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Marcus Taverner KC

Call: 1981

Silk: 2000

"Simply one of the very best. Excellent lawyer. Particularly valuable in unraveling the technical evidence. Has a superb grasp of the material. Fair. Easy to talk to and highly collegiate."

International Arbitration: Arbitrators, Legal 500 UK Bar 2027

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Marcus Taverner KC
Clerk Details

Oliver Goldsmith

Elaine Weaver

Practice Summary

Marcus Taverner KC has practiced from Keating Chambers for over 40 years specialising in construction, engineering and energy related disputes. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2000 and awarded "Construction Silk of the Year" in 2009 and 2015 by Chambers & Partners. He was appointed Head of Keating Chambers in 2015 and served until 2020. He was recommended as "the leading construction silk at the bar today" (Who’s Who Legal 2016). The Legal 500 UK 2018 reported him as "Incredibly hardworking, consistently energetic, and rightly regarded as a doyen of the construction sector". He was recently identified by Chambers & Partners UK 2020 as "A commanding advocate who is, in our view, second to none in the construction field."

Marcus Taverner KC became a full-time arbitrator and adjudicator in October 2021. He was described by Legal 500 (2020) as "One of the leading new generation construction arbitrators – he has a good incisive brain; listens to arguments carefully but makes his mind up and is decisive." He has since been described by Chambers & Partners (2025) as "super popular and a great asset to any tribunal", "has boundless enthusiasm for the dispute, whatever it is, however it is" and "he’s top flight."

Having sat first as an arbitrator over 25 years ago, he has sat on numerous Tribunals governed by ICC, LCIA, SIAC, DIAC, HKIAC, VIAC and other institutional rules, as well as on Dispute Adjudication Boards in the UK and worldwide. His experience as an arbitrator, adjudicator and counsel, includes high value engineering, construction and energy related disputes in the UK and in jurisdictions around the world including: Europe; the Middle East (Qatar, Dubai, Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia); South Africa and other African nations (including Nigeria and Uganda); the USA; India; Vietnam; Hong Kong; and Australia. He has vast experience of an array of standard forms in mechanical, electrical and civil engineering.

He is particularly well known for his understanding of the commercial aspects of litigation and his mastering of the technical detail of complex and high value cases. The combination of "unparalleled advocacy skills" and "sound judgment" made him a popular choice for international and domestic clients. Clients have included UK governmental bodies, foreign governments and many of the world’s largest construction, engineering and oil companies, developers, related professionals and their insurers. His experience includes disputes subject to civil, common, Islamic and international jurisdictions and law.

In the last 5 to 10 years, as counsel and arbitrator, Marcus Taverner KC has been involved in an array of large disputes relating to waste to energy plants; on-shore and off-shore oil and gas extraction projects; power stations; LNG facilities and pipelines; mining; various types of complex process plants; and, in the UK in particular, disputes relating to the fire protection of buildings.

Practice Areas

Arbitration
  • Party appointed arbitration in respect of a wind farm project in the UK.
  • Chair of an ICC Tribunal relating to an LNG Project in Canada.
  • Tribunal member in an ICC Arbitration concerning a mixed residential commercial development in Doha.
  • Chair of an ICC Tribunal relating to an infrastructure project in Turkey.
  • Member of an ad hoc tribunal concerning a gas extraction project in Africa.
  • Arbitrator in relation to a high value dispute concerning fire protection to a residential development in the UK.
  • Member of an LCIA Tribunal concerning a gas extraction project in West Africa.
  • Member of an ICC Arbitration panel determining a dispute relating to a gas project in Saudi Arabia.
  • Member of an ICC Arbitration concerning a high value dispute relating to a waste to energy plant in Scotland.
  • Member of a Tribunal in an Ad hoc Arbitration concerning a sub-sea pipe line in the Middle East.
  • Tribunal member in an EDF Rules Arbitration concerning a large road project in central Africa.
  • Chair of a DIAC Rules Arbitration relating to a process plant in Saudi Arabia.
  • Member of an ICC Arbitration relating to delays and defects in a road in Botswana.
  • Member of an ICC Arbitration Panel concerning a mining project in South Africa.
  • Member of LCIA Tribunal Arbitrating a dispute relating to the sale of power equipment for installation in a Combined Cycle Power Station in the West Indies.
  • Tribunal member in an ICC Arbitration concerning an oil refinery in Oman.
  • Chair of an ICC Tribunal in a dispute concerning a transport project in Saudi Arabia.
  • Tribunal member of a SIAC Arbitration relating to the transport of wind turbines in the Far East.
  • Member of an ICC Arbitration relating to a waste to energy dispute in Ireland.
  • Member of LCIA Tribunal relating to a dispute concerning an expressway in Oman.
  • Chair of an ICC Arbitration concerning a large dispute relating to a Biofuel development in the USA.
  • Member of an LCIA Tribunal concerning the sale and distribution of solar panels.
  • Member of an ICC  Tribunal concerning a copper mine in Zambia.
  • Tribunal member in an arbitration concerning a dispute relating to drilling rigs in Bangladesh.
  • Sole arbitrator with regard to a multi-party infrastructure dispute in Hong Kong.
  • Arbitrator in ICC Arbitration relating to an oil refinery in Egypt.
  • Chair of a SIAC Arbitration relating to a mining project in Australia.
  • Chair of an ICC Arbitration concerning a mining concession in Australia.
  • Tribunal member in an ICC Arbitration concerning a dispute relating to the construction of an export pipeline and gas collection header at an LNG plant in Australia.
  • Arbitrator in an off shore oil concession dispute in Nigeria.
  • UNCITRAL Arbitration panel member relating to a steam turbine.
  • Tribunal member in joint venture dispute arising out of the construction of a production facility in Trinidad.
  • Sole arbitrator in a domestic dispute regarding a commercial development in the South of England.
  • Member of an ICC panel relating to a thermal power station in Cote D’Ivoire.
  • Member of an ICC Tribunal relating to an energy dispute in the Cayman Islands.
  • Sole arbitration in an UNCITRAL Arbitration concerning a brewing plant in Europe.
Adjudication
  • Adjudicator in a rail infrastructure dispute in the UK.
  • Adjudicator in a dispute concerning an environmental incident in the South of England.
  • Adjudicator in respect of a road project in the UK.
  • Adjudicator in a large PFI hospital dispute in the UK.
Dispute Boards (DAB/DRB)
  • Member of a DAB panel relating to a power station in Africa.
  • Chair of a DAB relating to dispute concerning two power plants constructed in South Africa.
  • DAB member of a dispute arising out of a power plant in Costa Rica.

