Ciaran Williams
20 Fenchurch Street
24th Floor
London EC3M 3BY
United Kingdom
Ciaran is counsel in the International Construction Disputes group based in our London office. Ciaran’s practice focuses on all forms of construction and engineering dispute resolution including court proceedings, arbitration, adjudication, and mediation.
Ciaran has significant experience across the main construction and energy sectors, including major infrastructure, tunnel, rail, road, signalling, water treatment, data centre, oil and gas, biomass, petrochemical, and nuclear projects. Ciaran advises on the major standard forms of contract, such as NEC, JCT and FIDIC, as well as bespoke contracts.
Experience Highlights
Advising main contractor on various disputes with subcontractors at various stages of maturity from pre-action to arbitration (administered by Netherlands Institute)
Conduct of arbitration proceedings (administered by the Arbitration Institute of the Finland Chamber of Commerce) regarding disputes between the main contractor and a subcontractor arising out of the construction of a data centre
Acting on a number of ICC arbitrations in connection with the design and construction of a major maritime project in Central America
Conduct of ICC arbitral proceedings on behalf of an EPCM contractor arising out of a Middle Eastern world-class petrochemical complex, including issues relating to non-payment of invoices, delays, and the quality of engineering, procurement, and construction management services
Conduct of ICC arbitration (Geneva Seat) on behalf of a JV arising out of Middle Eastern petrochemical project. The value of the dispute is at $250m+ and covers a wide range of delay and disruption claims, together with over 400 smaller value additional cost claims and back charges
Acting for a main contractor in respect of disputes on a nuclear submarine defence project
Acting on an ad hoc arbitration for a civil contractor in a range of disputes on a major light rail PFI project in the UK
Advising a main contractor in respect of disputes against a multinational electricity and gas utility company on a project to improve the operational dependability to a HVDC submarine power cable
Advising an international contractor in respect of disputes with its subcontractor on a project which involved the demolition and replacement of a road-over-rail bridge
Advising an M&E subcontractor in respect of a final account dispute with an employer on a prestigious residential project in the UK
Acting for a rail provider on a multi-million pound adjudication brought by its contractor in relation to a major capacity improvement infrastructure project
Advising a large oil and gas provider on disputes under an EPC contract for a LNG plant and associated facilities in West Africa
Credentials
- Queen’s University Belfast, M.Sc. Construction and Project Management, 2009
- Queen’s University Belfast, LL.B. Law, 2008
- Part of the team that won the 2022 International Arbitration Team of the Year at the Legal Business Awards
- England and Wales
- Ireland
- InsightOctober 28, 2024
Published by Law360
- InsightAugust 13, 2024
Published by New Civil Engineer
- InsightMarch 11, 2022
Published by Building Magazine
- “Ireland’s Construction Contracts Act and its application to projects abroad”, Construction Law, Volume 33, Number 8, October 2022
- Contributor to the RICS standard suite of appointments, published May 2022
Conference and Seminar Presentations
- “ESG and the Construction Industry: Legal and Business Developments,” UCL, The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, July 2024 (speaker)
- “The SCL Irish Conference – ‘Construction experience: the name we give our mistakes?’,” November 2023 (speaker)
- “The termination journey: Key considerations, risks… and opportunities?,” Kings College London, International Construction Arbitration Conference, 15 September 2022 (speaker)