Jonathan has nearly 40 years’ experience in handling significant disputes on behalf of a variety of developer and construction/engineering companies. For some 15 years Jonathan was a partner in, and Joint Head of the Construction Department of Nabarro Nathanson (now part of CMS, the 6th largest UK law firm). He left that firm in 2000 and joined Speechly Bircham (now Charles Russell Speechly), again as a partner. He retired from that partnership in October 2013.
Jonathan has, in his domestic practice, represented many of the UK’s largest developers, as well as contractors and professionals. His practice internationally has involved acting for a number of Fortune 500 companies, as well as a significant number of major US and European international clients on a variety of major international disputes in a wide range of jurisdictions, and in countries as diverse as Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, India, Pakistan, UAE, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
He has worked under a variety of procedural rules, including ICC, UNCITRAL and LCIA Rules, as well as the rules of other less well-known arbitral bodies, such as ADCCAC.
He has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, most recently representing the successful appellant in the Court of Appeal in Bennett (Construction) -v- CIMC MBS Limited [2019] EWCA Civ 1515 (which expounded on the interrelationship of paragraphs 2, 4, 5 and 7 of the Scheme for Construction Contracts in the context of milestone payments).
As well as his experience in handling complex disputes (whether in litigation, arbitration or other forms of alternative dispute resolution), Jonathan has also been appointed as a party-appointed arbitrator to determine disputes under the LCIA and ICC Rules.
What others say…
“honest, hardworking and entrepreneurial”
Legal 500“an astute operator and someone you want on your side”
Chambers“Very proactive in looking for a resolution to a dispute and will look outside the box to find answers.”
Chambers UK“very astute and a very safe pair of hands”
Chambers UK
