Sanjay Patel KC
Call 2010 Silk 2024
Instruct Sanjay
To instruct Sanjay please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5555 or email [email protected].
Sanjay’s cases are typically heavy, high value court trials and arbitral hearings involving cross-examination of numerous factual and expert witnesses on points of technical and factual complexity.
He is described in the directories as having “a real skill of marrying up legal issues with complex technical issues” (Chambers and Partners: Construction 2025).
Recent highlights have included:
• Acting for the claimant in Energy Works (Hull) Ltd v MW High Tech Projects UK Ltd [2022] EWHC 3275 (TCC), a six week trial involving 28 factual and 25 expert witnesses that resulted in the largest award of damages in the history of the English Technology and Construction Court.
• Acting in 2023 for non-executive directors in a case listed for 22 weeks before the English Chancery Division relating to the demise of London Capital & Finance. The claim involved fraud allegations with a nine-figure sum claimed as damages.
• Acting in 2024 in a three week LCIA arbitration for a major international broadcaster in relation to the delayed roll-out of a firm-wide IT system.
• Acting in 2024 in a two-week LCIA arbitration concerning a £200m+ dispute over the recladding of an architecturally important building in the Middle East.
Sanjay is ranked in the legal directories for international arbitration, energy and construction, although his practice also includes cases involving allegations of commercial fraud, technology disputes (including cases in the defence sector), joint venture disputes and cases under share purchase agreements, banking disputes and sports law.
In addition to appearing in commercial cases in the TCC, Commercial Court, Queen’s Bench Division and Chancery Division of the English High Court, Sanjay has appeared in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and arbitrations under the ICC, LCIA, DIFC-LCIA, UNCITRAL, LMAA and DIAC rules (including emergency arbitrations). Sanjay has also appeared in the Qatar International Court and the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts, where he is a registered advocate. In addition to his English law practice, Sanjay regularly appears in disputes where the governing law is a civil code system. That experience comes from his work in the Middle East – a region he has worked in throughout his career and has come to know well.
Sanjay enjoys building relationships with all parts of a litigation team, from paralegals to partners to in-house legal and commercial contacts. He takes pride in treating everyone he comes across with warmth and respect.
“He has a real skill of marrying up legal issues with complex technical issues.” – Chambers and Partners: Construction, 2025
“He clears out the distractions and finds the heart of the issue.” – Chambers and Partners: Construction, 2025
“Sanjay Patel gets to the point quickly and delivers advice in a very clear way.” – Chambers and Partners: Construction, 2025
“Enthusiastic, very bright and great with clients” – Legal 500: Energy, 2025
“Sanjay’s work rate is phenomenal and is matched by his intellect and trial strategy. He is user friendly and a go to barrister for large scale international arbitration” – Legal 500: Construction, 2025
“Sanjay is extremely sharp and personable. He is very, very hardworking and is a supreme junior. His silk appointment this year was very well deserved and entirely expected – he is excellent with clients, his advocacy is brilliant, and he has an extremely analytical mind” – Legal 500, 2025
Commercial Fraud
Sanjay has acted in a number of cases involving allegations of dishonesty and breach of fiduciary duty, often involving company directors that are said to have breached obligations that they owed to their employer.
Featured Commercial Fraud cases
Tactus Holdings v Jordan [2024] EWHC 399 (Comm) – a case concerning alleged fraudulent misrepresentations by a seller in advance of a company sale.
Acting in 2024 for a company director in relation to a springboard injunction, where it was alleged that the director had misused confidential information.
Lapome v Kemp [2023] EWHC 1564 (Ch) – a case in which a director was alleged to have made a secret profit during the course of a joint venture. The case raised a point on which there was no binding authority concerning proprietary remedies and tracing through a mixed fund.
Acting in 2023 for non-executive directors in a case listed for 22 weeks before the Chancery Division relating to the demise of London Capital & Finance. The claim involved fraud allegations with a nine figure sum claimed as damages. Sanjay’s clients settled before trial.
Acting in 2022 in relation to a DIAC arbitration between a developer and main contractor in a dispute concerning the alleged wrongful withdrawal of hundreds of millions of Dirhams from a statutory escrow account.
Acting in 2020 in relation to arbitration enforcement proceedings in the DIFC where the award debtor had wrongfully distributed money to parent and sister companies to avoid payment of the award debt.
Acting in 2020 for a bond trader sued by his former employer, a sovereign wealth fund, in conspiracy and breach of fiduciary duty. The hearing was reported widely in the financial press, including in the Financial Times, Bloomberg and Al Jazeera.
From these cases and various others, Sanjay has experience of cross-examining forensic accountants and financial professionals.
In the course of Sanjay’s practice, Sanjay has regularly acted in applications for injunctive relief. This included acting in 2020 for a high net worth individual to obtain three separate freezing injunctions over the course of five weeks in relation to an international fraud that had been perpetrated against him.
Banking
Throughout his career, Sanjay has had a particular interest in financial services and banking. At the start of his career Sanjay completed an MSc in Finance, which involved corporate valuation and the pricing of derivative contracts.
Featured Banking cases
Advising investors in relation to potential bilateral investment treaty claims relating to the 2023 write-down of Credit Suisse Additional Tier 1 capital notes (an asset class that was the subject of his Masters thesis).
