Julia McKie is an associate in the Litigation and Regulatory team at DLA Piper UK LLP in London. She focuses on construction, engineering and infrastructure dispute resolution.
Julia also provides 'live' project and dispute avoidance advice. Her experience covers a variety of different disputes including adjudication, arbitration, litigation and other forms of ADR.
Julia has advised clients on a range of issues including loss and expense, delay, defects, design liability, payment, insolvency, and termination.
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales, 2019
EXPERIENCE
Arbitration and Court proceedings
Advising a Joint venture which includes a South Korean EPC contractor, in an ICC arbitration against its subcontractor relating to works at oil refineries in the Middle East. The project has experienced substantial delays and the parties are in dispute over claims for compensation for additional work, rework and remeasurement of quantities. The sums in dispute exceed USD300m.
Advising a Structural Engineering Company in relation to proceedings brought against it as co-defendant in the New York Courts concerning the development of a datacenter in Frankfurt. The dispute is valued at circa USD25m Julia has been advising on English Law matters in relation to the client's motion to dismiss the claim for lack of jurisdiction and in relation to the production of expert reports.
Advising a French construction company on a challenge in the English Courts to an ICC arbitration award and a subsequent anti-suit injunction hearing relating to proceedings which had been commenced by the French contractor in Jordan.
Advising a joint venture of Korean and Japanese contractors in an ICC arbitration commenced against a bank in Doha as a result of the bank’s refusal to make payment of bonds (value, USD60m), issued on a construction project to build a refinery in Saudi Arabia.
Energy
Advising a turbine supplier in relation to various claims relating to turbine supply agreements totaling over EUR3bn on a UK-based offshore wind farm that is one of the largest in the world. Julia has advised in relation to various events that have caused the supplier to incur delays and additional costs.
Advising a Saudi Arabian developer/operator of power generation and water desalination plants in relation to a c.900m USD 500MW solar park development in Morocco. Julia has advised in relation to a proposed settlement agreement with the EPC Contractor and the O&M Contractor.
Advising a state-owned Chinese EPC contractor, in relation to delay, disruption and variation claims against the employer under an EPC contract for the construction of a coal-fired power station in Vietnam. The value of the claims exceeds USD200m.
Advising a Korean manufacturing company in relation to a dispute against a Saudi Arabian construction company under a contract for the design, engineering and supply of equipment for the expansion of an oil powered power plant in Saudi Arabia. The dispute involves issues of delay and alleged defective work.
Acting for a UK piling subcontractor against a joint venture of French and British companies in relation to a project to construct a new LNG storage tank. The dispute involves claims for extensions of time and costs.
Infrastructure
Acting for an unincorporated joint venture of design, engineering and construction companies in relation to a major infrastructure project to build a high-speed railway. The dispute involves claims for compensation events and deductions for disallowed costs.
Digital infrastructure and Telecommunications
Acting for a global developer and operator of datacenters, in relation to a claim valued at over GBP50m. Julia's work involved negotiating a hard-fought settlement agreement, significantly reducing the client's liability and the potential for reputational damage. Ongoing work includes bringing a claim against the project team. There are also health and safety aspects which have necessitated instructing and managing a health and safety expert.
Acting for a major UK telecommunications provider. The advice included successfully defending the client in an adjudication over a payment dispute. The adjudication involved procedural issues about the parties’ compliance with the notification requirements set out in the contract and the validity of certain payment notices. Further advice included analysis of the true value of the account.
Medical
Advising the liquidator of a large contractor about claims arising from a project to develop a new 650 bed hospital. The matter involved providing strategic advice in relation to a number of different potential claims. This included issues of delay, quantification of losses, and issues arising due to the prospective claimant being in liquidation.
Education
Trinity College Dublin, Single Honours Classics (BA), First Class
