David Robertson

BA, LLB (Hons) (Auckland), LLM (London)
Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

drobertson@fenwickelliott.co.uk

Partner

Contract experience

David has over 14 years’ experience advising clients in relation to standard form and bespoke contract documentation with a particular emphasis on international construction, energy and infrastructure projects and upstream and downstream oil and gas projects.

General experience

David has wide range of experience advising public and private sector clients in contentious and non-contentious matters, mainly relating to construction, energy and infrastructure projects. David has advised clients in a range of large international arbitration matters including arbitrations under ICC, ICSID, UNCITRAL and ad hoc rules. David has also advised clients in disputes before the English, New Zealand and Australian Courts. He has drafted and advised on project documentation and dispute resolution for infrastructure and energy projects in the UK, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and throughout the Middle East. David has also advised government and commercial clients on a range of international law issues including jurisdiction, conflict of laws, bilateral and multilateral investment treaty rights, treaty interpretation, enforcement of arbitral awards and international environmental law.

David has particular experience of large-scale energy, oil and gas projects, recent matters include: advising on claims and disputes on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Pipeline Project; advising the purchaser under a ‘take or pay’ natural gas supply contract in the Caspian region; advising consulting engineer in dispute with Government employer in relation to a Middle East gas fired power station project; advising the main contractor in dispute with EPC subcontractor on a crude oil pipeline construction project in the Caspian region; advising the main contractor on a combined cycle power station and desalination plant in the Middle East; advising oil and gas equipment and service supplier in dispute regarding supply contracts in Iraq; and advising the owner of an oil concession and other proprietary rights in the Middle East with respect to a claim for assertion of those rights against the host Government.

Career

David has an LLM from the London School of Economics in international law. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1996. He began his career at Simpson Grierson in New Zealand and then worked at Baker & McKenzie in Australia. David joined Fenwick Elliott in February 2004, becoming a partner in May 2007.

Other activities

David has acted as a consultant to the Commonwealth Secretariat on international law issues and worked as a legal adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain.

Memberships

David is a member of the International Bar Association, the Technology and Construction Solicitors Association, the International Law Association and the American Society of International Law.

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