and other staple industry texts include ‘Keating on NEC3’, ‘Keating on Offshore Construction and Marine Engineering Contracts’ and the ‘Keating Construction Dispute Resolution Handbook’. The set is also committed to providing training and development to clients and can offer complimentary in-house training seminars on a broad range of topics.