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Name: Simon Hargreaves QC
Call: 1991
Languages:

English
Silk: 2009
Email: shargreaves@keatingchambers.com
simon hargreaves

Simon Hargreaves QC was called to the Bar in 1991, served on the Attorney-General’s Panel of Treasury Counsel from 2002 to 2008 and took Silk in 2009. He has spent his entire career in Keating Chambers specialising in disputes arising from construction, engineering, IT systems, transport, energy contracts and fires. He specialises in all forums including litigation, arbitration, adjudication and ADR as well as relief concerning pre-action disclosure, summary judgment, interim payment, strike out, security for costs, arbitration applications, injunctions and bond applications.

Simon Hargreaves QC has been involved in a number of high profile cases across the different areas of his practice, principally construction, engineering, fires and IT.  In recent years he has been involved in claims arising from: the Magna Park fire; the London Underground transmission and radio upgrade project; a claim concerning turbine design for a nuclear power station; the Chancery Lane Tube derailment in January 2003; the Gerrard’s Cross tunnel collapse; the London Transport Upgrade (including Oystercard); claims arising on Wembley Stadium; bond and defects claims concerning the design and manufacture of a new commuter train; tunnelling disputes; North Sea and nuclear decontamination.

Simon Hargreaves QC has considerable experience of professional negligence claims and related insurance claims arising from construction, engineering, transport, IT systems, energy contracts and fires, including claims for and against civil and structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers, architects, asbestos professionals and contractors, project managers, quantity surveyors, IT consultants and costs consultants.

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Recent Work

  • PFI Contracts – Street Lighting
  • Term Contracts (Utilities) – valuation issues
  • Tunnelling
  • Gold Mining
  • Oil and Gas Installations (including design, procurement and construction of refinery plant)
  • Nuclear decontamination (Category 1 site)
  • Wind Turbines – Grouted Connection Failures
  • IT systems contracts, data centres, hosting services
  • Warehousing, materials handling and distribution systems (publishers, record companies etc)
  • Command and Control Systems (Fire and Ambulance)
  • Water treatment works
  • Process Plant (various)
    Storage vessels (land and sea)
  • Sub-sea engineering
  • Claims in contract and tort by and against developers, contractors, management contractors, sub-contractors and suppliers
  • Quantum meruit claims
  • Site investigation and geotechnical disputes
  • Claims arising from developments on peat and landfill, and difficult site development generally
  • Subsidence claims
  • Earthworks
  • Asbestos contamination and removal
  • Heavy delay and disruption claims
  • Steelwork
  • Air-conditioning systems
  • Railways, trains, train and bogie design and manufacture
  • Collapses
  • Floods
  • Sports stadiums
  • Hospitals
  • Fires and fire prevention
  • Residential developments
  • Residential, Retail, Office, University, Hotel and Sports developments
  • Canals
  • Adjudication and enforcements
  • Economic torts
  • Appeals from arbitrators
  • Advising on standard terms
  • Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977
  • Claims in negligence
  • Limitation
  • Claims against insurers and brokers
Recent International Work
  • ICC arbitration concerning petrochemical facility at Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, issues concerning RFISU, Milestones, delays, construction of interim agreement and change
  • Dispute concerning civil, utilities and erection sub-contract relating to Tankage Works project at Gas to Liquids facility at Ras Laffan, Qatar, issues concerning buyback clauses, contractual discretion, innominate terms
  • ICC arbitration concerning major plant in the Middle East, issues concerning delays and extensions of time, weather, design, prevention
  • FEED, EPC and PM contract for Dukhan Consolidated Facilities Upgrade Project, Qatar, issues concerning proper construction of payment provisions
  • Refurbishment of oil refinery plant in Russia, issues concerning delays, time at large, breaking down of contract machinery and technical issues as regards hydrocrackers
  • Subsea installation, hookup and precommissioning and project management in relation to the subsea well tieback to the Benguela and Belize Drilling and Production Platform, Lobito Tomboco Project, Angola, issues concerning supply of materials and relevant contractual rights and remedies
  • ICC arbitration in Hong Kong, issues concerning the upgrading and restringing of power lines across Papua New Guinea
  • LNG terminal in Peru, issues concerning breach of environmental protection requirement, defects, delays and extensions of time
  • Gold mining project in Burkina Faso, issues concerning project management, design, time, process plant defects and overspend on an EPCM contract
  • Advice in connection with a development in Grand Cayman, issues concerning M&E design, testing and commissioning
  • Grouted connection defects in North Sea wind farm, issues concerning DNV standards and certification
  • Advice in connection with offshore cryogenic containers, issues concerning DNV certification notes

