London Bar
Construction
Leading silk4Sarah Hannaford KC – Keating Chambers ‘Sarah is very good at grasping the key issues of the case and understanding the strength and weaknesses. Her advocacy is superb.'
Keating Chambers
keatingchambers.comBarristers
Sarah Hannaford KC
Keating Chambers, London
- Phone020 7544 2600
- Email[email protected]
Position
Sarah Hannaford KC is a leading commercial barrister with a practice that spans both the United Kingdom and international markets. She specialises in construction, engineering, infrastructure and energy disputes, as well as professional negligence work within these areas. Over the past fifteen years, she has also developed an unrivalled procurement practice. In recognition of the significance of her practice, Sarah was included in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 list in 2022, and several of her cases have been featured in their annual “Top 20 cases” lists, most recently in 2025.
Sarah is widely regarded as a star of the Procurement Bar and is the natural choice for complex, high-value procurement issues. She is instructed in the most significant cases in this area, regularly advising government bodies, local authorities, utilities and industry clients. Sarah has acted in numerous high-profile procurement challenges, including the prominent case of Siemens v HS2, an important decision on manifest error, conflicts of interest and judicial review in which Sarah’s clients were successful on all claims. She also acted for the Gambling Commission in a dispute over the extremely high-value contract to run the National Lottery, which led to an application to the Court of Appeal, and Bechtel v HS2 concerning the construction of Old Oak Common Station. Sarah’s status in this area led to her involvement in the publication of the Cabinet Office’s Green Paper on Transforming Public Procurement.
Sarah is recommended by Chambers UK Bar as a “multi-talented QC with a remarkably wide practice.” She is widely acclaimed for her advocacy, grasp of case details and ability to work well with clients, leading to regular instructions in complex construction and commercial disputes in the UK Courts, adjudication and international arbitration. She has experience in the full range of contractual claims arising from construction projects, including claims related to defects, termination, delay and professional negligence. Sarah has substantial experience in disputes involving most standard form contracts, including the JCT standard forms, ICE, NEC, IChemE and FIDIC forms. She also regularly advises on PFI, PPP and facilities management contracts, including in both the waste and health sectors. Additionally, she has considerable expertise in energy, offshore construction and shipping disputes, including acting in high-profile disputes such as the Solitaire and the Varg.
Sarah was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 2015. In addition to her work as Counsel, Sarah sits as arbitrator and is a trained mediator and adjudicator.
Career
Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland, 2015 Queen’s Counsel, 2008 Trained Mediator, 2006 TECBAR Accredited Adjudicator, 2004 Appointed to the Treasury A Panel, 2003 Member (and former Committee Member) of the Technology and Construction Bar Association (TECBAR) 1991 Keating Chambers, 1990 Called to the Bar (Middle Temple), 1989
Languages
Working knowledge French, Spanish.
Memberships
Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) Technology and Construction Bar (TECBAR) Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR) International Bar Association (IBA) Society of Construction Law (SCL) Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb)
Education
Lincoln College, Oxford (1986 BA; MA).
Leisure
In her spare time Sarah enjoys skiing and is a keen tennis player.
Mentions
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