Emily Blanshard Senior Associate

Emily specialises in dispute resolution in the construction, infrastructure and energy sectors. She has acted and advised on international disputes in numerous jurisdictions including arbitration (under the LCIA, ICC, SIAC and UNCITRAL rules), expert determination, adjudication, mediation and English court proceedings. Emily regularly works with owners and contractors and advises on standard form construction contracts (including the JCT, NEC, and FIDIC forms), bespoke contracts and PFI arrangements. Emily also appears as an advocate before the English courts and arbitral tribunals.

Prior to joining Fenwick Elliott, Emily gained over 10 years’ experience in a top tier international disputes practice, working in London and Hong Kong.  She also has in-house experience in senior and leadership roles in large corporations, most recently as an interim Head of Legal.

Specialist expertise

Examples of Emily's expertise include:

  • advising a consortium of contractors in respect of numerous claims submitted to a dispute board for extensions of time and additional cost (of in excess of US$1 billion) arising out of a multi-billion dollar metro project;
  • advising a Korean contractor in respect of an ICC arbitration regarding claims arising from the construction of an oil refinery in Egypt;
  • advising an international consortium in respect of ICC arbitration proceedings in relation to claims arising out of material delays and related claims under the subcontract for the construction of a major infrastructure project in Saudi Arabia; 
  • advising a global electricity supplier on three parallel adjudication proceedings arising out of a major nuclear project in Europe;
  • advising a developer in respect of potential multiple adjudications under an NEC3 contract concerning a major infrastructure project;
  • advising a property developer on contentious issues concerning inflation and rising material costs across multiple developments leading to a successful renegotiation of position;
  • advising an energy company in relation to insurance claims for property damage to a gas turbine and associated business interruption losses; 
  • advising the project contractor on a number of potential claims by the Authority arising out of one of the largest PPP projects in Asia and potential arbitration under the SIAC rules; 
  • representing an international investment firm in an ICC arbitration seated in Paris regarding a mining project in Turkey (conducted witness handling during the merits hearing); 
  • advising a Japanese IT company on its successful settlement in a long-running ICC arbitration, in connection with a US$150 million contract for the construction of a transcontinental submarine telecommunications cable system; 
  • representing a multinational investment banking firm in English High Court proceedings to defend a London seated ICC arbitration award from a challenge under section 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996 (acting as junior counsel);
  • representing an international oil and gas company in ICC arbitration proceedings in relation to a US$50 million shareholder dispute over oil and gas assets located in Poland and raising complex issues of legal construction and share valuation; 
  • acting for Bill Kenwright Ltd in resisting applications to stay English proceedings in favour of litigation in Abu Dhabi Bill Kenwright Ltd v Flash Entertainment FZ LLC [2016] EWHC 1951 (QB) (acting as junior counsel);
  • acting for companies in the Timis Mining Group, in an application for a stay of proceedings and in cross-applications for anti-suit injunctions in light of parallel actions in Dawnus Sierra Leone Ltd v Timis Mining Corp Ltd [2016] EWHC 236 (TCC) (acting as junior counsel); 
  • representing a consortium of leading multinational energy companies in UNCITRAL arbitration and expert determination proceedings against the Republic of Kazakhstan. The case concerned budget and schedule disputes worth US$9 billion in a high-profile and politically significant case concerning one of the world's largest oil and gas projects.

Other activities

Emily obtained her Higher Rights (civil) in 2013, completed the South Eastern Circuit International Advanced Advocacy Course at Keble College, Oxford in 2014 and spent 3 years on secondment to an in-house advocacy practice within a previous law firm.

Emily has contributed to leading industry journals and publications including Construction LawInternational Construction Law ReviewPractical Law CompanyKluwer Arbitration Blog, and The Paris Journal of Arbitration/Les Cahiers de l’Arbitrage. She has also spoken at international events and conferences, and in-house training sessions for clients.

Emily’s memberships include:

  • member of CIArb.