 

Recommendations

Construction
“tenacious attitude and commercial insight”   "a star fighter who can dig you out of the deepest holes."  "measured yet forceful approach and exceptional mind"

Energy 
"very commercially aware"  "excellent and tenacious advocate."

Professional Negligence
"he mucks in well and communicates on a normal level with the client."...“very popular in the market” Chambers and Partners 2012

Construction
"Tenacious in his approach and excellent on his feet; he gets up to speed very quickly"... "knows the industry inside-out and knocks spots off the opposition"... "very much your man for a rough and tumble in court."

Energy
"commercially minded, well-focused and tenacious individual."

Professional Negligence
"a pugnacious performer who is bright and easy-going." 
Chambers and Partners 2011

Construction
"expected to take off like a rocket."

Professional Negligence
“earmarked for great success. His tenacity and skill have won him a legion of supporters.”

Energy
“took silk this year having had a very successful career as a junior attracting some fine pieces of work.”
Chambers and Partners 2010 

Construction
"incisive mind and pleasing bedside manner"…"little doubt that he is going to be one of the most impressive of us all, given time"…"stands out from the crowd for being “just brilliantly clever,”…“able to expertly negotiate the most difficult cases.”

Professional Negligence
"A practical, highly reliable lawyer of strong opinions"…is described by opposing counsel as “a formidable and tenacious senior junior.”

Energy
"user-friendly and has the ability to convey difficult concepts in an easy to understand manner"…“exceptionally strong performer”…"a fine reputation for thoroughness."
Chambers and Partners 2008 and 2009

Nominated for Construction Junior of the Year
Chambers and Partners Bar Awards 2008

"extremely bright."
Legal 500 2007

"clever, literate and persuasive"…"rave reviews and with good reason"...is extremely good at "shaking a case by the scruff of the neck"…"intelligent and dedicated"…"exceptionally good and totally reliable"…”produces excellent paperwork”…”strong attention to detail"...wildly impressive”..."enjoys an active professional negligence practice”…...attention to detail in advising on and drafting pleadings has won him a following among solicitors...."
Chambers and Partners 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007

"Simon Hargreaves has been consistently mentioned in Chambers and Partners since 1995. tenacious in his approach and excellent on his feet; he gets up to speed very quickly." "knows the industry inside-out and knocks spots off the opposition." "very much your man for a rough and tumble in court."


Selected Reported Cases


Publications

Assistant Editor, Construction Law Yearbook 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Editorial team, Keating on Building Contracts 7th edition 2001.

 

Simon Hargreaves QC has presented seminars to TECBAR, TeCSA, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, firms of solicitors and developers and contractors.

Education and Professional Career

MA in Jurisprudence, Worcester College, Oxford
Called to the Bar (Inner Temple)
Keating Chambers
Appointed Treasury Counsel (B-panel 5-10 years call)
Queen's Counsel
TECBAR Accredited Adjudicator
Arbitrator
Dispute Resolution Board Member

 1989
1991
1992
2002-2008 
2009
 

 

Memberships

Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)
Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA)
Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)
Society of Construction Law (SCL)
Society for Computers and Law (SCL)


Other Information

Simon Hargreaves QC is married with three daughters, lives in West London and enjoys skiing and diving.
Contact Us
If you would like to discuss ways in which Keating Chambers can assist you or your organisation, please contact Senior Clerk, Nick Child, in the first instance, on +44(0)20 7544 2600. The teams of Clerks will be pleased to advise you on the member of Keating Chambers appropriate to your requirements.
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