Reported Cases

Essex County Council v UBB Waste (Essex) Limited

Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd v AMEC (BCS) Ltd

Leeds Beckett University v Travelers Insurance Company Ltd

Mutual Energy Ltd Claimant v (1) Starr Underwriting Agents Ltd (2) Travellers Syndicate Management Ltd

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Europe Ltd v BAE Systems (Al Diriyah C41) Ltd

Vivergo Fuels Ltd v Redhall Engineering Solutions Ltd

RWE Npower Plc v Alstom Power Ltd & Ors

AE Yates Trenchless Solutions Ltd v Black & Veatch Ltd

Other Information

Education & Career

  • Bachelor of Laws, University of Leicester, 1979

  • Master of Laws, King’s College, London, 1980

  • Called to the Bar (Grays Inn), 1981

  • Keating Chambers, 1985 – present

  • King’s Counsel, 2000

  • Bencher of Gray’s Inn, 2007

  • Head of Keating Chambers, 2015 – 2020

Privacy Policies
Additional information

Occasionally lectures on construction and related disputes. Married with four children and lives in Hertfordshire. His interests include acting, guitar, walking, theatre, all types of music and opera. He is a Director of Stevenage FC.

Memberships

  • Technology & Construction Bar Association (TECBAR)

  • Commercial Bar Association (COMBAR)

  • Society of Construction Law (SCL)

  • Society of Construction Arbitrators

Recommendations

"Marcus Taverner is a very good person to work with. He has good analytical skills, is easy to get on with and good with clients."

"Marcus Taverner is very experienced in construction and knows the construction space very well. He responds very quickly and is very proactive."

"Marcus focuses on what’s important and has an ability to come up with approaches that might well be the way to go."

"Marcus is clever, practical and merit-oriented."

"Simply one of the very best. Excellent lawyer. Particularly valuable in unraveling the technical evidence. Has a superb grasp of the material. Fair. Easy to talk to and highly collegiate."

"Marcus Taverner is inquisitive, works very hard and is easy to deal with. He is objective and enthusiastic."

"Marcus Taverner is hardworking, clever and knowledgeable."

"Marcus Taverner's real strength is his unmatched ability to master a mass of technical detail, synthesise it and produce pellucid drafts as a result."

"Marcus has endless enthusiasm for the task in hand and brings a wealth of experience of complex international construction disputes. His youthful energy belies a wise intelligence, which is just what you need to steer a steady path through the challenges of high-value, multi-issue, modern-day construction dispute resolution."

"He's top flight."

"Marcus Taverner has a very good mind that he can get around anything, legal or technical."

"He's super popular and a great asset to any tribunal."

"Marcus has boundless enthusiasm for the dispute, whatever it is, however it is."

"He's highly intellectual and a real gentleman in court."

"Marcus Taverner is a heavyweight construction and energy lawyer."

"Marcus is very intelligent, adaptable, cooperative, hardworking, good natured and innovative. He is a first-class person with whom to work on a tribunal."

‘Mastery of his subject, allied to extensive experience. Marcus is a joy to work with.’

'Marcus Taverner is extremely responsive, on top of everything and gets to the heart of the matter.'

‘Marcus is hugely experienced, swiftly gets to the heart of the matter, and is always responsive. He is pragmatic, thorough, and a joy to work with.'

'Marcus has boundless enthusiasm for his subject matter, tempered by a deep understanding of the dispute and a steely eye for what really matters.'

‘Marcus is a first-class practitioner. He is very clever, always constructive in his approach, hardworking, and his judgement is excellent.’

 ‘Marcus is a pleasure to work with. He is intelligent, thoughtful, and astute. His drafting is excellent.’

"One of the leading new generation construction arbitrators - he has a good incisive brain; listens to arguments carefully but makes his mind up and is decisive."

"Simply the best, he is an amazing counsel and arbitrator who is very bright and shows extreme attention to detail."

"One of the very best construction silks at the Bar, who is increasingly building a reputation as a first-rate arbitrator."

"He is user-friendly diligent and knowledgeable."

"A ferocious advocate. One of the best on his feet." "He focuses on putting himself in the shoes of the judge and has a fastidious attention to what the judge says and does."

"A commanding advocate who is, in our view, second to none in the construction field."

"He is in the Premier League of silks for construction professional indemnity work."

"He's got endless energy and is an extremely good cross-examiner. He's very good at judging his audience and getting a good balance."