Quentin Tannock

Quentin’s practice focuses on substantial, high-value and complex disputes across all areas of Commercial law including large scale Construction & Engineering and Energy disputes. He has considerable experience of professional negligence cases in these areas. Quentin also has considerable experience in civil fraud, including in respect of deceit, unlawful interference, procurement of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and duress. Quentin also has extensive experience in insurance and reinsurance disputes arising in the Commercial, Construction, Energy and International Arbitration areas. He has acted for a wide range of clients including policyholders, brokers, insurers and reinsurers.

Quentin is an in-demand senior junior who enjoys working in a team. As well as being led in major disputes by Chambers’ leading silks, he has been instructed as sole counsel in the Court of Appeal and High Court (ChD, KBD, TCC) as well as in institutional (ICC, LCIA, LMAA) and ad hoc arbitrations and in the ADGM Courts and the DIFC Courts. He additionally leads juniors in significant disputes.

Quentin has extensive appellate experience. Quentin’s appeal experience includes successfully acting for Appellants and Respondents, across commercial, negligence and construction practice areas, appearing in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

In addition to running an Arbitration Centre and lecturing arbitration and mediation to final year law students, prior to being called to the Bar Quentin was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, in the Faculty of Law, with a research focus on international commercial arbitration and the enforcement of international commercial arbitration awards.

Featured Commercial & International Arbitration cases

Sole counsel in Armstead v Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Company Ltd[2022] EWCA Civ 497, successfully resisting an appeal in the Court of Appeal against a silk and junior. Read: Judgment, Case note.

Sole counsel in Campos and Another v Parish and Others [2024] ADGMCFI 0017, a AED $8.4M dispute in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Courts. The dispute arose out of investments into a joint venture company, requiring investigation at trial of complex technology and patent issues, against a background of allegations of fraud and duress. Succeeded across all issues. Read: Judgment, Case note.

Junior counsel in a USD $500M+ International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration concerning energy generation. A complex and highly technical dispute, arising in the Middle East, in front of a tribunal of leading arbitrators.

Successful lead counsel at trial and successful sole counsel on appeal in Costcutter Supermarkets Group Limited v Vaish and Another [2024] EWHC 152 (KB). Appearing for Costcutter, leading a junior in a 5-day trial against experienced regional counsel, successfully securing Costcutter’s claim and the rejection of a £1.8M counterclaim. On appeal, established that limitation of liability clauses did not preclude elements the claim and secured the rejection of a cross-appeal. Read: Judgment, Case note.

Junior Counsel making submissions in the Supreme Court hearing in Armstead v Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company Limited [2024] UKSC 6, addressing fundamental issues in tort, where economic loss arises as a result of physical damage to property. Read: Judgment, Case note.

Junior Counsel in a significant commercial dispute in Gibraltar, in the context of social gaming, including pursuing applications to appoint a provisional liquidator and a liquidator on the “just and equitable” ground.

Junior Counsel in a significant LCIA arbitration arising in the context of mining operations in Sierra Leone.

Sole counsel in an ICC arbitration, representing a Chinese-based exporter in a contractual dispute with a UK distributor. Settled successfully before the final hearing.

Sole counsel in an ad hocarbitration successfully representing a Polish manufacturer in a dispute with its UK distributor. Settled successfully at mediation.

Sole counsel representing the successful Claimant in Shafqat Dad v Pavilion HP13 Limited [2025] EWCC 34, a case concerning the terms of a profit-sharing agreement and exploring procedural issues.

Sole counsel in Crown Gas v PQ Realty [2024] EWHC 3078 (KB), a case concerning a “deemed contract” under the Gas Act 1986, establishing that management companies sub-letting properties are “consumers” under the Act.