Acting at first instance and appellate level in the case of Leonardo v Doha Bank Assurance Company, the first case before the Qatar International Court to address the rights and obligations under performance bonds and one of the first cases in the world relating to the ICC Uniform Rules on Demand Guarantees. The case involved allegations of dishonesty relating to a call on a performance bond.
Immediately after the global financial crisis and the subsequent fall in interest rates, Sanjay acted regularly for UK banks in relation to interest rate swap mis-selling cases and cases involving allegations of LIBOR manipulation. Sanjay also advised on disputes arising from the downfall of Lehman Brothers as well as disputes over the calculation of close-out amounts under the ISDA Master Agreement.
Acting for an investment bank in relation to a dispute over the quantum of carry to which it was entitled.
Technology
Sanjay also has acted in a number of disputes concerning the roll-out of highly complex technology and IT programmes.
Featured Technology cases
Acting in 2024 in a three week LCIA arbitration for a major international broadcaster in relation to the delayed roll-out of a firm-wide IT system.
3 highly confidential and high-value disputes (since 2021) concerning the delivery of complex defence equipment programmes. Sanjay has acted both for defence majors and government in these disputes. All three of the disputes have involved both hardware and software issues.
Acting in an arbitration concerning a JV dispute over the delivery of information technology systems relating to a major tram network.
Construction and Energy
In recent years the majority of Sanjay’s practice has involved disputes in relation to energy projects, both in the English High Court and in arbitration.
Featured Construction and Energy cases
Acting for the claimant in Energy Works (Hull) Ltd v MW High Tech Projects UK Ltd [2022] EWHC 3275 (TCC), a six week trial involving 28 factual and 25 expert witnesses, that resulted in the largest award of damages in the history of the English Technology and Construction Court at the time.
Acting as lead counsel for a sovereign state in an LCIA arbitration concerning the termination of a contract relating to the construction of a power plant. The claim was valued at over US$200m.
Acting in a one week Abu Dhabi Global Market seated, LCIA arbitration concerning a claim valued at over US$100m under a Construction All Risks insurance policy relating to damage to pipeline coatings. The arbitration involved substantial technical evidence concerning the cause of corrosion on pipeline sections.
Acting as Leading counsel for a European contractor in a one week ICC arbitration concerning breach of a pre-tender Memorandum of Understanding.
Acting in a two week London seated, ICC arbitration concerning a fire during the course of works at a combined heat and power plant. The claim was valued at over US$60m.
Acting in a two-week DIAC arbitration seated in Dubai concerning the construction of a pipeline fabrication facility.
Acting in 2024 in a two-week LCIA arbitration concerning a £200m+ dispute over the recladding of an architecturally important building in the Middle East.
Acting for the main contractor in Blackpool Borough Council v VolkerFitzpatrick [2020] EWHC 1523 (TCC), a four week trial relating to rail infrastructure that is now one of the leading cases on breach of design life obligations.
Acting for a contractor bringing a claim worth US$750m in a Dubai seated DIAC arbitration relating to a landmark development in the UAE.
Acting as junior counsel in a two-week ad hoc arbitration relation to a joint venture dispute concerning the construction of a UK tram project.
Acting as lead counsel in a Dubai seated, ICC emergency arbitration relating to a dispute long term steel supply subcontract for a large rail project in the Middle East.
Acting for a contractor in widely reported English High Court proceedings relating to the fit-out of the Shangri-La Hotel in the Shard.
Appearing as sole counsel in a two-week Dubai seated DIAC arbitration concerning the construction of an industrial facility.
Acting as sole counsel in High Court proceedings regarding the total collapse of a church during an ongoing construction project.
Appearing as sole counsel in a two-week Dubai seated DIAC arbitration concerning a multi-million dollar dispute over a hotel development.
Acting for a developer in a Dubai seated arbitration under the UNCITRAL rules concerning the construction of two skyscrapers in the UAE.
Sports Law
In 2024 Sanjay acted for Carina Horn, a South African 100m runner, against World Athletics in a case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport concerning a doping violation. The case concerned the recognition by World Athletics of a doping ban passed down following an investigation that did not conform with WADA Technical Notes.
Dubai Arbitration Week 2024
Rachel Ansell KC, Sanjay Patel KC, Laurence Page, Andrew Stevens, Quentin Tannock, Katy Handley, Jacob Haddad and...
Sean Brannigan KC and Sanjay Patel KC speaking at Vinson & Elkins Middle East Construction Conference 2024
On Thursday 17 October, Sean Brannigan KC and Sanjay Patel KC will be speaking at Vinson & Elkins Middle East...
Sanjay Patel to be appointed as King’s Counsel
His Majesty the King, on the advice of the Lord Chancellor following consideration by the independent King’s Counsel...
4 Pump Court shortlisted for ‘Set of the Year’ at The Legal 500 Middle East and North Africa Awards 2024
We are delighted to share that 4 Pump Court has been shortlisted for ‘Set of the Year’ at The Legal 500...
Instruct Sanjay
To instruct Sanjay please contact our clerks on +44 (0)20 7842 5524 or email [email protected].
Would you like to know more?
For help and advice talk to a member of our clerking team. They can advise on the best options for your matter.
Call: +44 (0) 20 7842 5555
